If you’re covering an armchair or sofa with loose covers, it is often best to use a washable fabric (having checked the capacity of your washing machine first!) or one that is robust enough to be wiped. Whether it’s robust is shown by the ‘Rub Test’ or ‘Martindale’ test which should have a value ofContinue reading “Loose covers”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Modern headboard
When I’m asked to make headboards, it is often for a traditional type: with a border, buttoning or scallopped edges, for example. The September ’26 issue of Vogue shows a modern approach by Crystal Sincair Designs in New York, which would work really well in a room decorated in a modern, ‘eclectic’ or 1920s –Continue reading “Modern headboard”
Leave a review
I am so grateful when someone leaves me some positive feedback on Google. You see, quite often I am asked to problem solve rather than make something straighforward. That would be easy! The designer who specifies something impossible. Someone with Granny’s fabric that looks like it’s not quite enough for the job. The lovely chairContinue reading “Leave a review”
Pelmets
I am sometimes asked to make pelmets. There are very many varieties, mostly ‘box’ pelmets, frilly affairs, swag&tails or simply boards to hide the curtain track. Except for frills, pelmets are not usually constructed to be taken down or dry cleaned – rather like your sofa, they stay in place. Pelmets are not used withContinue reading “Pelmets”
Not enough fabric? Solution!
Sometimes I’m asked to produce something from a remnant. A recent case in point was when a charming lady gave me exactly 4.05 metres of fabric, thinking it would be enough for a bedspread. Alas, there would have had to be five. The fabric had been discontinued so long ago that there was no ‘deadstock’Continue reading “Not enough fabric? Solution!”
Three-dimensional thinking
Recently, a designer specified the following for a bay window in a dining room: Make four tightly folded blinds in a semi-transparent fabric, interline them and line them with blackout lining. The blackout spec was a mystery in itself: why in a dining room? (See also below, ‘Fabric choices for Roman Blinds‘) If these blindsContinue reading “Three-dimensional thinking”
Zahlungsmoral
“Zahlungsmoral” in German translates to payment behaviour in English, the way someone typically pays their debts or bills. When I was teaching Business, one of the early lessons was about the percentage of UK small businesses that cease trading in the first three years, which the textbook quoted as 60% – similar to 2024 statisticsContinue reading “Zahlungsmoral”
Legal requirements
Roman blinds: there are two important considerations. Firstly, the chain of a Roman blind mechanism must be secured with a hook. This is to prevent children/cats etc. from strangling themselves. Secondly, at the back of the blind where the cords are attached to the rods, we need ‘handbag’ clips. Should someone become entangled in theContinue reading “Legal requirements”
Guardian write-up
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/apr/30/still-some-fuel-in-the-tank-the-perks-and-perils-of-launching-a-business-after-60 A desire to be creative pushed Sibylle Hyde, 62, from west London, to launch her own business after retiring from teaching economics last year. “I am a qualified upholsterer – I had taken classes since the 1990s. Since I enjoy making curtains, blinds, and upholstery, as well as cycling, I thought: ‘Why don’t IContinue reading “Guardian write-up”
Allergy matters
There are a few common fillings for cushions:
The Cycling Curtain Maker 