Skirt question

[cajunpedaler]

Working on a good quality piece of furniture.  A chair.  It was originally upholstered with a waterfall skirt.  Am I correct in considering that to be a fad? Isn't it a product of the 80's?  The chair has the proper structure to go back with a classic tailored skirt, and IMO, will look better with a classic skirt...
Am I wrong?
Perry

[MinUph]

We do a lot of waterfall skirts. I've seen more in recent years than ever before. I would leave that decision to the customer.

[sofadoc]

I'm not sure that I would attribute that style of skirt to the decade of the 80's.
I guess it's been around for a long time, but we certainly see a lot more of them in more recent years.

If you feel that a tailored skirt would look better, I'm sure that you could steer your customer in that direction. One thing that I've noticed about many customers. Whatever they had before........they want it different this time around. So it usually isn't hard to talk them out of/into whatever.

Something to consider........if there is a pattern to be matched, a waterfall skirt might actually be EASIER.

[chrisberry12]

customers here love waterfall skirts, I hate them. They make there furniture look more like they are slip covered and there is no Skirt stiffner in them so one less step

[kodydog]

In the 2 years I worked for my last employer I only did one. And it looked great. He would talk his customers out of it using the excuse, they're outdated. The real reason was, except for me, none of his other employees knew how to make one. He also did it to save time and money.  He did this with brass nail heads also. Drove me nuts.

In my business we just charge a little more.

[Darren Henry]

 :-[ I've obviously been brain dead from doing repairs on crappy furniture and sewing grain tarps for far too long out here. Jog my memory,please, what is a waterfall skirt? Is that another term for pleated?

[sofadoc]

:-[ I've obviously been brain dead from doing repairs on crappy furniture and sewing grain tarps for far too long out here. Jog my memory,please, what is a waterfall skirt? Is that another term for pleated?

Also known as a Dressmaker skirt. Basically, it is a tailored skirt that begins underneath the cushion and goes all the way to the floor. And the outside arms and outside back panels drape to the floor.
This one doesn't look very good, but it was the only picture I could find that wasn't copyrighted.



I've done quite a few of them the last 3 or 4 years. I charge more for doing them, because they are somewhat tedious getting them to hang just right.

Of course, if I just did them like the picture above, they wouldn't be so tedious.

[Darren Henry]

Thanks Dennis, I always thought those were just cheap slip covers. Not popular up here---at least in my neck of the woods.

[MinUph]

no Skirt stiffner in them so one less step

We use stiffener in these. It makes them hang better. We stiffen up to the point where the OB / OA break into the skirt. Or close within an inch or so. And the front section the same about.

[gene]

I've not seen an appreciable increase in changing tailored skirts to waterfall skirts.

I have added horizontal wood pieces to the sides and backs of furniture to be able to apply a waterfall skirt.

I am getting a lot of furniture where they want the skirt taken off. That seems to be a current trend. I sometimes need to refurbish the feet to make them look awesome.

Maybe because many of my slipcovers have waterfall skirts, I too am reminded of slipcovers when I see waterfall skirts on upholstered furniture.

Am I wrong?

Only if the customer says you are.  ::)

gene

[sofadoc]

I too am reminded of slipcovers when I see waterfall skirts on upholstered furniture.

Many customers like the chic/shabby look of a waterfall skirt that resembles a slipcover. They usually want a plain canvas or duck fabric.

Before I knew what they were called, I used to refer to them as a "Drop cloth skirt" because the sofa looked like it had a painter's drop cloth draped over it.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

The seats for the restaurant that I am just about finished with are called waterfall seats.  The front is cut and sewn as to "resemble" a waterfall.  For me, they are slow slowing as to make sure they will look like I want when stretched back onto the chair seats.  Once Mary has all the chair frames painted and the seats all put back on, I'll take pictures of them.  She has parts of the restaurant finished and parts are partially done but I really like the new chair vinyl much better than what we have taken off.

Virginia