Hey, all, new guy here, trying to teach myself upholstery (I worked in an upholstery shop during high school but that was 40+ yrs ago)...
Question: For upholstery fabrics, does differential stretch -- where the fabric will stretch more one way than another way -- should such fabrics be avoided for upholstery work?
I'm fixing an office chair that gets a lot of use -- it needs new foam, and fabric is ratty -- and I bought some heavy 100% polyester gabardine to cover it with. It's heavy and looks tough, but I guess it's a twill weave and has more stretch in one direction than in other directions. (In my case, it stretches on one bias a lot, whereas it has almost no stretch on the warp, weft or other bias.)
I'm curious whether, over time, this fabric will "relax" or "permanently stretch" in one direction more than in other directions, leading to looseness in that direction? Is this material going to give me trouble if I cover the seat of my office chair with it?
Another question: Should I orient the "stretchy" axis to be parallel to the length/height of the chair, so at least when it stretches out, it won't be cockeyed or angled?
My hunch is that fabrics that stretch equally in all directions would be better for upholstery but don't know -- maybe it doesn't matter?
Thanks in advance for any clues.
Question: For upholstery fabrics, does differential stretch -- where the fabric will stretch more one way than another way -- should such fabrics be avoided for upholstery work?
I'm fixing an office chair that gets a lot of use -- it needs new foam, and fabric is ratty -- and I bought some heavy 100% polyester gabardine to cover it with. It's heavy and looks tough, but I guess it's a twill weave and has more stretch in one direction than in other directions. (In my case, it stretches on one bias a lot, whereas it has almost no stretch on the warp, weft or other bias.)
I'm curious whether, over time, this fabric will "relax" or "permanently stretch" in one direction more than in other directions, leading to looseness in that direction? Is this material going to give me trouble if I cover the seat of my office chair with it?
Another question: Should I orient the "stretchy" axis to be parallel to the length/height of the chair, so at least when it stretches out, it won't be cockeyed or angled?
My hunch is that fabrics that stretch equally in all directions would be better for upholstery but don't know -- maybe it doesn't matter?
Thanks in advance for any clues.