I’m ready to tackle a sofa and a love seat. I have the machines and tools and a general idea of what I’m supposed to be doing (I also have a helmet, but that’s a separate issue 
). But I have a logistical problem. There are no seams in the back of the sofa…I mean where your back sits against. It’s a solid cushioned back, with no seams, even though it’s more than 70 inches wide. If the fabric only comes in 54 inch widths, how can you make the back out of one piece of fabric with no seams? The fabric I want has small dragonglies that run in one direction. I can’t put the fabric sideways or the dragonflies on the back will be going at a 90 degree angle to the ones on the seat cushions. Any ideas about how to tackle this?
Thanks muchly…
Get a chainsaw & make 2 loveseats…?
Or else you’re gona have to join the fabric–probably in the middle, but it would depend on how the back of the sofa is contoured–maybe 3 sections? Just make it look nice or I’ll make you tear it down and start over.
Pick another fabric or find out if the same pattern comes with the dragonflies turned 90°.
What you’re seeing is referred to in the trade as “railroading” the fabric. In other words, it’s run sideways instead of up and down. (Why it’s called “railroading” is beyond me, however!) You most often see it on the backs of sofas, where it saves time and money to do it that way, and it’s generally hidden from view.
Of course, with a fabric that has a clear direction to its pattern, you can’t get away with that, so you’ll have to run some vertical seams with some piping, preferably in line with the separations between the cushions.
Lots of fabric comes in widths wider than 54". I buy 70" all the time and sometimes 120". Usually upholstery fabric is sold at a minimum of 70" wide.
Some fabric is printed railroaded - that is, the pattern is printed so that you unroll the roll from left to right and the pattern is correctly oriented. Most fabric is not printed railroaded - it is printed so that you unroll the roll from the top and the fabric is oriented up/down (perpendicular) to the roll. Fabric that is not railroad-printed to begin with should NEVER be turned in order to “fake” railroad it.
If you buy a sofa or any piece of furniture that takes standard-printed fabric and tries to railroad it in the back, or anywhere else, you are buying a shoddy piece of furniture. No upholsterer who knows what he’s doing will railroad a fabric that is not supposed to be railroaded. It’s the mark of a complete amateur. If he runs out of fabric, he’ll use a coordinating solid in the hidden parts (like under the cushions) - he will never, never railroad a standard fabric. At least an upholsterer who knows what he’s doing will not do it.