Upholstery

upholstery class at work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Learn the art and craft of fine upholstery, working with your own furniture. Practice stripping, spring tie-off, covering, cushions and the use of materials and tools including sewing machines. The class follows an open workshop format; instructors give individual guidance based on student needs. Students often stay for multiple semesters, enjoying the camaraderie of the shop and progressing to more ambitious projects over time.


Read Apartment Therapy’s review of this class... and blogs by UrbanSherp, Second Coat Design, The Great Wide Open and Salvage Love. (See Second Coat’s photos, above.) Salvage Love also posted a beautiful photo narrative showing Janine's work restoring a Mid-century Modern bench. Also great: Emily Mahlman's video of Paul DeVito, Jr. spitting tacks.


BEGINNERS PLEASE NOTE: You will be most satisfied if you start small with a dining room chair, footstool or ottoman. An armchair or wing-back chair will take more than one semester to complete. Even smaller pieces may take more than one semester.

INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS: You may prepare for class by stripping your furniture at home. Beginners may wish to strip with supervision of the instructor.


This very popular class fills up quickly. We process registrations on a first–come, first–served basis, and we try to post “FULL” notices as soon as our office staff catches up with registrations that come in outside of office hours. It’s a good idea to include a note in the Comments box of the on–line registration form letting us know which alternate sections you can accept as a second choice.

If classes are full, email to put yourself on a waiting list. New sections open each semester. Add yourself to our email list to receive notice when our new schedules go up on line.

You may also be interested in our Basic Upholstery Workshop, which will give you the skills you need for a head-start on any professional-level upholstering project.

In summer, we offer a Summer Upholstery Intensive – the same as our regular Upholstery class, but all in one week. Leave your work out in the shop and immerse yourself.


Course Number

AC116

Class Size

12

Age Range

17+

Skill Level

All Levels

Prerequisite

None

Materials

PLEASE NOTE:

  • NO LARGE ITEMS (sofa, bed, love seat, chaise lounge)
  • ONLY ONE PIECE AT A TIME per student, as our storage space is limited
  • YOU MUST TAG YOUR FURNITURE with your name, phone number and semester

Bring your piece of furniture to the first class. You may store it here for the semester but you must remove it after that. Beginners will learn to strip furniture in the first class session.

Please bring to class:

  • Two dropcloths (old bedsheets work well): one to cover work surface, one to cover furniture in storage

Tool Kit

Prepare to assemble the following. Check with instructor in class before shopping.

  • Measuring tape
  • Good pair of scissors suitable for upholstery-weight fabric
  • Tack and Staple Remover (Tool #121)
  • Tack claw (Osborne # 202)
  • Magnetic hammer (Osborne #222)
  • 10" Upholstery shears (Osborne #684-10)
  • Ripping tool (Osborne #402)
  • Curved needles (Osborne #K-3)
  • Straight-point needles (Osborne # K-5)
  • Upholstery pins (Osborne #190)
  • 6-oz. Upholstery tacks
  • Marking chalk (Osborne #88)

Additional Supplies

The following materials list will be discussed in class:

  • webbing
  • burlap
  • muslin
  • 1” or 4” foam
  • cushion foam
  • cotton batting
  • cambric
  • Italian Ruby twine – 1 lb. spool
  • spring-tying twine
  • spring nails
  • fabric: 5/32” welt

Find out where to buy supplies.

Instructor, Schedule, and Cost

 

Section 1: 10 Mondays, 9am–12pm
Instructor: Kathleen Gaskin-Holland
1S: Apr 1–June 10, 2013 (no class May 27) FULL

Section 2: 10 Tuesdays, 6:30–9:30pm
Instructors: Paul DeVito, Jr. and Paul DeVito III
2S: Apr 23–June 25, 2013 FULL

Section 3: 10 Wednesdays, 6:30–9:30pm
Instructors: Paul DeVito, Jr. and Paul DeVito III
3S: Apr 24–June 26, 2013 FULL

Section 4: 10 Thursdays, 10AM-1PM Please note change in class times.
Instructor: Kathleen Gaskin-Holland
4S: Apr 4–June 6, 2013 FULL

Section 5: 10 Fridays, 6:30–9:30pm
Instructors: Paul DeVito, Jr. and Paul DeVito III
5S: Apr 5–June 7, 2013 FULL
Note: Make-up date for class missed due to lockdown: Fri, June 21

Section 6: 10 sessions, Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:30–9:30pm
Instructors: Paul DeVito, Jr. and Paul DeVito III
6M: July 8–Aug 7, 2013 – FULL

$330


 

Summer Upholstery Intensives

Immerse yourself! Set aside five summer days in our air–conditioned shop. Leave your work out each night and start right up in the morning with minimal set–up and clean–up. Co-sponsored with North Bennet Street School.

Instructors: Seymour Beckford and Kathleen Gaskin-Holland

Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm

Section 1M: Aug 12–16, 2013 OPEN
Section 2M: Aug 19–23, 2013 OPEN
Section 3M: Aug 26–30, 2013 OPEN

$460 per week
Basic materials are included in tuition, with additional materials available for purchase in class.