If you’ve been avoiding using striped fabric on your upholstery projects, then read this! There’s no need to fear stripes. Stripes are the easiest pattern to work with, and in this article, you will learn everything you need to work with stripes confidently!
Plan Ahead
When using a striped fabric, it is best to lay the fabric out and stand back to look at it from a distance. The “main stripe” should be pretty obvious, and you will want to use that as your center stripe. Even on a multi-colour pinstripe like this one, there is a pattern that makes the light stripe jump out just a little more than the darker stripe. Do you see it? Inspect your fabric closely, to find the stripes that line up, and how they don’t line up when you reverse the fabric. This will matter a lot in your layout planning.
Stripes are Easier to Cut!
Believe it or not, stripes are the easiest pattern to plan out and cut. If you think about the task of cutting the fabric pieces for your chair, you are measuring and cutting along the weave of the fabric. With a stripe fabric, you have the guide of the stripe, so you only need to measure once, and cut the length with the stripe. With a patterned fabric, you need to line up and consider the pattern in both directions – horizontally and vertically. With stripes, it’s only one direction you need to worry about. All your pieces will have the same center mark, so once you get the hang of it, cutting with stripes is an easier process than any other pattern.
Be Sure to Center Your Main Stripe!
About that center stripe…you do need to make sure you’re getting the correct center mark placed perfectly on the chair, but only at the front. Measure and mark the center of the chair on the front rail, and also at the back of the chair. Don’t trust any center points that may have been added by past upholsterers, they were not as much of a perfectionist as you and I.
Tension is Key
I feel tense. Do you feel tense? Let’s work on that. Fabric tension is always important in upholstery, but with stripes, it is key to get the front to back tension correct first, and then lightly pull to the sides so that the stripes don’t sway. You need to get the fabric tight, but overly taut fabric will quiver, so always pull hardest along the stripe.
Use a Stapler
A plier stapler will absolutely save your life here. It’s easy to match the stripes up along the front and back panels but keeping them lined up when you sew is a whole other thing. Stapling the pieces together first will save you a lot of time and aggravation.
Stripes Can’t Always Line Up
Wrapping a flat fabric around a curvy chair will always require some accommodation in the stripe alignment. The important thing is to line up the center stripes, and the rest will do what it’s going to do. It’s also very important to make sure that both sides of the chair are lined up in the same spots. As long as the alignment looks well-considered, and the sides mirror each other, it will look correct.
Upholster Both Sides at Once
If you don’t already do this, upholstering both arms at the same time will allow you to match the stripes perfectly. As I mentioned already, a well-considered pattern alignment is impressive and correct. The arms should be a mirror image of each other. If the pattern is off just a little, it will be noticeable with a bold stripe. Don’t let this intimidate you. Doing the arms at the same time makes it easier to get it right, and with practice, your stripes will impress!
Allow Extra Fabric
Don’t make life harder than it needs to be. Allowing extra fabric will allow you to easily line up the stripes with accuracy. This is true with all your cut pieces, so allow a few inches to have some give and take. Hmmm, this sounds a lot like my waist band rule. But I digress.
Stripes Always Run Perpendicular
On the outside, it’s important to run the stripes perpendicular to the floor. On the outside wings, for example, you might be caught in a dilemma to run the stripes evenly with the insides, or line them up with the frame, or run them with the arms, or, or, or…. Always run them in line with the outside arms. They need to be absolutely straight.
Don’t Cut on the Bias
This seems to be a controversial topic in the upholstery world, but bias piping is a big no-no in my shop. It is hardly ever necessary for a proper fit, it takes up an excessive amount of fabric and it looks sloppy on a patterned chair. I would never consider it with striped fabric. With practice, stripes are very easy to line up on piping, and the look is beyond impressive.
The Cushion Stripes Should Wrap Around
Um, what? If you normally cut your panels in the same direction, which you should btw, in the case of stripes you need to check to see if the pattern will perfectly align when the panels are sewn together. Sometimes that stripe pattern needs to be turned around to line up, or wrap around the cushion. It should be noted that if this is the case, the cushion stripes will only line up with the inside back and seat edge when the cushion is placed with the top side up. When turned over, it will not be perfect. It’s still correct.
The Zipper Panel Must Also Line Up
The back of the cushion is almost as important as the front when you’re working with stripes. Stripes are bold, and the look should be seamless running down the front of the chair. Pattern matching is one of those beautiful details in upholstery, and we all know that details matter.
If you’re just beginning to develop you upholstery skills, you may want to read books on upholstery, such as this one!