12.07.2008/ Dressing Up Your Home by Una Broderick

Never have print and pattern been so abundant and so beautiful. Fill your home with life and colour using some of the brightest and boldest fabric on offer. Jazz up a dull room or make a feature out of something pedestrian, and perhaps even brush up on your sewing skills while you're at it.

Know your fabric...
Interior designer Una Broderick gives us the lowdown on what's what in fabric, as well as the companies and collections that have the best of each.

Appliqué: Fabric on which a pattern in another fabric has been applied with hand stitching. Materials used are generally a cotton or linen base.
Jane Churchill, ABC patchwork fromThe Nursery Collection.

Brocade: Traditionally patterned fabric with naturalistic motifs. The Zoffany Arabesque collection.

Chenille: A fabric with a deep uneven pile that drapes beautifully and is often used to make luxurious throws.

Chintz: medium-weight cotton with a glazed finish. Colefax & Fowler, Alicia, pink/green from the Classic Prints 2 collection.

Crewelwork: Indian cotton with an embroidered chain stitch pattern in wool. This fabric is often used for bedspreads, cushions and cottage style curtains. Fired Earth.

Damask: Usually made from silk, linen or cotton, this fabric has a design woven into. often called a self pattern. Zoffany Nureyev.

Flock: Fabric that has a raised, tufted pattern. Osborne & Little, Fado from the Miradouro collection.

Gingham: lightweight checked fabric, usually cotton. The check can be printed or woven. Lewis & Wood, Chelsea Check.

Jacquard: Decorative weaving technique patented by Joseph Jacquard in early 1800's. Brocade and damask are typical Jacquards. The Nina Campbell Kobana collection.

Linen: Hard-wearing made from spun fibres of flax. Romo, Solo.
Mohair: Fibre produced from the hair of the Angora goat. Lewis & Wood, Special order.

Moiré: Fabric with a ribbed or wavy, watermarked effect. Designers Guild Chinaz.

Organza: A lightweight, semi-transparent material, usually made from silk or cotton. Osborne & Little, Foresta from the Diafana collection.

Satin: Fabric made from silk or rayon with subtle, glossy lustre.

Silk: A natural, luxurious fibre produced by the silk worm and found in many different weights and weaves. Silk must be protected from the harmful effects of the sun and so when using silk in drapes they must always be interlined. Liberty, Allamanda from the Lantana Silks collection.

Taffeta: A synthetic man made fibre that gives a silk look. It is found in many different weights and weaves but is no comparison to the real thing. It does not drape as well but from a distance can be a good copy. The Designers Guild Taraz collection.

Trevira: A synthetic man made fibre that is flame-retardant generally used in the commercial market only. The Osborne & Little Charanga collection.

Velvet: A cotton or silk fabric with a deep, luxurious pile. The Romo Roselli collection.

Voile: A light, semi-transparent fabric with a high yarn count, made from cotton, silk or rayon. For use in drapes and blinds only! Vintage Flowers from the Designers Guild Gaujira collection.

All of the above fabrics can be used for soft furnishings, drapes and upholstery. Fabrics come in such varied weights and weaves that it is strongly advised that you purchase fabric from a retailer who is trained in their field and so, can advise you what fabric to use in the decorating project at hand. This is imperative, as a mistake can be a costly one! Also, take into account the rub test result that is listed on all fabrics. A rub test, is the results of tests that give an indication of how suitable a fabric is for upholstery. Fabric that withstands 20,000 rubs is suitable for light domestic use. A fabric with a rub test of 25,000 rubs is suitable for general domestic use and one with a rub test of 40,000 is suitable for commercial use. Unless otherwise stated, fabrics should be dry cleaned only.

Una can be contacted at Charles Newhaven, Main St, Castledermot, CO Kildare. Tel; 059 916 2882.





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