Tag: velvets

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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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Velvet

Velvets have become increasingly popular over the last 5 years. Both residential and contract usage of velvets have increased tremendously. Having been produced for hundreds of years velvets never seem to have lost the attention of discerning designers.

Interior Designers are often interested in the properties and manufacture of velvet – the two being necessarily related. The depth of the pile, the durability of the finish, the ease of maintaining the beautiful finish.

Velvet is made in one of two ways – cut or uncut:

1. Cut pile

a. Here the loom is configured to Continue reading “Velvet”

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Velvet Fabrics by KOTHEA include Mohair Velvet, Cotton Velvet, Linen Velvet

Velvet Fabric Includes Mohair Velvet
Velvet Fabric Includes Mohair Velvet

Velvet Fabrics by KOTHEA include Mohair Velvet, Cotton Velvet, Linen Velvet & silk velvet. The most popular being mohair velvet the most luxurious being Cashmere Silk Velvet.

KOTHEA was asked “what is the difference between cotton velvet and mohair velvet upholstery fabric”.

More of an explanation about velvet is given here – essentially ‘velvet’ is the finish arrived at by a specific production process. That process can be applied to many fibres. Mohair usually refers to a silk-like fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat and cotton is a natural fibre that grows from the cotton plant.

This blog contains lots of posts on velvets both from: an explanatory point of view; a marketing/sales point of view; and a usage point of view – hopefully something for everyone. You can use the search tools to the right to find out more. Please feel free to ask questions.

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What is the martindale rub test?



Most upholstery fabrics undergo the Martindale test to assess their durability and suitability for different applications, from domestic furniture through to heavy contract use. The test is also known as the rub test and measures abrasion resistance. Results are given as a score in thousands of rubs. The higher the score, the more resistant the fabric is to wear.

The video below shows a Martindale machine in operation.

For a complete explanation of how the test works, what the rub count figures mean for different applications, what the test does not measure, and how Martindale compares to the Wyzenbeek standard used in North America, see our full guide: The Martindale Rub Test: A Complete Guide for Interior Designers and Specifiers.

For a direct comparison of the Martindale and Wyzenbeek test methods, see: Martindale vs Wyzenbeek: Rub Test by Abrasion Explained.

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The Durability Of Silk Velvet For Upholstery

The durability depends on quite a few things: the tightness of the weave; thickness/strength of the yarn & fabric; back-cloth composition and strength; and so on.

Essentially you need to look at the Martindale or Rub Test result for the specific fabric in question. Two silk velvets can be quite different.

As with all velvets a proper cleaning regime is important to extend the life of the fabric.

One of KOTHEA’s silk velvets has a rub test/Martindale of 25,000. This is more than adequate for general upholstery.

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Cotton Velvet Rub Test

Cotton Velvet Rub Test: Martindale Count and Contract Suitability

The Martindale rub count of cotton velvet depends on the specific fabric construction — the pile density, pile height, yarn twist, and backing construction all affect the result. As a guide, a contract-grade cotton velvet achieves approximately 30,000 to 50,000 Martindale rubs, placing it in the general contract category suitable for hotel bedrooms, light restaurant use, and office seating. Kothea’s cotton velvet achieves approximately 50,000 Martindale rubs.

Cotton velvet is less abrasion-resistant than mohair velvet of equivalent pile weight. Mohair velvet typically achieves 60,000 to 100,000 or more rubs depending on the specific range. For environments requiring above 60,000 rubs — hotel lobbies, restaurant banquettes, bar seating — mohair velvet is the more appropriate specification. For a full comparison of velvet types and their Martindale counts, see our velvet types compared guide. For the Martindale rub test explained in full, see our Martindale rub test guide.

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

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Busy at KOTHEA

We have been absolutely hectic at KOTHEA this year. Some new velvets are coming on board as I write and we have been concentrating a lot more as well on European business this year.

There are a few new marketing activities we have planned which should hopefully add a little value to the interior design community rather than just trying to sell stuff to them, so watch this space and your in-box for more information on that.

We have tried to offer as full a range of velvets as possible: cotton velvets; linen velvets; cashmere silk velvets; silk velvets; mohair velvets and so on. We are thought about offering a budget range as well but decided in the end not to tarnish our strong quality brand. I think we made the right choice.

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Black & Pink Fabrics

Sometimes we can all get a little carried away with the modern staples of colour. The muted neutrals, the taupe and dare I even say it, beige.

We’ve added some new colours to several of our ranges. Shades of pink and black! Not earth shattering news perhaps but black velvets and pink linens are asked for more often than you’d think.

KOTHEA also have black fabrics in interesting textures such as mohair velvet, bobbly wool and a cord / corduroy.

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KOTHEA PR

We have been lucky enough to be getting quite a lot of coverage of our new ranges for 2009. This year we decided to have a gradual month-by-month release of new designs rather than the usual Spring and Autumn collections…we’re not a clothes fashion company after all.

Have a look at some of our thoughts on the year ahead as shown in the excellent on-line design directory The House Directory. An excerpt from the MARCH 2009 edition is shown below.

For a sneak preview of some of our new fabrics we have a 2009 flickr feed.