FABRIC FAQs

Here at Home Upholsterer, we are distributors for the leading Australian fabric houses including, Warwick, Profile, Zepel, James Dunlop, Wortley & Charles Parsons. Through our ‘Online Fabric Showroom’ you can view a selection of fabrics from these design houses, with the option to filter by brand, application, style and colour. These fabrics can be ordered online.

Alternatively you can view the website for each fabric house (via our ‘Fabric Portal’), allowing you to browse their full range of fabrics. While these fabrics aren’t available to purchase directly through our website, you can price-check any current design from these companies via our ‘Fabric Price Check’ feature and place an order to be confirmed at a later date. If you are having trouble finding a brand or range online, you can contact us by phone or email for a price.

If you would like to browse a range of fabrics in person, you can visit our Chester Hill showroom. Here we have swatches and design books from the leading fabric houses (please note we do not keep these fabrics in stock). In our showroom we also have a clearance and discontinued fabrics on display starting from as low as $8.00 per metre.

While the fabric colours displayed should be considered a close rendition to the actual colour, they cannot be considered 100% accurate due to variation between computer monitor settings. Images of fabrics may also not be 100% accurate in terms of scale. Images are a visual representation only and should be looked at in conjunction with the pattern repeat figures listed for each range.

To obtain an accurate indication of the fabric, we recommend requesting a cutting, or visiting a showroom to view the fabric in person. Please note there may be some variation between fabrics from different dye batches. All fabrics are special order, therefore we do not offer returns for change of mind or item appearing differently from online.

You can contact us by phone or email to request fabric cuttings. Fabric cuttings are free of charge; however they are limited to a maximum of 5 per customer. If you have a large project and need more than 5 cuttings, please contact customer service and we will try to find a solution for you. Cutting lead time and availability are determined by the individual fabric houses and are out of our control. We do not supply cuttings of discontinued/clearance fabrics.

All fabrics from the fabric houses (Warwick, Profile, Zepel, James Dunlop, Wortley & Charles Parsons) are special order only. These fabrics are not stocked in our warehouse. They are instead ordered based on the design, colour and quantity you require. All designs listed to purchase online are in the fabric house’s current range and to our knowledge are in stock.

Once your order is confirmed, we will request the stock from the fabric house, which takes approximately 2-5 days prior to dispatch with a courier. As such for special order fabrics we aim for a lead time of between 3-10 days (subject to fabric availability).

If there are any issues with stock availability of your fabric, we will contact you ASAP to advise the estimated lead time. We will also endeavour to provide you with similar alternative fabrics that are in stock. Based on this, you can decide to wait until the fabric stocks are replenished or select an alternative fabric or refund.

How can I view and purchase clearance fabrics? Discontinued/clearance fabrics are available in our stocked warehouse, however only a selected range are viewable in our showroom. We do not keep details regarding the styles, colours or brands of these clearance fabrics.

The quantity on each clearance fabric roll varies, to purchase; you must buy the full roll. As such we can’t cut off a specified quantity, nor can we order any extra meterage. All clearance fabrics are final sale, so no exchanges or refunds are available on these items.

Each fabric listed on this website, should list its width. On average most Australian upholstery fabrics are 137cm wide. However drapery fabrics are often wider. If you are unsure of the width of the fabric, please contact the Home Upholsterer team to confirm.

Please use our ‘Fabric Metreage Estimator’ poster, for estimates of how much fabric is needed to reupholster a range of furniture pieces illustrated. Bear in mind that these are estimates only (based on a fabric width of 137cm) and may not take into account fabric required for skirting, piping, buttoning. You will also need to allow for extra fabric if your design has a pattern repeat.

Patterned fabrics such as a stripe, geometric or floral have a pattern which is repeated at set intervals along the length of the fabric. When using a patterned fabric to upholster your furniture, the pattern needs to be matched at the seams to be consistent. This means that you will have some fabric wastage. Simply put, the larger the repeat, the more fabric is required to do the job.

All patterned fabrics listed on the Home Upholsterer website should list the pattern repeat for that design (excluding clearance fabrics). If you would like to confirm the fabric repeat of a specific design not displayed on the website, please contact the Home Upholsterer team.

Image: Charles Parsons

Railroading refers to the way a pattern is arranged on a fabric. This is important to note as the direction a pattern runs will affect the overall look of the furniture. Regular fabric is milled with the pattern running repeatedly down the length of the roll. Fabrics like this can be cut at any point, and the pattern matched up at the side and sewn to create wider panels of fabric.

Railroaded fabric is produced with the pattern running from one end of the roll to the other. This provides a continuous roll of the pattern, meaning the fabric can be cut at whatever width as required, without the need to create seams, or break the pattern.

Image: Charles Parsons

It is always safer to assume you will not be able to get the exact same fabric later on. Fabric ranges can run out, be discontinued, or change in appearance quite significantly if they are from a different dye lot. If you are looking to purchase a clearance fabric, these are discontinued ends of rolls will be no longer available in the future.

For any other fabric, be sure to confirm the level of stock available in advance if you think you might run out. It’s always a good idea to purchase a little bit extra, just in case. You can always keep the fabric you don’t use in the linen cupboard in case any repairs need to be made down the track. Alternatively, the leftover fabric could be used to make scatter cushions or arm covers.

While the fabric colours displayed should be considered a close rendition to the actual colour, they cannot be considered 100% accurate due to variation between computer monitor settings. To obtain an accurate indication of the fabric colour, we recommend requesting a cutting, or visiting a showroom to view the fabric in person.

Please note there may be some variation between fabrics from different dye batches. All fabrics are special order, therefore we do not offer returns for change of mind. We will not offer returns it you are unhappy with the colour, or the item appears differently than online. To avoid this, please arrange a cutting. All clearance fabrics are final sale and are not valid for exchange or refund. For more information regarding our returns policy, please see the terms and conditions section of our website under ‘Returns’.