Home Furnishing and Made-Ups
What this domain tests
Home furnishing covers bed linen, curtains, cushions, table linen, towels and upholstery. The exam tests size calculation, fullness, hem and seam choice, fabric performance for the end use, and the difference between a made-up and a piece-good.
Core rules and concepts
- Made-ups: finished articles such as bed sheets, pillow covers, curtains, towels and tablecloths, sold by set or size rather than by the metre.
- Bed linen: sheet length = mattress length + mattress depth allowances + tuck-in; widths must cover the mattress plus drop. Pillow covers are usually made with a flap or envelope closure.
- Curtain fullness: gather or pleat to about 2–2.5 times the track or rod width. A 1.2 m window at 2.5× fullness needs 3.0 m of fabric width before hem allowances.
- Hems: double-fold or blind hems; allow 5–10 cm per panel for bottom hems and 2–3 cm for side turns.
- Cushions: allow seam allowance and add a zip or envelope opening; piping adds a seam line and bulk.
- Towels: GSM indicates absorbency and density; 400–600 GSM is common for bath towels. Terry loops should be uncut and securely anchored.
- Performance: upholstery needs abrasion resistance; curtains need light fastness and shrink resistance; kitchen linen needs heat and stain resistance.
Worked example
A window is 1.2 m wide and the chosen fullness is 2.5×. Fabric width required = 1.2 × 2.5 = 3.0 m. For two panels, each panel is 1.5 m wide. Add 2.5 cm side turnings to each side and a 10 cm bottom hem: cut panel width = 1.5 + 0.05 + 0.05 = 1.60 m; cut length = finished drop + 10 cm bottom hem + 5 cm top heading = drop + 15 cm.
Traps that cost marks
- Using the window width as the fabric width and forgetting fullness.
- Calculating finished size but not adding hem and seam allowances.
- Ignoring pattern repeat when matching curtains or table linen.
- Specifying a lightweight decorative fabric for upholstery that will abrade quickly.