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DESIGN SOLUTIONS

Know Your Textiles
A fabric swatch kit is handy reference tool when helping clients choose the one that's right for them.

by Sharon L. Anderson

CHALLENGE: I am a business owner, and my business is located in a remote area of the country. When clients visit our place of business, they usually arrive with specific requests for custom window treatments.

It seems our clients also require detailed information on different types of fabric—how they work in different settings and many other specifics including many questions on product content.

Because in our part of the country the temperatures vary from cold to very warm and humid, I need to know about a great many different fabric choices for our clients. The problem is, there are no locations close enough to further my education on textiles. Do you have any suggestions for where I can go to learn about textiles in detail, such as weave types, finishes, etc.? Any information would be appreciated.

SOLUTION: Specifics on textiles is the most important information you could have in your files when it comes to selling soft window treatments. Learning and passing on that information to your clients will increase business by showing clients you do know what you are talking about.

A fabric’s look and performance far exceeds the beauty requirements of a window treatment—even one that is well thought out. In fact, when it comes to commercial window treatments, there are specific legal requirements that must be met regarding performance and flammability.

A textile’s look, performance, weave, finish, individual characteristics and specifications require much study. Each of these factors will affect how the fabric performs in its final application. This can be very important in your part of the country where you say you have wide swings in temperature and humidity. For instance, if a fabric has a very loose weave and it is used in an area of high humidity, the fabric will “grow.” In fact, the length of the window treatment will be longer the very next day as the loose weave of that fabric will cause the treatment to stretch in length.

As the weather changes, the fabric may shrink back to its original length. This is all due to the humidity and loose weave of the fabric. Solution: Do not use a loose weave fabric in a highly humid area of the country.

For a small investment, you can work through a handbook of textile study that I use in teaching my college classes. This workbook offers small swatches that are numbered and placed in a notebook format under specific titles such as weaves and finishes. As you put together this simple format textile swatch kit, you will learn about each fabric and then have a reference that you will be able to keep in your business library, or in your briefcase or to show your customers types of fabric, fabric weaves and fabric finishes. It will take some study time on your part, but it is well worth it.

The Textile Kit Instructor and Industry Version Swatch Set can be found online at: www.atexinc.com/textile_kit_instructor_and_industry _edition.htm. You can also perform a search online using words such as “textile swatch kit” or “textile kit” or “fabric study kit.” I have also found these kits on www.amazon.com, although any Web site that sells books should have it. The prices vary, depending on the author of the kit.

Good luck and let me know how you like the kit.

Editor’s note: This is a continuing series of articles written by Sharon L. Anderson that will answer some of the many questions we receive at Draperies & Window Coverings as well as questions Anderson has encountered in her own business. If you have a question you would like Anderson to address, please send it to:

Design Solutions
c/o Draperies & Window Coverings
1724 E. Grand Ave
Lindenhurst, IL 60046
Fax: 847-356-9013
Email: SharonAnderson_1@msn.com