Working With Customer's Own Material (COM)

Which side to use?

When a client has purchased her own fabric, ask her which side of the fabric she wants to use. Sometimes there is an obvious front side of the fabric, and an obvious back side, such as when the fabric has a glue backing. Sometimes there is a type of fabric that could be used either side up. How does the upholsterer tell which side to use?

Types of Fabric Pattern Matching

Upholstery fabrics come in a variety of patterns and designs, such as plain, all over designs, stripes, plaids, bouquet designs, geometric, random, continuous stems, or even a mixture of several of these. Many upholstery materials do not require any matching, while others won't look good if they aren't matched. Still other fabric patterns can look good matched or unmatched. Whether the upholsterer matches those fabrics will depend upon the client's preferences. The amount of matching done by the upholsterer will depend upon the upholsterer's skill level (For more information about upholsterer types, click here ), the size and type of the actual pattern, the shape and dimensions of the furniture, the client's preferences, and the costs involved. In some cases, pattern matching can add considerable yardage and extra labor costs to the upholstery job.