How much striped fabric for 19 dinette?

[rvomaha]

If you have purchased custom striped fabric for your dinette in the 19, how much did you buy and how much was left over? I do a lot of sewing and I can't picture why a striped fabric would take any more quantity than a solid color. What am I missing here?

--Liz

[LBaranyai]

It's all about the pattern matching. The pattern has to match on all sides and ends. The cushions are box style so it's not like making a big sack. In order to maintain the boxiness (remember the foam is cut with straight edges not curved) there are more seams involved. Stripes are especially notorious when it comes to matching up where one piece meets another. Sometimes the striped fabric stretches when it's sewed therefore the stripes won't line up so make sure your striped fabric is appropriate for use as a seating upholstery.

In the furniture industry, it's not unusual to see striped upholstered products have to be marked down in price, often because the fabrics stripes don't meet up, spoiling the overall look. Cheap manufacturers only want to buy a minimal amount of material and then expect the upholsterer to work miracles with it.

If you don't want to spend so much for the extra material, then choose a solid or a blended pattern for the cushions. If you love the stripes then purchase a small amount to make accessories like throw cushions, bolsters or window treatments.

[Donna D.]

Or "cheat" and used the striped fabric for the tops and bottoms and a solid for the sides.

[rvomaha]

Here are two dinette pictures I've borrowed from Linda and Brad & Shay. I hope they don't mind. These pictures help me a lot in deciding what to try in our new Escape.

I notice that it looks like the stripes roll around the foam corners except on the end panel (using minimal seams). And by the way, Linda's cushions (the brighter colors) are set up as mirror images across the table.

--Liz

[rvomaha]

Tammy and her upholsterer have answered my question. They need 3.5 yards of 54"-wide striped fabric for our dinette (in an Escape 19). Perhaps this will help somebody else in planning for a custom fabric. --Liz