Upholstery

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 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.
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 new Basic Upholstery Workshop, which will give you the skills you need for a head-start on any professional-level upholstering project.
Course Number
AC116Class Size
12Age Range
17+Skill Level
All LevelsPrerequisite
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.
Tool Kit
Prepare to assemble the following. Check with instructor in class before shopping.
- Measuring tape
- 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: Seymour Beckford
1W: Jan 9–Mar 19, 2012 (no class Jan 16) – FULL
Section 2: 10 Tuesdays, 6:30–9:30pm
Instructors: Paul DeVito, Jr. and Paul DeVito III
2W: Jan 17–Mar 20, 2012 – FULL
Section 3: 10 Wednesdays, 6:30–9:30pm
Instructors: Paul DeVito, Jr. and Paul DeVito III
3W: Jan 18–Mar 21, 2012 – FULL
Section 4: 10 Thursdays, 9am–12pm
Instructor: Seymour Beckford
4W: Jan 12–Mar 15, 2012 – FULL
Section 5: 10 Fridays, 6:30–9:30pm
Instructors: Paul DeVito, Jr. and Paul DeVito III
5W: Jan 20–Mar 23, 2012 – FULL
$300
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REGISTER NOW
Register Online. But first… check individual class pages here on our website to make sure your class is not full. All updated schedule changes are also included.
Download:
We will post Spring and Summer classes by February 16, including our Summer Programs for Children. Sign up for email announcements to stay in the know.


