Home Furnishing Products and Production
Home Furnishing Products and Production
This domain tests product construction for curtains, cushions, bed linen, table linen and upholstery. The exam favours calculations for fullness, fabric requirement and pattern repeat rather than decorative descriptions.
Core rules
- Curtains: flat panel width = rod or track width × fullness. Use about 2× for pencil pleat and 2.5× for gathered headings; add hem and side allowances, and add pattern repeat for matching.
- Cushion covers: add seam allowance to the finished size; envelope backs need overlap, while zipped covers need a zip allowance.
- Bed linen: allow for mattress depth, tuck-in and shrinkage; a flat sheet needs length plus hems on both ends.
- Table linen: allow drop on all sides plus hem allowance; check that the fabric width suits the table.
- Upholstery: choose a fabric with adequate abrasion performance and seam strength, not a lightweight dress fabric.
Worked example
A window track is 120 cm wide. For 2× fullness, total flat width = 240 cm. Make two panels, each 120 cm wide before allowances. Add 2 cm per side and a 10 cm bottom hem: cut width per panel = 120 + 2 + 2 = 124 cm. If the fabric is 140 cm wide, one panel fits across the width; buy length for two panels plus matching repeat and shrinkage.
Marks-losing traps
Forgetting fullness and making flat curtains; ignoring pattern repeat; using the same allowance for a hem and a side seam; choosing upholstery fabric without checking durability; mixing centimetres and inches in the same calculation.
Key points
- Curtain width = track width × fullness.
- Add side seam, hem and pattern-repeat allowances.
- Cushion covers need seam allowance and closure allowance.
- Bed linen must allow for mattress depth and tuck-in.
- Upholstery needs abrasion and seam-strength suitability.