When you shop for drapery and upholstery fabric you must consider two important criteria: form and function. What do you want it to look like and how will it be used?

The right Upholstery fabric may not be the right choice for durability, stain resistance, etc. If you have small children, you might suggest a color that will not show dirt easily.

Buying upholstery fabrics for your new piece of furniture is a not always easy. When shopping for fabrics, you will find an overwhelming array of different patterns, textures, fabric weights, and fiber contents to choose from. You should be aware of its durability, clean ability, and resistance to soil and fading.

Here are a few common used Upholstery fabrics; Linen is best suited for formal living rooms or adult areas. Cotton natural fiber provides good resistance to wear, fading, and pilling. Wool offers good resistance to pilling, fading, wrinkling, and soil. Vinyl is easy-care and less expensive than leather, vinyl's are ideal for busy family living and dining rooms.

Silk is delicate fabric, and is suitable for adult areas, such as formal living rooms. It must be professionally cleaned if soiled. Acrylic synthetic fiber was developed as imitation wool. It resists wear, wrinkling, soiling, and fading.

Nylon is usually blended with other fibers to make it one of the strongest upholstery fabrics. Polyester is blended with other fibers to add wrinkle resistance, eliminate crushing of napped fabrics, and reduce fading.