Furniture Skirt designs - simple thought

[baileyuph]

In the midst of it all, discussions have help clarify skirt terminology and types.

In view of that, the kick pleated skirt.  what do most of you pros think drove the development/use of this style of skirt?

To that question, I immediately thought adding a stiffner must have had a lot to encourage the use of Kick pleats.  It would be a challenge, different one anyway, to put a stiffner in a flat one piece circumferential type skirt - a flange skirt - if you have been following the recent readings?  The kick panel method accommodates the stiffer about as well as any method and better than most.

As a follow on point/question, are skirts applied to current slip cover producers routinely and what type.  In prior days, that would be a yes  (I did slip covers - in my beginnings on furniture and auto seats but like everything, there are likely changes and additions in any field).

Oh, one more slip cover comment, in my early experience, some wealthy customers had three and four sets of slip covers, they changed them seasonally and the other were sent to the cleaners for pressing and storage.  The other part of the market was to serve as protection covers, some were actually custom made and installed as soon as possible to keep from soiling the factory new upholstery.  we did a lot of this in auto seat cover work also, most were installed before the customer took delivery of a new car.  Changes!

Doyle

[kodydog]

Just a wild guess here but I think sometimes furniture styles follow cost of labor. In the 40's and 50's skirts became popular because labor was cheep and it was more cost effective to cover the legs that were made of inferior wood and quickly finished.

Now with mass-produced bun legs or screw-in-legs, the skirt is "out of style" in new furniture.

[gene]

I would think the initial reason for a skirt was to hide what was under the furniture, a practical use. A second reason would be to bring the fabric all the way down to the floor, a decorative use. Probably the same for today.

A flat tailored skirt is quicker to make than anything more fancy, which may account for it's popularity. Like kodyD said, price drives a lot of things.

Most of my furniture slipcovers have skirts. If the upholstered furniture has a skirt, then a skirt on the slipcover is needed to cover that.

The skirt on a slipcover helps to hold the entire slipcover onto the chair, kind of like a weight in the bottom of drapes.

On slipcovers that do not have a skirt, I sew Velco around the bottom of the slipcover, then staple Velcro around the bottom of the furniture. I've seen slipcovers where pulls are sewn to the bottom of the slipcover and stapled under the furniture. This method works but you have to remove staples and then re staple in order to have your slipcover dry cleaned.

wealthy customers had three and four sets of slip covers, they changed them seasonally

I've only had folks who use one slipcover for half the year and then the upholstered fabric for the other half of the year.

People who buy my slipcovers do so to save the upholstery on the furniture - for a variety of reasons. I don't do slipcovers because the fabric on the furniture is worn and the homeowner is looking for a cheap alternative to buying new furniture. You can get these types of slipcovers from retail stores or on the internet.

gene

[bobbin]

I do a decent amount of slipcover work and, like Gene, I don't chose to slipcover failing upholstery.  I price accordingly and when asked about doing such a thing always advise they opt for reupholstery. 

I can make any sort of skirt requested.  Most often, I am asked to "keep it simple".  I have found the easiest thing for me is to make the skirts in pcs..  I work from my measurements when I pattern a slipcover.  I don't fart around with continuous pcs. with underlaps factored in.  I make the front panels individually and I make underpanels that will be placed beneath them.  It's easier for me (from the neck down, if you will).  And the result is always nice and it always fits. 

[baileyuph]

When making a slip cover with a skirt that is fitted over skirted upholstery, what techniques are used to attach the slip cover?  Anyone have a technique that works well

When I did slip covers, I don't recall how this handled,  but in some cases the upholstered slip was removed.

Doyle

[bobbin]

Some people factor in the necessary "ease" so the slipcover can be pulled over the piece, using no closures.  I always add a zipper (sometimes 2) or a decorative buttoned placket closure because I prefer the slipcover to more closely resemble upholstery.  I don't personally tend to like the "shabby chic" look but if that's what the customer wishes, it's what I'll do. 

I find that after patterning the main body of the slipcover it's useful to take a perimeter measurement of the piece in question and then I measure each side individually.  I take these measurements over the welting atop the upholstered skirt; this allows me to get a nice, snug fit that doesn't impede ease in putting the slip. on or removing it. 

[gene]

Here's a pic of a Custom Fit Slipcover I finished yesterday. I'll deliver it tomorrow and touch up the skirt with a bit of steam first.

If you can see the sides of the arms, I run the welt cord where the side of the arm and the top of the arm meet. When I upholster I run this welt cord under the arm. Many slipcovers have the welt cord under the arm and this leads to the sides hanging out unless you use twist pins. Putting the welt cord on the arms this way helps it to lay snug.

The slipcover fits snug and this helps the skirt to look nice. I also use big tuck ins to help everything stay tight.

A Custom Fit Slipcover is the only style I do. I found that when folks want a "more relaxed" slipcover they can always get it cheaper from the internet or Walmart.

I don't do a lot of Custom Fit Slipcovers, but I do enjoy them when I do. It's a nice break from the staple pulling and staple putting back on.

Like bobbin, I almost always use zippers, usually one, but sometimes on big furniture two can be easier. I think in terms of the homeowner taking it off to have it dry cleaned. This chair was wider at the top of the back than the base, which is rather rare, so I did not use zippers on this slipcover.

I also make a really long seat cushion cover zipper, at least 2/3 the way up each side. This also makes it easy for the homeowner to take the cover off to dry clean and then to get the cushion insert back in.

gene

[bobbin]

I was unable to enlarge your photo, Gene.  I'm sorry about that because what my middle-age eyes can discern is a lovely work.  A handsome slipcover, the sort I like to deliver, too!

[gene]

bobbin,

right click on the image to bring up a pop up window, and click 'view image'

gene

[sofadoc]

Am I the only one that right-clicking doesn't work for?
When I right-click, I get several options, but "view image" isn't one of them. I've tried it on 3 different laptops, all with the latest version of windows. No luck. 

[gene]

Shift + F10 buttons together are the keyboard equivalent of 'right click'. Try that with your pointer over the picture.

If it gives you the same window then I am out of ideas. Maybe something to do with Texas?

gene

[sofadoc]

These are the options I get when I right-click the photo.


Shift + F10 only adjusts the volume. The "view source" option only pulls up a lot of computer lingo.

What system are you guys running? Commodore 64?

[byhammerandhand]

What browser are you using?  I use Firefox and get a "View Image" about half-way down the drop down box.

[sofadoc]

I've tried it on Internet Explorer and Google Chrome.
So it works on Firefox?

[kodydog]

Works on my laptop. I run firefox. Right click and view image is the first option. If its a thumbnail it doesn't make it larger but genes photo did.

My parents first computer was a commodore 64. My dad thought it would be the last computer he would ever own. When technology made it obsolete he got thoroughly disgusted and gave up entirely on computers.