Arrows

[SteveA]

Call me old - call me forgetful - this morning I went to a site to remove and recover the foot rest fabric of a recliner - fabric was torn. the fabric looked the same in both directions.    4 screws out and I had a wood piece 20 in. long x 8 in. wide with foam underneath the fabric. 
The replacement fabric - 1 yard - up the roll ? - wasn't sure how they rolled and shipped the fabric to me. Anyway I made an arrow under neath the foot rest on the black cambric - - marked the fabric direction on the top surface w/chalk toward the seat - removed the fabric - layed it on the new fabric - checked the grain as I rubbed the pile - turned it end for end - made another arrow on the underside with pen -
circled the screw holes and took two photos - what could go wrong.  Now I start stapling the fabric back - needless to say I have arrows going in every direction and the chalk has rubbed off in places -  I'm laughing to myself because I'm thinking this can only happen in cartoons.  Kept cool - customer didn't notice me looking puzzled.  Yes it worked out but took an hour longer than it should have. 
So  question is - what works best  - what direction are your arrows pointing - pen on the reverse side  - chalk on show side  - tape - V snips ?  Give me a good formula to rely on -

https://beta-static.photobucket.com/images/ad181/SteveA_2010/0/9f0a890e-c2be-4c52-86ec-273f2e52afa2-original.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

[gene]

I only use an arrow when the customer tells me how they want the fabric heads up, usually when the fabric is still on the bolt. I put an arrow in the selvage edge to show the heads up direction of the fabric.

With cut pieces of fabric, I put a mark at the bottom center of the piece of fabric. It's a little squiggly line that will easily be inside the selvage edge so I don't have to worry about it if that edge is going to be sewn. I saw an upholsterer do this on a youtube video many years ago. He put a squiggly line on the bottom back side with chalk. I usually don't use chalk so I got into the habit of putting my magic marker squiggly line on the bottom of the front/face side of the fabric. I do it automatically as a part of cutting the fabric.
gene

[SteveA]

That sound good - a squiggly line - will make it a habit
Thanks,
SA

[kodydog]

On fabric I notch the top. This also helps when I get ready to apply the fabric and it needs to be centered. On anything that has a top and bottom but is not obvious like a footrest, right after I unscrew it from the mechanism I tear off the cambric and mark the top in pencil. There have been plenty of times I've failed to do this and yes it is a challenge to figure out.

[SteveA]

A snip at the top and a squiggly line at the bottom - I can't go wrong :)
SA

[Mojo]

I have had that happen. Dang chalk marks rubbed off. It is aggravating.

2 weeks ago I climbed up a ladder on top of a bus to measure awning fabric. I got up there and realized I had my pen but not my notepad.
So I took the measurements and wrote them down on the back of my hand. Climbed back down and went to my vehicle to write down the measurements and evidently when I put my hand in my pocket it rubbed the ink off. Got the ladder back out and climbed back up on the bus to measure again. Once again I forgot my notepad so this time wrote it down
on my arm.

I was once at a rally and had 60 roof top inspections to do on buses and was moving quick to get through them. I finished one section of the fairgrounds and moved to a new section. I climbed this bus ( my knees and back were killing me by then ) and realized I didn't have my tape measure with me. Had to get down off the bus, drive to the previous section and climb the previous bus where my tape measure sat on top of a roof air con system. The owner said " I thought you were finished with my coach " ? I said " So did I ".

Getting old sucks...........

Mojo

[MinUph]

Glad my work is on the floor. Not 10-15 up.

[Darren Henry]

When I was still working at the RV place, one of our techs left his cordless drill [two weeks old] on top of a unit. Half an hour later we get a call from the owner of the unit asking if we were missing a drill. He had driven down a nasty gravel road back into town, across town, and stopped at Walmart just before he hit the highway and saw it wedged up against the awning rail.