Let me start by saying I know nothing about fabric or upholstery. A friend of mine has offered me some amazing fabric that I think will be great for a project I want to make for the summer. I have an idea to try and make some deck chairs for my family. The frames will be fine to make, I am good at woodwork. But I wanted to try and make them a bit more interesting and special. So a friend showed me this amazing fabric she still had from the 80s.

And the problem is that I just totally fell in love with the fabric. Heaven knows what it was for in the 80’s. But it does feel like canvas thickness and has just such a cool, wacky, fun pattern on it. We have a tiny holiday home in Spain and I just think these deck chairs would look so cool around our pool as we all have a little party. The kids will love them and I could do other things with any left over fabric.

I have used a sewing machine before and sewing the rectangles for deck chairs obviously wont be too complicated. But I have one question before I start with the project.

Are there any upholstery experts out there, or expert sewers or maybe even interior designers. Does anyone know if this fabric will still be strong or does fabric sort or perish over time eventually?

I think fabric exposure to the sun is the worst thing right? I know this fabric was kept wrapped up and in a box, so no light has seen it. But heck, it is 35 years old!

So is it a reasonable expectation that canvas type fabric can still hold its strength after 35 years or is it more likely it has lost a lot of its strength?

Because, as you know, a deck chair, basically it is only the fabric that is holding someone's weight. Unlike an upholstered chair for example. You know like those director’s chairs, where it is really only the fabric strength integrity that is supporting someone's weight.

So I love this fabric and it would be cool that any chairs we made would be kind of unique and unusual. But before I started the project I just wanted to get some opinions on how well fabric ages over time?