Tag: domestic fabrics

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Fabric Tips #11: Mohair Velvet – How To Store

Image via Wikipedia – Alpaca Wool can be made into luxurious alpaca velvet…if you can find it

How to store Velvet.

The same instructions apply to all velvets.

Some background first: As an interior designer you buy and handle many fabrics. You may have wondered why some fabrics come in rolls of up to 100m whereas other come in much smaller lengths. Is this because of their value? The likelihood of them being sold quickly enough? Or perhaps longer lengths of some fabrics would be just to heavy for someone in a warehouse to physically carry or indeed too heavy for a courier to carry? Or perhaps it’s something to do with the thickness of the roll?

Well there is some truth no doubt in all of these reasons and others to. But one very important consideration with a velvet and especially with a Mohair velvets is the weight of the fabric and the weight of the fabric ON ITSELF. Because velvets have a pile they are thicker and heavier than other fabrics as they contain more material; similarly some velvets such as many mohair velvets have a dense pile…again more fabric and more weight.

There comes a point when the sheer weight of the roll of fabric becomes too much for the pile of the first part of the wrapped fabric on the roll and the inherent weight of all the fabric can cause damage to the pile. So velvets and especially mohair velvets have smaller lengths on the roll. Sometimes 25m but sometimes also 40m and 50m per roll.

So the length of fabric on a roll will be impacted by the weight of the fabric per linear metre AND the fact that a pile fabric can be more affected by added weight than other fabric.

So, how to store.

1. Store horizontally

2. Store with no other, external weight applied to the fabric.

3. Covered up to avoid exposure to dirt and dust i the air  -especially if stored for long periods

Typically you will find that many of our velvets come to you in special containers where the velvet is on a roll and suspended by special cardboard ends in the boxes. For small volumes of velvet on a single roll there is often no need for these special containers. Where the velvets are supplied in suspended roll containers it is safe to store the velvet in this form. Ideally youwould have a horizontal racking system for rolls of fabric as lengths can easily be cut off as and when you need them but cleary most interior designers do not have this facility.

The safest method of course is to let your supplier hold the stock and order cut lengths from them. It de-risks you damaging the fabric. Unless of course the supplier can specifically reserve entire rolls just for you, you would have the potential problem of dye lot or batch variation of colour with many fabric dyes. There would normally be a charge for an additional service such as this.

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Upholstery Linen – Sourcing Luxury Upholstery Linen in the UK

Upholstery Linen
Upholstery Linen

Upholstery Linen is notoriously difficult for interior designers to source. Sourcing linens for curtains is easy enough but often linens are not woven with sufficient strength to score Martindale results that are high enough to warrant using the fabric for upholstery.

Some suppliers can be a little evasive and will quote the weight of the linen as a measure of the linen’s quality. The implication is that the higher the weight the better suited the fabric will be for upholstery. There is some truth in that implication but you cannot say for certain that high-weight linen is inherently suitable for upholstery. Get the Martindale!

Most KOTHEA luxury upholstery linens have inherent Martindale rub tests of around 20,000 rubs with one range further strengthened to 85,000 rubs for contract usage – 20,000 Martindale being eminently suitable for domestic upholstery.

Furthermore, when buying upholstery- (or curtain-) linen you need to know whether or not it will shrink when washed. Linen ALWAYS shrinks. So what you have to find out is whether or not it has been pre-shrunk before you buy it. A common way of pre-shrinking linen is through the sanforisation process.

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Click To Read More Interior Design Articles

Here are the details of our new 2011 upholstery linens that are named Recline, Relax and Restful. We have many others, these are just the new ones:

Name: Recline

Usage: Luxury Contract Upholstery

Colourways: 24

Width:   135cm

Comp:  54% Li 35% Co 11% Pa

Weight: >350g/m2

Notes:   Martindale >85,000

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Name: Relax

Usage: Luxury Domestic Upholstery

Colourways: 24

Width:  135cm

Comp: 100% Li

Weight: >265 g/m2

Notes:   Martindale >15,000

Request Samples

Name: Restful

Usage: Heavyweight Luxury Domestic Upholstery

Colourways: 4

Width:  135cm

Comp: 100% Li

Weight: >470 g/m2

Notes:   Martindale >45,000

Request Samples

 

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Black Velvet – Even Better Italian Silk Velvet In Black

Black Velvet – only to be enjoyed by those who appreciate that black is the new black! KOTHEA have a range of velvets with shades of black colourways in most of those velvet collections.

“Black Diamond” is the colourway name for the Italian Silk Velvet (100% Silk Pile) with the code 777-108-900.

You can get black silk velvet samples here from KOTHEA if you are a trade professional. Just click the link.

KOTHEA velvets are the best in the market. We only sell top market fabrics, mostly to top European Interior Designers and Architects. Here are some more bits of technical information on our black Italian Silk velvet fabric:

Width: 140cm

Composition: 100% Silk Pile

No repeat, plain.

Abrasion: Martindale 20,000.

Available from stock, normal delivery within 5 days.

Minimum Order length: 2m

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What Is Sanforisation? Sanforised and Sanforising Explained for Interior Designers

What Is Sanforisation? Sanforised and Sanforising Explained for Interior Designers

What it is: A mechanical pre-shrinking finishing process applied to woven fabric before it leaves the mill. Named after Sanford Lockwood Cluett, who patented the process in 1930.
Which fabrics: Most commonly applied to cotton and linen. Also used on some cotton-blend upholstery and shirting fabrics.
Why it matters: Fabric that has not been sanforised may shrink when used in curtains or upholstery that are subsequently washed or exposed to moisture. Sanforised fabric has been pre-shrunk to defined limits at the mill, reducing but not eliminating subsequent shrinkage.
On the label: Sanforised is a registered trademark. Fabric labelled Sanforised has been tested and certified to shrink no more than 1% in either direction. Sanforised-Plus is the rating for fabrics with even greater dimensional stability.

Sanforising is a mechanical finishing process applied to woven fabric to reduce the shrinkage that would otherwise occur when the fabric is exposed to moisture or heat after making up. Interior designers encounter the term on fabric data sheets and labels, most commonly on cotton and linen upholstery and curtain fabrics. Understanding what it means and what it does not guarantee is a practical specification consideration.

How the Process Works

Sanforising passes the woven fabric through a machine that compresses it mechanically in the warp direction — along the length of the fabric. A rubber blanket is stretched and then released, and the fabric is carried through this process so that the yarns are forced into a more compact arrangement in the warp direction before they are set by steam. The result is a fabric whose yarns have already been displaced into the position they would naturally move to if the fabric were washed. When the finished curtain or upholstered piece is subsequently washed or exposed to moisture, the fabric has less remaining tendency to shrink because the displacement has already occurred.

The process addresses warp shrinkage — shrinkage along the length of the fabric. Weft shrinkage — shrinkage across the width — is controlled by a separate process called tentering, in which the fabric is held to a defined width during drying and heat setting. Sanforised fabric has typically been through both processes.

What Sanforised Means on a Label

Sanforised is a registered trademark owned by Cluett, Peabody and Co. Fabric carrying the Sanforised mark has been independently tested and certified to shrink no more than 1% in either the warp or weft direction when washed. This is the residual shrinkage after the sanforising process — fabric may still shrink by up to 1% in each direction, but no more.

Sanforised-Plus is a higher standard, certifying residual shrinkage of no more than 0.5% in either direction. It appears on some high-quality cotton fabrics and performance linens.

Fabric described as pre-shrunk rather than Sanforised may have been through a similar mechanical process but without independent certification to the same standard. The level of residual shrinkage permitted under a pre-shrunk claim is not standardised.

What It Does Not Guarantee

Sanforised certification applies to shrinkage caused by washing. It does not address all the dimensional changes that fabric may undergo in use. Natural fibre fabrics — cotton and linen in particular — absorb and release atmospheric moisture as humidity changes. This hygroscopic behaviour causes minor dimensional changes that are distinct from washing shrinkage and are not addressed by sanforising. In environments with significant humidity variation — a room that alternates between very dry and very damp conditions — even sanforised linen or cotton may show minor dimensional change over time.

Sanforised certification also does not address the relaxation shrinkage that may occur in curtains hung under their own weight over time, particularly in heavy cotton or linen fabrics. This is a tension-release effect rather than a moisture-induced shrinkage and is unrelated to the sanforising process.

Relevance for Upholstery Specification

For upholstery fabrics that will not be washed — most contract upholstery is dry-clean or spot-clean only — sanforised certification has limited direct relevance to the face fabric performance. Where it matters most is in curtain fabrics that will be laundered, and in loose covers and cushion covers in domestic settings where machine washing is planned.

For linen upholstery fabrics, the dimensional stability of the fabric during making-up is more practically significant than its washing shrinkage. A fabric that relaxes or distorts during the tension applied in upholstery construction will affect the alignment of the finished piece regardless of its sanforised status. Confirm dimensional stability under tension with the supplier for any linen or cotton fabric being used in tight upholstery applications.

For linen upholstery fabric specification, see our upholstery linen page. For fabric care and cleaning codes, see our fabric care symbols guide. For fabric hand and how natural fibres behave in use, see our fabric hand and tactile properties guide.

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Order cutting samples of any fabric from our current collections. Trade accounts only.

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Moleskin Upholstery Fabric

Moleskin Upholstery FabricMoleskin Fabric is an unusual fabric for upholstery, usually associated with clothing. KOTHEA moleskin is a premium moleskin specifically designed for upholstery with Martindale Rubs between 20,000 and 30,000. Moleskin is often a blend of cotton and linen; however KOTHEA‘s 100% cotton moleskin is extremely tightly woven ensuring that a luxurious look and feel is guaranteed. The overall look is similar to suede yet more exclusive and durable.

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Cashmere Throws – Luxury Refined From KOTHEA

Cashmere is the most exclusive wool practically available for interiors use. It is sometimes called Pashmina, and a few other things, but essentially Cashmere is what the wool really is and it rarely comes from Kashmir!

There are one or two wools that are possibly ‘better’ (ie warmer or softer) but they are extremely expensive (such as Vicuna). They are SO expensive and ‘rare’ that you will never come across them in reality unless you work in a very niche area of the fashion fabrics market. I have never even heard about such fabrics being available for interiors use, let alone seen or touched them. Although I would imagine it would not be dissimilar from cashmere!

Which brings me back to Cashmere Throws.

Maybe you already have a Cashmere Throw, or possibly a Cashmere scarf. They feel wonderful. It is not just marketing hype either, there are a variety of technical reasons why the Cashmere yarn makes fabrics that are warmer and softer to the touch than any other woolen yarn.

Yet there remains a huge variation in price from one Cashmere throw to the next. Why?

We have struggled to answer that question ourselves. Cashmere Throws can retail at £2,000. Yet the quality is only very good. Scarves too can easily cost several hundreds of pounds (and upwards).

So we are about to release Cashmere Throws that are better than everyone else. We are using: higher quality, thicker yarns than anyone else; sourcing our own designs, qualities and colours from the best mills.

I can guarantee that if you put one of our throws next to any competing alternative you would always choose a KOTHEA Cashmere Throw. We would even let our competitor choose the criteria that they wish to compete on! We are SO confident that our throws win on all counts.

Or you could go and buy one for £2,000 from somewhere else and be unsure that you have the best.

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The Cigarette & Match Tests BS 5852

For comprehensive guides to the main UK fire standards for interior fabrics, see: BS 5852 Crib 5: A Complete Guide for Interior Designers and Specifiers and FR Treatment, BS 7176, and the Crib 5 Test.

No fabric company can self-certify the fire retardancy of their fabrics. Certification can only be issued by a UKAS-accredited test laboratory.

The following is a summary of fire retardancy requirements by application. For detailed advice on current legislative requirements, consult a specialist fire testing laboratory or your local fire officer.

Domestic

Curtains. No fire treatment is required for domestic curtains.

Upholstery. The fabric must pass the match test (BS 5852 Source 1). The designer must first confirm the fabric passes the cigarette test (BS 5852 Source 0). The cigarette test meets the equivalent European standard BS EN 1021-1. The match test meets BS EN 1021-2. Fabrics containing at least 75% natural fibre content do not usually require treating for the cigarette test, but a Schedule 3 fire-retardant interliner must be used.

Contract

Curtains. The fabric must be treated to BS 5867 Part 2 Type B. Some fabrics meet this standard inherently; most require treatment. Some fabrics cannot be treated to this standard.

Upholstery. The fabric must be treated to BS 5852 Source 5 (Crib 5). This typically involves the fabric being back-coated, and most fabrics can be treated in this way. BS 7176 covers BS 5852 and additionally includes the cigarette and match tests and a water-soak requirement.

Other Applications

Headboards, bed covers, wall coverings, yacht interiors, and aviation interiors may have differing requirements. Confirm the applicable standard with the relevant authority before specifying.

There is broad equivalence between British and European standards. Standards for the United States are different and should be confirmed separately for any project with US compliance requirements.

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Order cutting samples of any fabric from our current collections. Trade accounts only.

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Vicuna Silk Velvet (Vicugna) – Better Than Cashmere Silk Velvet?

Silk Velvet Fabric Upholstery Fabric Martindale Rub TestCashmere Silk Velvet is one of the world’s most luxurious fabrics. But is it THE most luxurious? Now this is a good question! and a little tricky to answer.

Perhaps the most expensive yarn is from the vicuña (vicuna, vicugna), which is a camel-like animal found in the high alpine areas of the South American Andes. Whilst not an endangered species it is a rare animal and difficult to farm as it tends to escape!

Cashmere yarn comes from the cashmere goat and other goats such as the pashmina goat.

Cashmere and Vicuna have an outer layer of hair which is coarse and rough but protective for the animal. This is the guard hair. Underneath the guard hair is a warm layer of much, much softer hair. This underlayer consists of hollow-fibred hair that is an excellent insulator. The vicuna has the finest of these fibres of any (resultant) wool anywhere in the world.

About 400g of yarn can be produced from one Vicuna compared to 150g from the Cashmere goat, the latter being a smaller animal. There are many more Cashmere goats in the world and I suspect this is why Cashmere is relatively affordable – as it is produced in much larger volumes in a more competitive market.

As an indication, a Vicuna scarf would cost in excess of US$1000. As far as I know, it is not produced in sufficient quantities to be available in a suitable form for interiors use (I could be wrong). But if it were it could be woven with silk to produce THE MOST EXPENSIVE AND BEST woollen silk velvet in the world. A further problem is that the Vicuna fibre can readily be damaged when dyed, again making significant production quantities problematic.

Now, as much of the Cashmere yarn produced comes from China, Australia and other countries…in fact just about anywhere other than Kasmir! it strikes me that is an opportunity waiting to happen for some illustrious, economically-minded, goat breeder out there with friends in the textiles industry. If the production problems could be overcome I could see that there still would be a market for an interiors fabric retailing at in excess of GBP800/m  (US£1300/yard) – albeit a small one.

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Mohair Velvet, Silk Velvet: How to upholster using it

Silk Velvet Upholstery Fabric TextileMohair Velvet and Silk Velvet buyers consider this: You have just invested a considerable amount of money in a high quality silk velvet or mohair velvet. Are you really considering upholstering with it yourself. Use an experienced upholsterer who, to be brutally honest, should not need the instructions that follow.

Some velvets are woven with a nap others are not. It is not a problem either way. If there is a nap you need to know which way it goes as that affects the process of upholstering. When you run your hand down the mohair velvet or silk velvet the smoothed direction indicates the direction of the nap. Remember this, it is important.

I’m assuming that you have already checked that the fabric is not damaged and that each piece is from the same dye lot.

The nap should be upholstered downwards for:

– the back;

– the seat; and

– side surfaces.

The nap should be upholstered from the outside inwards for:

– arm rests.

How do you flip your cushions? Top to bottom or left to right?

Most people flip from top to bottom. It is therefore standard upholstering practice to upholster the front and the back the opposite way. IE when they are flipped over the nap is the same.

You should use a layer of wadding between the foam and the fabric. The wadding can be either cotton or synthetic it does not really matter but check with any fire rating requirements. Again check that you are using the right kind of foam but HR foam or cold foam are both fine.

However if the pile is vertical then we advise the additional use of a cotton slip-cover.

Going back to the foam for a minute we advise that you use white wadding. In certain circumstances it is possible that grey wadding will ‘bleed’ causing marks on your beautiful Mohair Velvet. For example this may be caused from moisture used in the cleaning process.

Always use wadding on the arm rests as a protective layer to help eliminate ‘sharp’ edges. Using wadding on arm rests will thus reduce wear and tear considerably.

For the piping never use synthetic piping cord, always use cotton piping cord. As with the arm rests this will reduce wear and tear by eliminating the ‘sharper edges’.

Again to reduce wear and tear also use the length of the fabric to make the piping. this will look better as well.

Happy Upholstering

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KOTHEA 2010 Fabric Collections

Finally! Our summer collections have been decided and we will begin to introduce the new designs and colourways throughout the remainder of this year. We have been inundated with new work in the first part of this year causing our blog posts to be curtailed and our ‘spring’ collection to nearly be an autumn/fall collection. Not that we really do seasonal collections in any case.

I will return later in another post to KOTHEA’s awesome sales figures for the financial year just finished. Most surprising, especially considering we are in the midst of a recession. We had our best ever year and by quite a large margin.

We expect some coverage of the new collections in World of Interiors and Elle decoration but, again, more on that at another time.

Where can you see our collections? Well, we are as elusive as ever but we are starting to digitize some images to our flickr feed (click the images on the right or here). The flickr update is ongoing, there is information on flickr now but some of the images are not final and some images do not have full associated descriptions / product details but we are woking on that this week. Our usual clients will receive the new collections in due course starting in late summer; if you need them more urgently for pressing projects of course we will be happy to oblige. Please get in contact in the usual way.

Not all are in production yet but most sampling is available now.

As a very broad summary we have:

1. New colours of several existing ranges including faux leather;

2. More velvets including patterned and crush;

3. Striped, double-width linens;

4. Upholstery weight linen; and

5. A few more interesting one-off designs in limited colourways like the one heading up this blog post.