Home Furnishing and Made-Ups
Overview
Home furnishing and made-ups tests measurement, fabric selection, cutting and construction of items such as bed linen, table linen, curtains and cushions.
Products and measures
Bed linen includes sheets, pillowcases and quilts; table linen includes tablecloths, runners and napkins; kitchen linen includes aprons, oven mitts and towels. A tablecloth drop is usually 20–30 cm; a pillowcase needs ease plus a flap. Curtain fullness is typically 2–2.5 times the rod width for pleats; add hem and side allowances and match pattern repeat. Cushion covers need seam allowance and a closure allowance.
Worked example
A window has a 150 cm rod. Choose 2× fullness = 300 cm finished curtain width, made as two panels of 150 cm. Add 5 cm per side for double side hems (10 cm total) and 10 cm each for top and bottom hems (20 cm total): 150 + 10 + 20 = 180 cm. If the fabric is 150 cm wide and the required length is 180 cm, buy two lengths plus pattern repeat. Reasoning: fullness, hems and repeat are separate additions; forgetting any one makes the curtain short or skimpy.
Traps
Forgetting fullness, ignoring pattern repeat, using dress seam allowances on heavy furnishing fabric, not pre-shrinking, and mismatching pattern at joins cost marks. Always draw a cutting layout.