Have you used a cloth backdrop?

Just wondering if any of you have tried buying your own cloth at a fabric store to make your own backdrop? If so, how much did you buy, and did you have to sew it together somehow, or does it come in a big enough piece to use "as is"? I'm NOT a sewer, but I'd like to buy some big swatches of fabric to try out as creative backdrops for kit pics with my studio lights.

I was browsing in JoAnne's the other day trying to find some big damask patterns, but couldn't find what I wanted in the store. I've found a few places on line that sell damask, though, and some sample shots look amazing!

I also figure that if I buy a thin cloth, I might have to set up a plain white paper backdrop first, then layer the cloth on top, to prevent light bleed-through...but I've only worked with "official" canvas and muslin before, so I'm not sure how "regular" cloth from a fabric store will work out. Has anyone tried this and knows how?

Here are the samples I'm interested in. One is actually made for photographers -- it's a vinyl thingie, looks very cool.

PhotoProp site:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/PhotoPropFloorsandBackdropsII

and here's some damask cloth on the web:
http://warehousefabricsinc.com/MANBLE.html

Do you guys have suggestions or comments or thoughts? THanks!

I love the damask backgrounds!! I am not a photographer but I have somehow been around fabric a lot (my mom & sister sew)

Home decorating fabric is usually 54" wide but it will have a salvage end that you will have to make sure you don't get into the shot. The salvage end is usually whitish with info about the fabric printed on it. If you trim it off you would need to put a running stitch along the edge to prevent fraying over time, so it would be better to just leave the salvage edge on.

I would think that for a child, 54" wide would be enough. If you buy enough yardage, you would have enough to hang it as a backdrop and straighten it out on the floor as well, then have your client stand on it.

If you need wider fabric then you will have to put a seam to sew the two 54" wide fabrics together and that seam might show. Plus with a pattern you would have to make sure that the pattern was matched up at the seam. So I would try to avoid that! If you can find a King Size sheet/comforter cover that you like, it would be much wider but not as long. A sheet would be thin.

I don't think for regular home dec fabric that you would need to worry about setting up white behind it unless there is a window behind it. The fabric will not block out light behind it.

Here is a link to a blog for someone I used to be on another CT with. She has these completely adorable photos in which she used fabric and fleece and then in the post following that one she talks about how she set it up! http://www.brookiewookie.com/2009/01/ha ... -9-months/

Go for it Jen!!

Missy, thanks for the fabric info and that link...how cute those pics are of her kiddo with the polka dot background! I will hopefully bite the bullet and buy some fabric this week, and will post pics when I taken them. thanks!

Yes I use it.With the help of this we can get good picture.It gives nwe look to our picture.