Railroaded, Repeated and Up-the-Roll: Fabric Repeats

A little over two years ago, we posted a blog on our website called “From Railroad To Repeat” where our focus was to address the question of direction and help our customers distinguish between ‘railroaded’,  ‘up-the-roll’  and ‘repeat’ of printed fabrics. Since the direction of the print and the distance between an image and its duplicate on a bolt of fabric is imperative to know especially when placing yardage orders to complete an upholstery, window treatment, or custom project, knowing the industry language might make estimating just a little bit easier. With a few small updates and some new images too, here is a recap on railroaded fabrics and repeats for the crafter in you.

For most professionals who have been in the fabric and upholstery business for a number of years, the terms ‘railroaded’ and ‘repeat’ are as common as a materials’ ‘look’ and ‘feel’. But for the novice, these words can have us frantically searching our fabric dictionaries and web resources looking for a quick description that could save our pockets from unnecessary spending and the purchase of excess yardage. All fabric is either railroaded or up-the-roll if it has a nap or pattern. Normally the pattern or nap on the fabric goes from selvage to selvage or in laments terms, side to side.  A print such as this would be called ‘up-the-roll’. This direction of print is good for window curtains, back drops, or other projects where fabric is being hung. The term railroaded’ is in reference to the layout of a fabric on a piece of furniture in relation to the way it is woven at the fabric mill. It also refers to the direction of the pattern or the nap of the fabric. When a print travels the length of the fabric, it is called ‘railroaded’. When a fabric is railroaded, it allows you to upholsterer a sofa or piece of furniture in one piece instead of risking the prospect of creating a seam along the span. Sometimes it is more efficient to cut fabric that is railroaded even if you don’t have a large span because the pattern may be difficult to match. Design and repeat will have to be considered as well.

With most solids and velours you don’t have to worry about whether or not it is railroaded because they don’t have a pattern or print. With geometric and retro’s you can have it situated regular or railroaded. With stripes, if you want to create consistency and balance, special attention needs to be paid to the direction they are going in. When stripes have different widths, they are considered to be either balanced or unbalanced. A balanced stripe is a stripe with the same type of stripe on each side. If you cut the fabric across the stripe, it would line up with the other end. An unbalanced stripe is a stripe that does not have the same stripe on each side. When cutting across this kind of stripe, the only way it will line up is if it is put back at the point at which it was cut. When working with chenille’s and velvets, you will find that a lot of them already come railroaded, making it easier for upholstery projects.

Another very important term to learn and understand is the ‘repeat’ of a fabric. The fabric repeat refers to the distance between one image or pattern and its repeated image or pattern. Most prints carry a vertical and horizontal repeat, but it is the vertical repeat that is most consistent across the length of the fabric. For this reason, it is the most important measurement when planning an upholstery, window treatment, or garment project. Repeats usually come in increments of 3” (3”, 6”, 9”, 12” etc). For smaller projects like ties and children’s clothing, a smaller repeat is recommended so that the images can be seen in full. Larger repeats are best suited for larger upholstery and bedding projects.

Having a basic understanding of these three common fabrication terms will save you a lot of time, money and aggravation on your next shopping trip. And in case this article was a little too long-winded for you, here are three easy tips that will help you remember each one.

 

RAILROADED= print stands UPRIGHT across LENGTH of fabric like on SOFAS

NON-RAILROADED= print stands UPRIGHT across WIDTH of fabric like on DRAPES

REPEAT= VERTICAL runs LENGTH of fabric while HORIZONTAL  runs ACROSS ( or selvage to selvage)

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