thick napped fabrics

[gene]

No, not overweight fabrics that like to sleep during the day. The other kind.

I just did an ottoman with a chenille type thick nap fabric.

You cannot iron this fabric. You cannot steam this fabric. Wrinkle relaxer products do not work. It is very difficult to get this type of fabric to lay well. Creases do not come out.

Is this the nature of the beast? Or am I the only one who does not know the tricks of the trade? And if the latter, what are the tricks of the trade in working with this kind of fabric?

Thank you,

gene

[SteveA]

Sounds like customers fabric for the man cave
SA

[kodydog]

What are you applying this fabric to, and just exactly what part of the piece are you having trouble with. Not saying I can help, thick fabric is always difficult to work with. Have you ever tried working with Pendleton wool?

We were very skeptical when a customer gave us thick cow hide for a chair. After I set it on the cutting table I noticed a tag on the back that said "rug".

We did two chairs with dressmaker skirts all around. The fabric was a very thin chenille. After upholstering and after they sat for a while the skirts would sag. I would fix it and it would sag some again. Very frustrating.  

[baileyuph]

When I work with a chenille, I treat the nap like I do velvet. 

Doyle

[gene]

The ends/edge of the skirts are not crisp. There is no way to get them to not puff out a bit.

I used the mitered corner method that allowed me not to be stapling through 7 layers of fabric on the ends of the skirts. That helped.

It creases very easily and if the creases are severe they do not come out.

I think it should look better than what it does.

gene

[kodydog]

I always cringe just a little bit when a customer hands me thick fabric for a skirted piece of furniture. Chenille is the worse because you can't steam it. I have seen people fasten the skirt to the block to help keep it from flipping out. That would not be my favorite method.

[gene]

The buckram does not seem to do anything to help the skirt panels hang straight either.

Using that technique I posted awhile back on the mitered corners for the skirt panels was great for this thick fabric. The only negative was that I could not iron the corners to get them to lay flatter.

Thanks for the comments.

gene