| Backing: |
Latex like
substance spread on upholstery fabric's wrong side to help keep the weave
intact. Usually, the thicker the backing, the less expensive the
fabric. |
| Backstitch: |
Stitching or a
stitch in which the thread is doubled back on the preceding stitches.
Eliminates the need to tie off a thread's end, and strengthens the seam
end. |
| Barrelback: |
Chair or sofa
with arms forming a continuous curve with its back. |
| Batting,
quilted polyester: |
A kind of
padding used to wrap springs or foam slabs before stuffing them into
cushions. |
| Bias: |
A diagonal that
intersects the crosswise and lengthways threads of a piece of
fabric. |
| Blind-Stitch: |
To stitch
together two fabric sections, their right sides facing each other, in such a
way that the finished stitches are concealed. |
| Blind-Tack: |
To tack or
staple fabric on its wrong side and fold the fabric back over the tacks so they
don't show. |
| Boxing: |
Fabric strip
that links two larger pieces of fabric. For instance, cushion boxing links a
cushion's top and bottom faces. |
| Claw
Tool: |
Its bent shank
and beveled, forked blade are designed to rid furniture of old tacks and
staples. |
| Crowning: |
Building the
center of a mound of stuffing higher than its perimeter. |
| Deck: |
Most of the
platform that supports a loose seat cushion. Fabric covering the deck is called
"decking." |
| Dustcatcher: |
Lightweight
fabric tacked to the underside of an upholstered frame to prevent bits of
upholstery material from dropping onto the floor. |
| Edge
Roll: |
Thick jute cord
wrapped in burlap. Used to soften frame and spring edges. |
| Edgewire: |
Spring-based
decks and backs are sometimes surrounded by this stiff, thick wire, to which
outer springs are tied. |
| Foam,
polyurethane: |
Less expensive
and easier to handle than springs, polyurethane foam often fills cushions and
replaces old hair or moss stuffing in seats and backs. |
| Front Arm
Panels: |
Padded,
upholstered wood panels used to cover arm fronts of some chairs and
sofas. |
| Gimp: |
Ornamental braid
used to cover tack heads that hold fabric's edge against exposed
wood. |
| Hog
Ring: |
Heavy wire loop
used to secure spring coils to webbing. |
| Illusory
Pleat: |
Backdrop of
fabric that creates the illusion of a skirt pleat when stitched behind two
skirt panels. |
| Lip: |
Front section of
platform that supports a loose seat cushion. Has both a vertical and a
horizontal face. |
| Pile: |
Tiny, stand-up
threads that form the surface of certain fabrics such as velvets and
corduroys. |
| Railroaded: |
Describes fabric
that runs horizontally along the width of a piece of furniture and from front
to back along the arms. |
| Repeat: |
Distance between
centers of identical motifs, measured along the length of a bolt of
fabric. |
| Selvage: |
Lengthwise
border running along both edges of fabric, finished so as not to
ravel. |
| Slip-tack: |
To hammer a tack
or shoot a staple only partially into a frame member so the tack or staple can
easily be removed. |
| Sharktooth: |
To cut small,
closely spaced notches along a fabric section's edge, making it possible for
the section to fit smoothly around a gradual curve. |
| Skirt: |
Fabric panel
that sometimes surrounds the base of a piece of furniture and reaches to the
floor, hiding the furniture's legs. |
| Spring-Edge
Lip: |
Extended sofa or
chair lip that's not attached to the furniture's arms. |
| Stretcher: |
Fabric scrap
sewn to outer cover to extend cover into hidden areas of furniture, thus
conserving expensive outer-cover upholstery fabric. |
| Stretcher
Tool: |
Spiked
instrument that lets you pull strips of webbing taut before tacking them to
seat rails. |
| Tacking
Strip: |
Cardboard strip,
1/2 inch wide, that gives a straight edge to a blind-tacked fold. |
| Tight Seat
or Back: |
Fully
upholstered seat or back designed not to have a cushion. |
| Top
Stitch: |
To strengthen a
seam by pressing seam allowances to one of the joined fabric sections, then
sewing the allowances to that section with another seam, 1/4 inch from the
first. |
| Undercover: |
Fabric casing,
usually muslin or burlap, that covers interior stuffing. Found mostly on older
furniture, undercover is directly beneath the outer cover. |
| Upholsterers' Horses: |
Padded sawhorses
that hold furniture off the floor so you can work without
back strain. |
| Vertically
Run: |
Describes fabric
that runs vertically, bottom to top, over furniture's front, back and
arms. |
| Webbing: |
Interwoven 3 1/2
inch wide jute strips that provide a foundation for many upholstered arms,
backs, seats and wings. |
| Welt: |
Cord wrapped in
fabric. Used to trim upholstery seams and places where fabric meets exposed
wood. Single welt consists of one cord; double welt consists of two parallel
cords. |
