Sunday 10 July 2011

Upholstery Class - Day 5

I had a wonderful week in the beautiful but chilly city of Toowoomba. Everyone is so friendly.

Sofa upholstered by Tony, fellow student.

Friday
was the final day of my upholstery class at the McGregor Winter School and while I didn't quite finish my chair, I am so pleased with what I've done and how much I did learn. I will reveal my chair once it's totally done but here's what went down on the last day.

Piping was made and stapled along the perimeter of the chair back. I didn't have any more hessian so a layer of calico was attached over that.

A layer of foam was cut to fit and attached next. Staples are always attached first to the bottom of the chair to prevent it slipping while you trim and stretch into place.

The foam and calico layers are not too close to the piping edge to allow plenty of room for the final layer and sewing it.

The final fabric layer is folded to fit and pinned to the chair back, close to the piping.

The fabric is then slipped stitched into place, either side of the piping, using a circular needle.

I started gathering some striped fabric that we screen-printed in the same Periwinkle colour for the chair's skirt. The original chair had pleats but I'm wanting a prettier and less formal look.

There is so much to learn in upholstery and I would never have done this without a professional guiding me. Seeing how much work was involved in all of the projects gives me a new appreciation for the art and understanding for the costs involved. I think I would still give a valuable chair to a professional to do.

Here are a couple of the other projects from fellow students (including top image).

Blanche and Prue sitting on a reupholstered sofa. Blanche found the original in a sorry state on the side of the road.

Prue entirely made two of these blanket boxes in the class! The tops are cow hides purchased from NSW Leather and the sides are microsuede. The insides were lined with calico. Prue had to tack every single upholstery tack in one by one. There were no shortcuts allowed in our class so Prue was not allowed to use the ones that come in multiples.

If you are looking for upholstery supplies, I found a great Australian website here that I will be ordering from so will let you know how the service is. The prices are really good.

You may read through my previous posts if you have missed any of the process. You may also like my Facebook page to keep up with updates.

15 comments:

AJMC said...

It feels so good to do a deeply satisfying w/s; one where you learn great skills and have a(nearly) finished product to show at the end as well.Ready to tackle a 3 seater chesterfield yet??
Bye
A

The Chairy Godmother said...

Well done Thea! I can't believe how much you and your classmates achieved in that short time - it's REALLY impressive. I think your teacher must have been really good, and well organised to get you all to finish (and nearly finish!!) such a range of projects in that short time.
One comment re. all that hand slip-stitching you have to do on your chair back, and for future reference: did he mention 'sharks teeth edging'? It's what most of us would use on the sides, with just the slipstitching for the top. MUCH quicker and easier, but takes a bit to learn how to do.
Good on you, and can't wait to see the Reveal.

Sydney Steenland said...

What a great skill to have under your belt, looking good.
It's allot of work, I have a new appreciation.
Sarah
Ps (the fundraiser wen't really well, I'll let you know how much was raised soon). Thanks for the shout out.
Sarah

posie blogs Jennie McClelland said...

Oh wow, looks amazing, can't wait to see the final product, congratulations, love Posie

Tania said...

You tease! So looking forward to seeing your final chair. And yes. I entirely agree with you that the whole upholstery thing (from what little knowledge I have garnered) is extremely involved and I too have a newfound appreciation for the prices charged. You have to put your heart into this sort of thing!

Tina said...

Wow Thea! I have just read your previous posts on your gorgeous chair...a LOT of work (and staples)! The fabric you have used is just beautiful...well done to you and thank you so much for sharing the process:) Hope you have a great week ahead ~ Tina x

jules @ The Diversion Project said...

ooooo you're a braver woman than I darl, piping scares the bejeesus out of me!!

looking forward to see it finished, gorgeous colour jxx

brismod said...

That's just a fabulous thing to learn. How proud you will feel when you are finished your project. xx

Thea said...

Some of the bigger projects were started the week before (eg Tony's lounge) at another location. And yes Chairy Godmother, Laurens did tell us about the "sharks' teeth edging" which is what Blanche used but it would not have been suitable for my lighter weight hemp/organic cotton. I'm happy to do it slowly by hand for a perfect finish.

Le said...

wow how fab - clever you ... do you think you have to be a sewer to learn this ... hmmmm best le xox

Thea said...

It definitely helps to have sewing skills especially for sewing piping and for seat cushions that need covers. Some of the guys learnt quickly!

Unknown said...

Thea can't wait for the reveal!!!T

Tiff said...

Wow! I have just caught up on the week and it is amazing! How wonderful to be learning such a useful skill! I am seeing many many more chair make overs in your gorgeous fabrics in your future! I can't wait to see the chair finished! X

Sandrine said...

Just caught up on the past classes! My goodness that looks tricky!You must be so proud of your work Thea!Well done xx

Naturally Carol said...

Now I can't wait for the big reveal! I can fully understand why chairs and couches cost so much now too.

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