| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jennifer |
Posted - 08 Apr 2005 : 16:57:05
Hello,
I am seriously considering getting started with upholstery/soft furnishings and really wanted any advice you good people could give me.
I am looking at some part time college courses, but any other tips on how to broaden my knowledge would be most welcome.
Thanks!
Jennifer |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Jess |
Posted - 30 Jun 2005 : 15:56:37
I completely agree with David (and all of you). A good book and forging ahead are the best ways to start. So much is revealed (literally) in the stripping of a chair, and its suprisingly intuitive. Plus, I realized right away that there are really several 'ok' methods for doing a single step. The more I do, the more I see the stamp of various methods. I often find myself saying, "ahhh, clever, I see what they did here" and other strange mutterings that worry the neighbors. David and Ruth's CD ROMs are genius too. A picture can tell the whole story in a way words cannot.
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| oldsofas |
Posted - 13 Jun 2005 : 17:55:01
When you first start upholstering you do learn a great deal by stripping the old upholstery off. I get to do it these days because Ruth's the skilled half of the partnership and her time is far too valuable to spend it breathing in victorian dust and wading through old dog biscuits and crisps! Having said that she still pays a great deal of attention to the stripping process if we're dealing with something she's unfamiliar with - she sorted through the wheelie bin just the other day and fished out all the old bits of seat and back from a chair I stripped ready for her to do just to check how something went together.
Sue's right - it's all about confidence, the extra piece to your chair frame really isn't a problem it's just that you need to build a bit of confidence and familiarity with a few lesser pieces first. Some frames have extra rungs some frames have fewer than the norm, but the upholstery procedure is 95% the same for all of them.
Let your confidence build.
D |
| n/a |
Posted - 13 Jun 2005 : 09:20:15
It's not that long ago that I was where you are and I understand your fears.
However, so long as you haven't spent a lot of money on your chair - then what's the worst that can happen?
I did some classes - at Adult Education - and it was a good start I thought. Mostly because the group was very small and I got a lot of one -to -one tuition from the professional upholsterer who took the class. I took along an old Edwardian overstuffed chair. I chose this because it took me through a lot of the basic stages - webbing, springs, stuffing, edge rolls etc. But all on a small and manageable piece that could be transported to and from the class.
And then I found this forum, bought the book and have become braver and braver. I have just finished a Victorian chesterfield - although I did chicken out of all the buttoning on this one and piped it instead. I will get there though!!
Just go for it I say!!
And good luck
Sue |
| Ann Clare |
Posted - 12 Jun 2005 : 20:17:07
Thanks David,
I am looking forward to reading the book.
I have one slight problem, the chair that I bought has already been stripped and I have no idea how it looked before. Clever, aren't I? All the books that I have looked at do not have, what seems to be an extra bar, at the base of the chair back. It is a french style arm chair and the back is fully upholstered ie no fancy framework.
I think that I will have to have a look around some antique shops and see if I can see something similar. (Oh why did I not just chose a footstool or something easier as a first project?)
Wish me luck.
Will keep you informed,
Best wishes,
Ann |
| oldsofas |
Posted - 12 Jun 2005 : 14:44:07
Ann,
Nice to see you on the forum. Often getting started is the hardest part - being a bit of a runner, I find the hardest part is getting out of the front door, once you've done that you follow your route and everything takes care of itself.
Hopefully you'll get some motivation from our book - my Mum, who has no interest in upholstery whatsoever, proof read it for us a year or so before it came out and said that she wanted to get stuck into some horsehair as soon as she'd put it down. But that aside, I think sometimes when faced with a grotty piece of furniture the task seems overwhelming. If you can just get stuck in to ripping the old upholstery off and picking the frame clean so that you're then looking at a nice wooden frame ready to reupholstery you can start to weigh up the job in a more measured way.
Reupholstery is a series of stages, layers if you like. Get the old upholstery off and start with a bare frame upon which you can envisage adding the layers of webbing, springs, hessian, stuffing, calico, cotton wadding, top fabric etc. It's very important to pay attention to the old upholstery when you're stripping it off as it will give you a lot of information on how to put it back together again, but if it all seems a bit daunting and you don't know where to start, tell yourself that you're starting with a bare frame and that stripping the old upholstery off is your preparation for the start. Then, once you've got a clean frame in front of you instead of a grotty old sack of rags, you can deal with the task in bite sized pieces and it will all seem logical and emminently doable.
Don't forget, there are lots of people here who are ready to share their experience whenever you hit a hurdle.
Thanks again for buying the book - hope you like it.
David |
| Ann Clare |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 12:43:40
Hi, I have just bought a chair in need of upholstery and having read a few books on the subject, I am no nearer to starting. I found this site by using google search engine, and it looks as though I may be in luck. I am going to purchase your book and I am also considering the dvds. Thank you, everyone seems so positive. |
| jbjcreations |
Posted - 10 Apr 2005 : 18:27:36
Hi,
I am also new to this game and so far, I have only done one chair and I am three parts of the way through my second, but let me tell you, I had never done this before and I found David & Ruth, via the net and got in touch with them for materials. They sent me what I needed, even after asking if they sold foam pads for chairs! and the CDs and I did my first chair all from that! The result was brilliant and I have since bought their book and I would honestly recommend them as a supplier and for help.
The forum is also a great help and I check it every day to pick up tips. You have defenitely come to the right place if you starting upholstery.
jackie |
| Lorre |
Posted - 10 Apr 2005 : 04:10:16
Jennifer . . . David is absolutely right. Books are a great source of information -- I have a small library of them -- and this forum is a great help, too. David and Ruth also offer CDs that show you how to upholster and they are terrific. I have a set and read them on my computer like a book. I also have their book on order, which unfortunatly is not due in print here until June. I am certain it is as informative as their CDs and can't wait to receive it. DEFINITELY worth the investment!
I have just started upholstering my first chair, which feels rather frightening. but I keep a notebook with assessments on its condition, measurements, as well as photos to help me remember what it looked like before its "operation". So far, so good . . . and I have even managed to not hyperventilate!
Hope this helps,
Lorre |
| oldsofas |
Posted - 09 Apr 2005 : 10:41:47
Jennifer,
Thanks for joining you're very welcome. Courses are all very well, but we have a lot of people telling us that the courses they're on move too slowly and don't cover the things that are of particular interest. Whe Ruth first started upholstery she went on a C & G course for the best part of a year but gave up because it was dealing with things that didn't interest her (even when she first started she'd rather frighten herself to death with a deep buttoned 7' chesterfield than put foam pads in Ikea dining chairs), and she had so much upholstery work to do for friends and friends of friends that she wanted to spend more time doing hands on upholstery.
The way to learn is to get a good book (this is the first and last time I'm going to plug our book on this forum, but we had an email from a third year C & G student earlier this week who had just bought Complete Step by Step Upholstery and said she wished we'd brought it out when she was in her first year - so you can do a lot worse than get hold of a copy). And the second thing you need to do is make friends with your local house clearance and antiques auction house. Auctions are brilliant fun, and you'll get stacks of chair knowledge and inspiration just by browsing around and looking at all the different styles and shapes.
Buy something similar to one you've seen in a book that explains how to do the upholstery and pay careful attention, take notes and photos if necessary, when you strip all the old upholstery off - it's the best way to learn the order in which to put it back on again. Don't be affraid to get things wrong and don't give up.
Welcome to the forum. regards D |
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