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Supplying your own material

Do we accept Customer’s Own Material?

You can certainly send us your own material for upholstering onto a footstool. There are a few points to highlight before you choose your fabric, which we explore here.

Does my fabric need to be fire retardant?

Perhaps. If your fabric is not 100% wool and is not already certificated by the manufacturer to standard BS5852 for cigarette AND match then we can help to make your fabric conform in one of the two following ways:

If your fabric is made of more or equal to 75% natural fibres then a fire retardant barrier cloth can be used under your fabric to make it comply.
If your material is made up of 74% or less natural fibres, we can send your material off for fire retardant treatment at a third party facility. This can extend your lead time by approximately 2 weeks.

Here is a list of the most common fibres that may be found in your fabric’s composition:

CO	Cotton
LI	Linen
WO	Wool
VI or CV	Viscose (rayon)
NY	Nylon
PES or PL	Polyester
PC	Acrylic
SI	Silk

How to send us your COM

Plain and patterned fabric quantities (including allowances for pattern repeats) can be found on each individual product page and will vary by style and size of footstool.

If you remain in any doubt about how much to send, please give us a call on 01291 629764 or email admin@thefootstoolworkshop.co.uk, with your fabric details to hand, and we will help. We may need to know:

The width of the material
The pattern repeat (if any)
The manufacturer name and fabric code or name
The composition of the fabric

How to label your material – IMPORTANT

Before you send us your material, it is really important that we have your order on our system. This will generate you a unique reference number that we ask you to label your material with, along with your surname, please.

This will ensure that when your material reaches us, we will know to whom it belongs and which stool it is going on. Failure to do so may cause your order unnecessary production delays.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND MATERIAL WITHOUT AN ORDER NUMBER.

Please also include your surname and indicate the front side of your material.

Is my fabric suitable for a footstool?

Most upholstery weight and curtain weight fabrics are suitable for making into a footstool. We do not recommend silk or satin due to its fragility.

What is a pattern repeat and why do you need an extra one?

When material is printed, it is printed with a pattern repeat along the length of the roll. The vertical pattern repeat relates to the distance between where the pattern starts, ends and appears again.

If your chosen material has a pattern repeat of 4 cm, for example, and we ask for 1 extra pattern repeat, we will need an extra 4 cm to be able to join the patterns correctly. Similarly, if your pattern repeat is 68 cm and 1 extra pattern repeat is needed, we would need an extra 68 cm.

Fabric direction – what is a directional pattern?

A directional pattern has a clear top and a bottom to it. A good example of this is a tree pattern – you would normally always want for the tree to be upright on your headboard. If we were to use the fabric on its side to avoid joins/seams then your trees would be sideways – hardly ideal!

A good example of a non directional pattern may be a dot or spot that has no clear top or bottom and so the fabric could easily be run sideways to avoid joins.

Extra care should be taken when considering stripes. A striped pattern could be run directionally OR from side to side and you’ll be asked to confirm which way you intend stripe to run.

We will contact you when we receive your material at our workshop to confirm your pattern direction for fabrics which could be run both ways to ask your preference.

Can I supply my own footstool legs, braid or trim?

You might also decide that you wish to supply your own footstool legs, a braid for the trim on your footstool or a flanged cord in place of piping.

For legs: These must have an M8 thread and be sent to us for dry fitting during production, please.

For Trim and flanged cords or other embellishments; please call us on 01291 629764.

Will you return any unused material to me?

Yes, we will send any leftover material remnants to you with your order.

Changing part of your footstool (going bespoke)

Can you make me a bespoke footstool shape or design?

Yes. We make everything in our workshop in Wales from scratch so you can have exactly what you like. The best place to start is to fill out our Bespoke Footstools Enquiry Form, and provide us with as much information about size, fabric, leg, trim etc and upload and inspiration image if you have one. We will then get back to you with a quote within 24 hours.

For more information and inspiration on bespoke footstools, please click here.

Can I bespoke the height/increase pad/add a higher leg?

We can make varying pad heights for you and a bespoking fee will apply.

NB: If you wish to have a higher upholstered pad on a deep buttoned item, a border will also be required so that we have somewhere to finish the pleating neatly.

The easiest way to raise a footstool is by adding taller legs, please contact us to check the suitability of supplying your own tall footstool legs for compatibility. Our range of legs available differ depending which product you are looking at and are generally feature the maximum and minimum leg heights recommended.

Can I change the colour of the piping and/or buttons?

Yes. If you’d like one of our fabrics for a contrast piping instead of self piped, please order some free fabric samples and let us know which you’d like. We will then add the cost of 1.5m of that fabric to your order to cover costs of the material. Similarly, with buttons, you can choose any fabric, however much less will be required.

If you cannot find a colour that you want on our website, you can ask us to research our fabric books and send you samples (from the many fabrics we have access to that are not on our website), or, you can send in your own material for the piping and/or buttons to be made from.

The same applies if you would like a contrast border panel on a footstool with a border.

Can I bespoke the size (Width and/or Length)?

Yes, we can make your footstool to any size you wish.

A bespoking fee may apply depending on the dimension change and the lid type that you would like.

Parts of a Footstool

Terms Glossary

Trim	A row of piping, corner studs or full stud embellishment around the bottom of the upholstery where the fabric meets the legs/feet.
Legs/Feet	Wooden or metal legs that bolt into the footstool at the corners for it to stand on.
Stud	A metal nail that is hammered into the footstool through the upholstery for decorative effect – usually as the ‘trim’.
Pad Height	The depth of the upholstered/fabric part of your footstool.
Top/Lid	The top of the footstool, the bit you sit on.
Size	The dimensions of the finished footstool
Style	The way the lid/top is finished. Ie, plain, shallow or deep buttoned.
Border	A row of piping 3 ins up from the bottom of the upholstery that creates a border effect

Lead times & delivery

What is your current lead time?

Our usual lead time is 5 to 7 weeks from order. However, at busier times this may change to account for seasonal fluctuations. Current lead times are always stated on our delivery page and are kept up to date.

What is the delivery process?

As your order begins the finishing process of production in our workshop, we will begin to make arrangements with you for delivery of your order. Your order will be passed to one of our delivery partners, who will contact you directly to make the final arrangements.

Where do you deliver?

We deliver worldwide, by request. We also deliver to Northern Ireland, Guernsey & Jersey, Scottish Islands and highlands.

When does the lead time start?

Lead time starts from the moment you place your order, or, when your Customers Own Material arrives at our workshop. We cannot start making your footstool until all component parts are onsite with us.

What are your delivery costs?

All orders over £500 are delivered free of charge to one UK mainland address.

A nominal £29 shipping contribution is charged for orders under £500.

Do you deliver outside of the UK?

We can deliver almost anywhere globally. Please send the details of the item you wish to order and your shipping address to admin@thefootstoolworkshop.co.uk where one of our team will obtain a shipping quite for you to contemplate before ordering.