NORTH CAROLINA MANUFACTURING PROCESSES CONTINUED Hand Cutting Fabric and Leather Cutting fabric and leather upholstery is an art form that takes years of experience and a skilled eye for extreme detail. Every piece of furniture calls for a unique cutting pattern and every fabric and leather have their own special qualities that require a talented cutter to thoughtfully combine the two and create a matched piece. When cutting fabrics, stripes, plaids, florals, and plains must all be handled differently. When cutting leathers, an experienced craftsman needs to identify and remove any cow branding or defects in the grain. Hand Forging Steel furniture may be shaped using either a power hammer or bent using a custom jig. In order for this to occur, the steel needs to be heated in a forge to approximately 1200 degrees, at which point the steel is soft enough to be shaped. Blacksmiths train for months to acquire the skills needed to master this specialized technique. Handmade Wood Frames & Products Every day talented North Carolina craftsmen build oneof-a-kind custom wood frames and products to order. 32
hickoryfurniture.com
Each piece is made one at a time, crafted individually by hand, in the right size, veneer, finish, and design, with the ultimate goal to create a quality piece of durable furniture that will last a lifetime. Hand Painting on Leather or Wood Creative artists start this process by either lightly buffing the leather or sanding the wood, then the artist paints the chosen design completely by hand. After the paint is applied to the piece of furniture, the leather or wood is then treated to protect the painting, which ensures the longevity of the artwork. Hand painting may be applied to almost any furniture surface. Hand painting on leather is commonly placed on the front, back, side of the arm or even on the cushion of a chair or sofa, while hand painting on wood is often applied to bedroom headboards, chests, mirrors, or other statement pieces. Leather Bullion Fringe Finishing Leather bullion fringe is a type of decorative trim that is applied on the outside of a piece of furniture to portray a frayed look. Originally bullion fringe was made only from plain or crepe cords, but now it is commonly used on leather to create a more sophisticated looking piece.
Leather Hand Lacing Hand lacing is a type of decorative trim that may be applied to any custom piece of furniture. The leather that receives the decorative trim is laid out and the slits for the lacing are measured for synchronization and then cut. Lace or thread is then delicately woven by hand, flowing in and out of the openings of the cover. Monogramming Monogramming has become increasingly more popular on furniture and is a wonderful way to not only identify its owner but also allows them to send a message about their personal style. Custom monogramming is offered inside many North Carolina factories. Nail Head Trim A type of quality finish where decorative nails of assorted sizes, finishes and designs are applied directly onto furniture using high powered nail guns and then refined by human hands for completion. Nail heads not only secure fabric and trim in place, but they 800-462-MART
