Matching stripes and patterns

[gene]

I'm working on 2 matching wing back chairs. The fabric is a thin cotton/poly with a very complex, asymmetrical, paisley pattern. I'm spending a lot of time matching the pattern. But it will look awesome when it's finished.

This is definitely one fabric that you must mark the bottom side of all fabric panel cuts.

Here's a link to a blog from a guy named David. Check out the stripes he did on the first chair. (I've put his link on here before.) I have no idea how he can do this incredible stripe matching and still have time to put out a blog.

http://practicalupholstery.blogspot.com/

gene

[SteveA]

It is impressive to see how careful that craftsman was -  also the stark contrast of colors adds to the effect.  When you take on a job like this and the customer is asking for that level of quality matching there is a cost in time and extra material but the result is worth it -
Could using that chair as a model in the showroom cause folks to expect too much per job ?
SA

[byhammerandhand]

Stephen Winters used to be more active on some of these forums, but he also had a method for matching stripes on curves.

http://www.upholsteryresource.com/node/183

[gene]

Could using that chair as a model in the showroom cause folks to expect too much per job ?

Back in my previous life selling industrial packaging materials, I would fly into a city and rent a mid sized car like a Ford Taurus. Occasionally Hertz would be out of that sized car and they would give me a Lincoln Continental. Even though I worked for a multi billion dollar company, there was always the concern that a purchasing manager working in a small town might see my Lincoln and think our company was charging too much money for our products.  

If an upholsterer sells 'rag and tag' cheap cheap cheap, then a chair on display like this one might be saying, "Hey! Look at the quality you're not going to get!"

If an upholsterer sells that level of quality then that would be an awesome chair to have on display.

I was especially impressed with how he matched the pattern on the welt cord at the top and front of the chair.

Steven Winters posted a link, awhile back, to his web sight where he had figured out how to manipulate the welt cord fabric to match a strip on a curved edge.

gene

[gene]

Hey Keith, I posted a comment about Steven Winters seconds after you did. I guess it is true that great minds think alike.  :)

gene

[kodydog]

Ive seen some pretty bad match jobs and it always makes me wonder if the customer didn't notice, didn't care or was too intimidated to say anything.

Will you post some after pics Gene?

[gene]

KD: photobucket? LOL

I don't know if I'll post pics or not. The last thing I did yesterday was to put on the inside back panels. The first thing I did this morning was to take them off. I had the pattern 7 inches too high.

What is most frustrating is that I can not figure out how I got the pattern to be off by so much? I even marked the bottom spot to be at the deck with masking tape.

gene

[kodydog]

Photobucket, yeah, Grrrr.

[gene]

I'm not saying matching this print was especially difficult, but I did notice that the monsters in my nightmares started wearing clothes made from the same fabric.

Gene

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/th_IMG_20160510_103047_zps4lywturo.jpg




http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/th_IMG_20160510_103101_zpsas5itrkd.jpg

[SteveA]

Nice chairs for a Hall Way ?  Lighting could be improved !
SA