We often get asked “which of your fabrics would be suitable for curtains/covering a chair/covering a cushion in my home/boat/campervan” (delete as applicable)

We are always completely honest with customers when asked this, and would rather you get the correct fabric for your requirements than sell something that might do the job but is, in the long run, unsuitable.

We stock primarily dressmaking fabrics, along with quilting, crafting and fabrics suitable for bag-making.

These fabrics tend to be cotton, wool linen or polyester based, either 100% cotton or blends, often using other fibres such as viscose, spandex or rayon.

These fabrics will hang and drape well when worn on the body, or the attractive prints on the cottons will make for a beautiful quilt but there’s a couple of things these fabrics lack which are important when considering them for furnishing.

First, and possibly most important is fire-retardancy.  All furniture, upholstery and soft furnishings must meet tight regulations regarding fire retardancy.

What falls under these regulations?

Every piece of furniture in your home with the exception of curtains, duvets, bed sheets and loose cushions. But if you are, for example, re-covering a chair then that fabric and seat foam should meet these requirements.

None of our fabrics are, to our knowledge, tested and approved for use in furniture. Approved and tested fabrics and furniture will have the relevant tags attached to them and you will, if you are so inclined, be able to follow the chain of records from the supplier to the manufacturer, to the tester to demonstrate that the materials used have been properly tested.

There’s much more of the nitty-gritty regarding Fire Retardancy of Upholstery Fabrics on the FireSafe website.

The other topic, which applies more to boats and vans, is the absorbent nature of some natural fibres, especially cotton.  Boats and camper vans are, despite anyone’s best efforts, always going to have a battle against moisture and damp, whether it’s steam from the kettle, leaks in windows, moisture from gas heaters or just especially wet weather where you end up bringing damp clothing inside.

Due to the absorbent nature of some natural fibres, the fabric will always remain damp for longer than is ideal and will, over time likely suffer from mildew or, in extreme cases if left for a long time, even rot.

We know of many customers who have, in the end, still made cushions, curtains, blinds and other soft furnishings for both home and campers or boats, but we always make them aware of the pitfall and caveats when doing so.

As with all our products, we’d rather offer advice and ensure you get exactly what you want, than sell you something for the sake of making a quick buck.