How to Measure Fabric for Upholstery | 4 Tips To Get It Right

Learn How to Measure Fabric for Upholstery | Avoid Costly Mistakes

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make in upholstery happens before they ever pick up a staple gun — buying the wrong amount of fabric.

Learning how to measure fabric for upholstery correctly can save you time, money, and a whole lot of frustration. I’ve seen it happen countless times: someone carefully chooses a beautiful fabric, gets partway through their project… and realizes they’re short. Worse yet, the fabric is discontinued or no longer available.

This page will walk you through how to measure fabric for upholstery projects properly, why buying extra yardage matters, and how to avoid the most common (and costly) mistakes.

Why Measuring Fabric for Upholstery Is So Important

Upholstery fabric is not like sewing fabric for clothing or crafts. You don’t get many second chances.

When you’re upholstering furniture, fabric has to:

• Cover large surface areas

• Account for pattern repeat, direction, and nap

• Wrap around edges and padding

• Allow for mistakes, adjustments, and recuts

If you miscalculate your yardage, there’s often no easy fix. That’s why understanding how to measure fabric for upholstery the right way is such an important skill — especially for beginners.

Common Upholstery Fabric Measuring Mistakes Beginners Make

After decades of upholstery work and teaching students, these are the mistakes I see most often:

• Measuring only what’s visible on the furniture

• Forgetting about pattern repeat or fabric direction

• Not allowing extra fabric for cushions

• Buying exact yardage with no margin for error

• Assuming online yardage charts apply to every project

Upholstery projects are rarely identical. Even two chairs that look the same can require different amounts of fabric depending on construction, padding, and layout.

Why You Should Always Buy Extra Upholstery Fabric

Even with careful measuring, upholstery is not forgiving.

Mistakes happen — even to professionals. Fabric can shift, a cut can be off, or a cushion may need to be reworked. That’s why I always recommend buying at least 1–2 extra yards of upholstery fabric.

That extra fabric:

• Protects you if a mistake is made

• Allows for pattern matching adjustments

• Gives peace of mind before cutting

• Can save your entire project

Running short of fabric is stressful. Having a little extra is not.

This Measuring Lesson Is Included in the Kim’s Upholstery Membership

This free video gives you a solid foundation, but measuring is just one part of a successful upholstery project.

Inside the Kim’s Upholstery Membership, this lesson is part of a complete learning system that shows you:

• How measuring correctly changes for different furniture styles

• How cushions affect yardage calculations

• How pattern repeat impacts layout

• How professionals plan before cutting

• What to do before you order fabric

Members don’t have to guess — they follow proven methods and get guidance every step of the way.

Who the Kim’s Upholstery Membership Is For

The membership is perfect if you:

• Are new to upholstery and want confidence

• Don’t want to waste expensive fabric

• Are working on cushions, chairs, or sofas

• Want to learn the why, not just the how

• Prefer clear, step-by-step instruction

You don’t have to learn upholstery through trial and error. I’ve already done that part for you.

Learn Upholstery With Confidence

If you’re serious about learning upholstery and want to avoid common beginner mistakes like running short on fabric, I invite you to join Kim’s Upholstery Membership.

You’ll gain access to hundreds of detailed lessons, including measuring, patterning, cushions, and full upholstery projects — all taught in a clear, supportive way.

👉 Join the Kim’s Upholstery Membership and learn upholstery the right way.

I’d also like to invite you to join our Kim’s Upholstery DIY Hangout Facebook group!  Hope to see you there.