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The Cutting Table · a checklist answer

Are fabric samples free, or do I have to pay for them?

Also asked as:Do you offer fabric samples? What's the cost?Could you send me a fabric sample?

The swatches cost nothing; the envelope that carries them does. Here is how to order samples that settle a color in one trip.

Answered by

The Colorist of New Orleans · · Updated

Front view of a caramel bouclé bench cushion with its side zipper half open, showing a pale inner layer, on an oak benchSave
A zipper along the side panel means the caramel cover can come off without taking the bench apart.

The quick answer

The fabric swatches themselves cost nothing; you pay one small flat fee that covers shipping, charged per sample order rather than per swatch. Buy the fabric-sample option on a listing and write the codes you want. In past orders the fee has sometimes come off a later cushion order, so ask when you order. Close-up photos in chat cost nothing.

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Key facts

  • The swatches are free; the sample fee covers shipping only.
  • One flat fee covers the whole sample order, not each swatch.
  • You pay by buying the fabric-sample option on a listing.
  • In past orders the fee has sometimes been deducted from a later cushion or sofa order, though not every time.
  • Close-up photos and photos of the color chart are a free, instant alternative in chat.
  • One sample pack has covered up to 5 colors, and swatches are roughly palm-sized, about 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) square.
  • Sample dispatch and courier times change with the season; allow more in busy weeks.

Have it made

Have Élodie’s workshop cut this for you

Describe the room at four in the afternoon: the floor, the wall, the one color you love. That is where a good fabric choice begins. — Élodie

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Before you pay the sample fee

  • Choose the fabric-sample option on a cushion listing. It buys swatches, not a cushion.
  • Write every code you want in the personalization box. One fee covers the whole envelope.
  • Ask whether the fee comes off your later cushion order. It sometimes has, though not every time.
  • Hold each swatch against your wall, sofa or rug by a window at midday.

What the sample fee is not

  • Not a charge per swatch.
  • Not a cushion: checking out without a size buys samples only.
  • Not the only way to see a fabric: close-up photos arrive in chat straight away, at no cost.

Why I still want the swatch in your hand

A photograph is a translation; a swatch is the original. A small square of linen held against your painted wall at noon answers in a second what a screen argues about all evening. The swatch ordering pattern walks through it code by code.

For a quick yes or no between two codes, ask for close-ups first, my friends. For a sofa match or a paint color, order the swatches and read screen versus daylight before you decide. What are you matching: a sofa, a wall, a rug?

Close-up fabric photos in chat are free and instant; order paid swatches when a color has to match a sofa or a wall paint exactly.

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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Do you offer fabric samples, and how much do they cost?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. One sample pack covers up to 5 fabric codes for a small fee that pays the shipping. Open the fabric samples listing, pick 'Fabric Sample' at the top of the Length dropdown and write the codes in Add Personalization. If you'd rather not wait, close-up photos come right away.

  2. A common question

    Can you send color samples before I order? I want to compare them with my wall paint.

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. You pay only the shipping fee and the swatches are mailed to you. The workshop can also send a photo of its color chart to hold up against your paint.

  3. A common question

    Do you send samples so I can see the colors and feel the material?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Order the fabric swatch option on the listing and write the color numbers in the personalization box. Samples cover linen, velvet and soft fabric, and the workshop tells you when they will ship. The swatches cost nothing; you pay only the small shipping fee.

  4. A common question

    I ordered the fabric sample by mistake. Can I switch to the cushion?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Checking out without a size buys samples only; in past mix-ups the workshop refunded the sample order and the buyer reordered with a size. An unshipped sample order has also been canceled when the buyer had already decided.

Questions buyers ask next

How many codes fit in one sample order?

One sample pack has covered up to 5 codes, and some packs have held swatches of a whole color range. Name the codes you want in the personalization box; the fee stays one flat charge for the order.

Will the finished cushion look exactly like the swatch?

Very close. The cushion is cut from new fabric, so it usually looks cleaner and a touch more vibrant than a chart swatch. Judge any swatch in daylight by a window, not under a warm lamp at night.

Can a few swatches ride along with my cushion order?

Yes. Send the codes before your cushion ships; a few swatches have ridden along inside the same parcel before. Sample codes on a separate order can also be changed or added until it ships.