workroomtools. Language
The workroom toolkit
Start with a known cut length. See exactly how a straight pattern repeat changes each drop and your total fabric order, then carry those cuts into a labeled workroom list.
For equal-length, full-width vertical cuts with a straight repeat or plain fabric. Base cut length includes construction allowances. Half-drop, railroaded fabric and horizontal motif placement need a different plan.
Example measurements. Replace them before cutting.
Import a project from this tool or the drapery yardage calculator. Yardage imports use the face fabric’s original base length, so repeat allowance is not added twice.
Download an example JSON project
This tool has its own local slot. Export the JSON file for an independent backup. Import replaces the open project after confirmation when there are unsaved edits.
Measure the required finished drop and add the actual top, bottom and other construction allowances. Enter that complete length before pattern rounding. If you already used our drapery yardage tool, import its project file: the original base length is recovered from the saved inputs, even when the earlier result included a repeat.
Lay the cloth flat and measure from one recognizable point to the identical point in the next repeat along the roll. Check several intervals against the supplier’s specification. Choose straight matching only when neighboring widths share the same vertical phase; a half-drop design needs alternating groups and is outside this calculation.
Enter the number of full-width cuts, the cut width for the piece record, and any length reserved to locate the first motif. Starting allowance is applied once to the batch. Additional purchase reserve is another separate length, so a decision about defects or handling is visible instead of being hidden in a percentage.
Read the adjusted length, the extra fabric caused by matching, and the suggested order rounded to your supplier’s increment. Inspect the consecutive cutting table before printing. Export a JSON backup for later edits, or continue to piece labels with the same cut IDs and already adjusted dimensions.
Imagine making a chalk mark at the same point on four identical motifs. When every cut contains a whole number of vertical repeats, the next cut begins at the same phase as the previous one. That is the relationship this plan preserves.
The shaded portion in the live diagram shows the difference between your base length and its next repeat boundary. It does not imply that all of that cloth is waste: some may be trimmed, some may help place the motif, and some may be useful for another small piece. Its destination depends on the construction you actually sew.
The photograph is a visual reference. The diagram and table are calculated from your inputs, and neither the illustrated motif nor the photograph is a measured template. Check the printed textile for bowing, stretch and variation before using a planned cut position.
Repeat rounding keeps consecutive cuts in phase, but it cannot choose what appears at the top of a curtain. Open the beginning of the roll and find the motif position you want before committing to the first cut.
Measure from the delivered fabric edge to that chosen start and record the length as the batch start allowance. Keep the top construction allowance in mind: the motif at the raw cut edge may sit inside the heading once sewn. Check its intended finished position on the cloth.
The entered start allowance appears once before the first cut in the cutting table. If your order arrives in separate lengths, inspect and plan each length as its own batch. An unused piece at the start is separate from the repeat adjustment added to every cut.
Check the numbers
These are demonstration inputs, not recommended hem allowances. The base length of 108 inches already contains all construction additions. The width is recorded as 54 inches and does not change the length calculation.
Entering only the hanging height understates the cloth needed for the heading and hem. Entering a previously adjusted cut as a new base can hide how much was already added. Use the unadjusted construction length whenever it is known. Keep a note of the workroom allowances so someone else can reproduce the result.
A starting allowance provides room to find an acceptable first motif. It is not automatically repeated for every drop. If cloth arrives as separate roll sections, each section may need a new start; calculate those batches separately rather than assuming one continuous piece of fabric is available.
These cuts travel along the fabric roll. The width field describes the rectangle sent to the cutting list; this tool does not decide how many widths a finished curtain needs. Use the yardage calculator for fullness, seams and width count. Preserve the same top direction when the fabric has a one-way print or nap.
The matching adjustment follows the repeat boundary. It does not cover every possible fabric defect, shrinkage, cutting error or future repair. Add a deliberate reserve if the order needs it, with the supplier’s handling guidance in mind. The result keeps that reserve separate so it can be changed without disguising the calculation.
The method, explained
Rule version 1.0.0
For straight matching, adjusted length equals the ceiling of base length divided by vertical repeat, multiplied by that repeat. If the base length is already an exact multiple, the matching adjustment is zero. Plain mode keeps the base length unchanged and does not require a repeat.
Base usage is base length multiplied by cut count. Repeat extra is adjusted length minus base length, multiplied by the same count. Prepared cuts, starting allowance and purchase reserve are then added. Finally, round that subtotal upward to the chosen quarter, half or whole yard or meter increment.
An imported yardage project is recalculated from its validated source settings. Only face-fabric cuts enter this repeat plan; lining remains in the original yardage project. Existing face cut IDs and panel positions are preserved. If you change the cut count, a fresh sequence is generated because the original panel assignment no longer describes the batch.
The cutting record uses cumulative roll offsets after the entered starting allowance. It does not detect the motif, identify defects or optimize remnants. Dimensions are stored separately from rounded screen labels, so changing the display unit does not repeatedly round the underlying measurements. A change in purchasing units may change the final order increment.
Background on vertical repeats, adjusted cuts and checking the actual cloth: Sew Helpful: working with fabric
It depends on the relationship between the complete base cut length and the repeat. A base just above a repeat boundary needs almost a full extra repeat per cut; a base already on the boundary needs none for rounding. Starting motif allowance and any purchasing reserve are separate decisions. Enter the actual dimensions to see each contribution.
Not automatically. This tool extends each base cut only to the next whole repeat. An extra whole repeat may be a useful starting allowance for the batch, but it should not be silently added to every cut. Check how an existing workroom worksheet defines its allowances before transferring numbers.
Vertical repeat runs along the fabric length and determines the length boundaries used here. Horizontal repeat runs across the width and affects seam matching, centered motifs and sometimes width trimming. A sufficient vertical fabric quantity does not guarantee a good horizontal layout; inspect the joins and leading edges separately.
No. A half-drop pattern requires a different relationship between adjacent widths and may require alternating starting groups. This version offers straight matching and plain fabric only. Do not substitute half the stated repeat or add a generic waste percentage and assume the resulting straight plan is suitable.
It represents cloth set aside to reach the desired initial motif. Once that start is established, equal adjusted cuts continue at the same repeat phase. The table shows the planned offset after your entered allowance; it cannot know where the delivered roll actually begins. Recheck that first start against the real fabric.
The import reads the original finished length and construction settings, recalculates the unadjusted base, and applies the saved repeat once. It also brings across the starting allowance and purchase reserve once. If you manually type dimensions instead, make sure your base field is not already a rounded purchasing total.
Yes. Choose centimeters for cut dimensions and meters for orders, or inches for cut dimensions and yards for orders. Dimension fields accept decimals and fractions such as 4 1/2. Switching units preserves stored lengths; the purchasing increment is expressed in the selected order unit and therefore may round to a different final total.
Choose Make piece labels to carry the prepared rectangles into the cutting-list tool. Their lengths already include the repeat adjustment, and the original cut IDs are retained where available. Starting allowance, purchasing reserve and order rounding do not become extra labeled pieces. Add window names and construction notes before printing.
Review the measurements, keep a backup and print a proof.