Full Pattern Match

[drcollie]

When shopping upholstery, you may hear the term 'Full Pattern Match" and not be quite sure what it means. When it comes time to sew a cover, if there is a distinct pattern to it - almost every company will do a FRONT pattern match. But only the premium companies will do a full pattern match, where they line up the fabric on all sides and all panels. In a material that has a large vertical repeat to it, this uses up far more fabric than just a front pattern match. Here's an example of how a full pattern match is done - this is on the back of a Hancock and Moore Garden Loveseat I unpacked yesterday. While its not a big deal if its going up against a wall in a room, for piece 'floating' in a room, you do want to check and see if the maker does this. Look at where I have the green arrows, you can see the 'flow' of the fabric pattern as it transitions to the next sewn panel.

[simplyjeff]

Duane,

To give your readers an idea of what is involved with a full-pattern match, here is a perspective from the viewpoint of a furniture manufacturer:

In my factory I have an upholsterer who has over 20 years experience in high end factories, I have a fabric cutter with over 20 years experience. I have sewers with over 10 years experience. Despite this, I do not offer full-pattern matches as a regular option and I do not stock fabrics that require full-pattern matches.

Every once in a while a customer with an expensive COM fabric (and a need for a sofa that will fit down a 24" wide stairway) will request a full-pattern match and I will agree, with special conditions. First, I charge a lot extra because I know the labor will take more than three times as long as what is needed for a plain (non-matched) fabric. Next, I have a special one-of-a-kind pattern made up because the normal patterns will not be accurate enough. I require lots of extra fabric because there is a good possibility the fabric will not line up correctly the first time and we will have to be recut one or more times before we get it right.

At the end of all of this, the customer gets a sofa for which we would normally have charged $1200 - $1500, including fabric, for which we are now charging over $2000, not including fabric. Even at that price it is something that I (and my workers) would not want to go through every day. It requires a very high level of concentration and the chance of making an expensive mistake is far higher than on our usual products.

As a result, I have great respect for companies like H&M that can build top quality full-match furniture day in and day out. It requires a level of skill and commitment that not many companies today can offer.

Jeff Frank
Simplicity Sofas

[drcollie]

Thanks for adding that, Jeff. Yes, its difficult and a real material-eater on fabrics when they're done like the one in the photo. I know most consumers don't appreciate the work and cost that goes into a full-pattern match because they're usually not aware of it - so now they know! When they go into a store now and the salesperson tells them the piece they are looking at 'Is the finest made", they can spin it around to the back and say "Well, it doesn't have a full-pattern match" and watch their salespersons jaw drop. <g>