Half-drop?

[sofadoc]

A customer came in for an estimate today.

When discussing fabric, she told me that the salesperson at the fabric store said "Tell your upholsterer that it's a 'half-drop'...........He'll know what that means".

I don't know what that means. ???

[Darren Henry]

Just rolling the dice here; never heard that term either, but could she be calling the cushion that? I've heard a few terms for where the top half of the cushion has two pleats and comes down to centre/ the bottom the same, usually with a welt on the front. I've heard waterfall and cascade and I think some one once called it a bullnose (correctly or not ???)

[zanepurcell]

a half-drop design refers to the material. and specifically the repeat of the pattern on the material. If you turned a brick wall sideways and each brick was a repeat of the pattern, it would be a half-drop.

http://www.johnlewis.com/230508537/Product.aspx

zane

ps- I pray it isnt a print and its a woven in design.

[sofadoc]

Thanks Zane.

I guess the fabric store thought I might want to know before quoting a yardage estimate.
But as long as I know the H/V repeat, I don't think the 'Half drop' layout will affect my calculations.

[gene]

The term 'half drop' is used more in window treatments.

If I am cutting out a bunch of panels to make self welt pillow covers, and the Vertical repeat is 20", and the fabric is a half drop, I don't always have to go down 20" to get my next panel. I can sometimes go down only 10" and cut using the half drop. I hope this makes sense. It can save fabric. Cutting 2 panels side by side, or 2 out, this could give me 4 panels in 30" instead of 4 panels in 40", for example.

A problem I have found on some cheaper fabrics is that the half drop may not be identical. In Zane's picture, the floral on one row may be bigger or smaller than the floral on the second row. If the floral is intentionally bigger or smaller then the fabric is not a half drop.

In figuring fabric needed for upholstery a half drop fabric does not make a difference. However, I had a designer working with $175 a yard fabric for dining room chairs and wanted me to lay out the fabric taking the half drop into consideration to see what the least amount of fabric needed was. My thought was if someone can affort $175 a yard fabric is it really going to make a difference if we can save them 1/2 yard of fabric?

Also, sofaD, are you sure she said the salesperson said the 'fabric' was a half drop, or was the salesperson talking about the upholsterer? Texas does have some rather unique words of non endearment.

gene