If you find that you are not feeling well prior to your class, it’s best not to attend.  Send me a text to let me know.

Yes!  And sometimes there are Early Bird offers offering a discount or a complimentary session so keep an eye out for these.

If you cancel more than 14 days before the start of the course, you will receive a full refund*(less any credit card charges).  If you cancel less than 14 days, sadly, the Bureau cannot offer a refund, but you will receive a Credit Note.  We can re-schedule your course up to 2 times.

If you have paid for a short or intensive course (2,3 or 4 days) and then find that you are unwell or cannot attend, you will of course be given a Credit Note to enable you to attend the next available course that works for you.  We can reschedule up to 2 times only.

If you are enrolled on a One Day course, and give less than 24 hours notice that you cannot attend, I’m afraid you will be charged for the course.  If the course is cancelled by the tutor, you will be given a refund or a credit note, which ever you prefer.

*If for any reason a course fee needs to be refunded, eg booked by mistake, then credit card charges will be deducted for credit card payments.

In most cases, you’ll be offered a ‘catch up’ class if you miss one.  The tutor will try to help you catch up ONE session but cannot guarantee that this is always possible, due to how full other classes are and your schedule.  A missed session cannot be carried over to another term.  

If the Upholstery Bureau should have to cancel classes for any reason, you will be given first notice and your course or remaining classes will be rescheduled for as soon as possible within a 8 week period. If the course or class cannot be rescheduled to start within that period, then you will be issued with a Credit Note. If a refund is required, you will be refunded 50% of your fee or the remaining weeks of your course, which ever is less.

Yes – currently it is possible to store your project in the workshop for the duration of your course.    However, for medium and larger size projects, there is an additional storage fee payable in class at the start of each term.   Storage for small/beginner size projects (dining chairs, footstools, loose seats or very small nursing chairs) is included in your course fee.

Medium size projects incur a £65 per term fee for storage and larger projects, with a width & depth over 73cm, incur a £120 fee per term.   Medium size projects are armchairs and wingbacks (Parker Knolls, loungers, tub chairs, large ottomans, nursing chairs, and some French style armchairs)  To avoid disappointment, you must ensure that the tutor has agreed your project.  Some students wish to leave their fabric in the workshop once they are at the top fabric stage, and that is fine to do so.  Please label your belongings in a bag and bring a dust sheet to cover your project (old table cloth or sheet).   Please note:  Your project and fabric and any personal items are left at your own risk.

If you are a beginner, or a newcomer to upholstery, you should start with a beginner type project.  That could be a dining chair or a pair of dining chairs, some loose seats, a small nursing chair, prie dieu, footstool or small ottoman. Basically you should choose an item with one or two pads.  If you are attending a 10 week course, then you could start with a small nursing chair or a simple lounge chair (two pads) or a fauteuil.    There’s plenty to do on these projects.  Please take a look at the Guide for Choosing a Project which provides an idea of the work and skill involved when doing different projects.   Occasionally, a student might have ‘crafty’ skills, be a whiz at sewing and have a project that is slightly outside this criteria.  If you choose a project that is too big or difficult as your first project, and you do not have skills, previous knowledge or speed, or knowledge of the workshop and how to manage the materials, you will find the job takes a long time.   In my experience,  90% of students who insist on taking on an advanced project as their first project, get discouraged and feel the job is taking them too long.

Tip 1:  If you are a beginner, start with a beginner type project such as drop in seats, a footstool or a dining chair or two, or any item that has one or two upholstered pads.  Sometimes a small nursing chair or prie dieu is an appropriate first project if you are attending a 10 week course.  These are the sorts of projects where you achieve and finish sooner rather than later.  The finished results will spur you on.   You’ll increase your knowledge, improve your techniques as well as speed up.

Tip 2:  I always recommend that students rip out (removal of upholstery) their first project at least, with me, in the workshop as this is part of the learning process.  And until you start ripping out your project, you won’t really know what lies beneath.  I can explain the layers that you are removing and assess what to keep or throw away, and high light any particulars about your project.  It’s possible to carry out simple repairs and re-glueing in the upholstery workshop but we are not a restoration or wood workshop, so any paint or varnish removal (sanding, painting etc) needs to be done at home.  You may find that you need to rip out your project in the workshop and then take your project home to carry out this part.

Tip 3:  If you are early in your upholstery career, I strongly recommend that you do pieces for yourself or very close family.   You’ll find you enjoy the process more, knowing that your efforts will be appreciated.

If I recommend certain projects, particularly to beginners, I am considering your ability, other skills you may have, the length of your course and what you might finish in a ‘good and reasonable time’.    As students progress, I consider all the projects being worked on in your class and how long these will take individual students to complete based on their skill level – and finally, I consider the storage of all the projects in the workshop.  While the Upholstery Bureau endeavours to be flexible and to cater to individual needs, it is not always possible to meet them.

No, sadly there isn’t enough space to accommodate large projects like sofas, chaise longes, two seaters or large headboards.

Traditional upholstery is the time honoured practice of using natural materials, hammers and tacks, needles and twine,  hand-tied springs, stitchings and stuffings to create all the beautifully shaped pads and seating for older pieces of furniture.   Like anything that is worth doing well, it does take time because it is precise work.  We also strive to employ the best practises of conservation and preservation, by re-using horse hair and re-working any pads that are salvageable.  Traditional upholstery is the building blocks of all good upholstery, whether you are doing modern or traditional pieces.  Even if you love mid century furniture, your work and understanding will only be enhanced by doing at least 3 or 4 traditional projects.  We often use a mixture of traditional and modern techniques now, tacking some elements and stapling other, to preserve the wooden frame.

Enter the staple gun, foam and zig zag springs.  These are wonderful things and usually quicker to create shapes and pads in many cases, depending on your skill level.  Many modern pieces require that you use specific and appropriate fabrics particularly with modern concave chairs and you may require some very good sewing skills.   The upholstery industry is working to adapt its practises to use more sustainable materials and less chemicals, so we are looking for alternative sheeting materials.  Again, we combine some useful traditional skills with modern, such as temporary tacking pieces first, using calico and sheet waddings to enhance the shape of pads aesthetically but also for comfort.

Once you have a project in mind, send me a photo of the item so that we both agree it is the right project for you.  For beginner projects, you should only need between 1-1.5 m of top fabric.  For more advanced projects, you will learn to measure for top fabric and make a cutting plan on your course.  There are Yardage Charts online too (search Yardage Charts for Fabric)  that show pictures of loads of chairs, and you can usually find something similar to yours, and it will give you an estimate of how much fabric you will need.   We will also talk about choosing fabrics in the classes, and choosing the right fabric for the job, as some fabrics are more difficult to work with, but you want upholstery weight fabric with a Martindale (rub test) grade of 30,000 and over.  No elasticated fabrics and a good rule is that, if you can see through the fabric, it’s definitely not suitable.

You can start by looking on-line and by ordering some fabric samples.  Sometimes you only need to pay for postage.  There are so many fabric and textile designers and some students say it’s almost ‘overwhelming’ to choose!  Fermoie, Designers Guild, ROMO, Clarke & Clarke, Ian Mankin, Linwood, Colefax & Fowler, Sanderson, Osborn & Little, Nina Campbell, GP&J Baker, Zoffany, Vanessa Arbuthnott, Loome, Zobodo, Tinsmith, DEDAR, iliv,  – to name just a few of so, so many fabric designers…they all have websites, so that is a starting point for a little inspiration.
Haines Collection buys up designer ends of rolls that would otherwise be wasted.

JustFabrics is a good online fabric business (based in Burford) that can do some great and sometimes less expensive fabrics – take a look online.  The best thing to do is to start ordering some samples and see what you like!

I highly recommend The Cloth Shop at 290 Portobello Road.  It’s a beautiful shop and you can actually see and touch the fabrics and buy what you want, there and then.  They supply great Chenilles, velvets and linens –

Dalston Mill – huge selection (check out their website first)

The Goldhawk Road in Shepherds Bush :  various fabric shops but mostly fabrics for dress making, look towards the rear of the shops for heavier weight fabrics.

The Curtain Factory Outlet in North Finchley has masses of fabrics to choose from all organised in colours in different rooms.  Look at their website before you head out there for opening times etc

Chelsea Harbour offers loads of high end designer fabrics and often you can buy without pre-ordering.

There is also the Designers Guild Shop in the Kings Road, John Lewis Brent Cross, Peter Jones Sloane Square and Liberty in Great Marlborough Street.

Materials & Storage:  Everyone has a materials’ sheet in the workshop to record what they use and towards the end of your course, the materials are added up and paid for by card.  Most materials are available in the workshop and if necessary, your tutor will help you to source a material through an established upholstery supplier.    I use Blackbarn Upholstery Supplies, upholsteryshop.co.uk, upholsterywarehouse.co.uk and jamiltonsupholstery.co.uk and buttoningcovering.co.uk as well as efoam.co.uk as well as other sites.   If your project is larger than a dining chair or small footstool, you will be charged a storage fee payable at the start of term by card in the workshop.

Try an instensive course, or enrol for a full day each week.   Work on a chair in the workshop, and work on a similar one by yourself at home at the same time.  Just do more upholstery!    If you are interested in doing a qualification, I recommend the Met School of Furniture in Aldgate or the British School of Upholstered Furniture in Fawley Bottom near Henley.