Furniture Upholstery Workshops

Furniture Upholstery Workshops

The Instructor: Stephen Winters has been doing upholstery since 1966. He is highly skilled in furniture upholstery. He continually searches for better ways to do things. He is the author of most of the articles on this Upholstery Resource website.
These workshops are recommended for those who want to quickly learn some of the basics of furniture upholstery. The Workshops have one instructor with maximum of 2 students. He will show you how to do each part and then let you do it. He believes that the best way to learn is by doing.
 
The focus of this class is helping you learn some of the basics of upholstery.

Workshop Topics

  • Estimating
    • Forms used
    • Computerized Estimating
    • Method of Estimating
      • By the yard
      • Per Component
      • By the hour
  • Fabric
    • Figuring Yardage
    • Measuring, Making a Layout, & Cutting Fabric
  • Sewing
    • Fitting, Cutting & Sewing Cushions
    • Attached Pillow backs
  • Frame Prep
    • Stripping The Frame
    • Frame inspection and repair
    • Repadding
  • Springs
    • Retying Hand Tied Springs
    • Working with Arc Springs
  • Making Patterns
  • Making Skirts
  • Button Tufting
  • Safety
    • Setting up your shop to be safe
    •  
  • Taking Care of Your Body
 

Workshop Lengths

  • 2 day workshops ( on a weekend)
  • 3 day  workshops(on a 3 day weekend)
  • 5 or 6 day workshops in one week
  • 6 day workshops (2 days (Sat & Sun) over 3 weekends.
  • 2 week workshops
 

Preparation and Followup

Before you attend  these workshops we recommend that you line up at least 6 or 8 pieces of furniture to recover as soon as you return from these workshops. This will help insure that you will learn and put into practice what you have learned. Time is the enemy. If you take these classes don't do anything for a few weeks or months, then  it will be much harder for you to remember and apply what you have learned.
 
After you participate in these workshops it is strongly recommended that you promptly recover those 6 or 8 pieces of furniture immediately following the workshop. This will help insure that you will remember what you have learned.
 
Class size: 1 or 2 students

Cost:

1 Student
2 Students
 
Cost would probably be in the neighborhood of $200 to $300+ per student per day of each class. The cost would depend how much advance preparation I would need to do, whether one, or two students would attend each class, what would be incuded in each class,  whether I decide to film each class and give a DVD to each student in the class, etc., ..........
 

Location & Contact Info:

Winters Sewing (The owner of this website)
440 E Street,
Independence, Oregon 97351
503-838-4999
Email: workshops (at) upholsteryresource.com

Restrictions

The class is limited to non-smokers. We are a non smoking household and don't want the smell of smoke getting on our client's furniture and drifting through our house and shop.
The class is not available to anyone living in my market area (within 50 miles) as I wouldn't want to train my competition.

Basic Workshop

 

Perhaps have the basic workshop begin with basic principles that will help the student do (or begin) a small job. the first day or two could be learning and practicing these principles that are on the Basics page.

 

Application

 

Background

 

Skills Assessment

To determine your skill level you will need to demonstrate your ability to .... (or put it on the skills assessment sheet that the student fills out...

  • Hammering a nail
  • Sewing a seam
  •  

 

Workshop Handouts

  • Picture of chair with all parts labeld
  • Estimating Sheet
  • List of materials
  • List of tools needed
  • List of Upholstery Suppliers

 

 

The Basic Workshop will cover 

  1. Upholstery Tools and their uses
  2. Beginning sewing on a sewing machine
  3. hand sewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workshop Descriptions

  • 2 day workshops ( on a weekend)
  • 3 day  workshops(on a 3 day weekend)
  • 5 or 6 day workshops in one week
  • 6 day workshops (2 days (Sat & Sun) over 3 weekends.
  • 2 week workshops

Beginner

Possibly one day,

  • Fabric Applying principles
  • Basic tool use
  • Folding corners
  • Stripping old cover off furniture

 

Making Cushions

How to fit a cushion to your chair

 

Retying and repairing springs

Hand Tied Sprngs

Arc Springs

 

Online Upholstery Classes?

Would anyone be interested in taking an online upholstery class?

I recently got my first smart phone and have been doing a lot of experimenting with it. A thought has come to me. I’m wondering about the possibility of doing some teaching/training via online. Here are a few of my beginning thoughts about doing some type of online upholstery classes, either one on one, or to a group. It possibly could be set up through a service such as Skype.

One way that it might work is that I would use my cell phone's video on this end, which the student could see on their phone or computer. Then the student would follow the instructions on their end while showing me what they were doing using their smart phone or webcam.

There are some details that would need to be worked out. For instance, for this to work very well I would think that

A.) either both the student and I might need to have the materials for the same project in front of us.

B.) OR another way would be for the student to just show me what he/is is doing and I would need to tell them how to do it. Of course, words are not nearly as helpful as actually showing.

C.) OR, with a little bit of advance planning, perhaps I could have some materials handing where I could simulate what  the student is doing and show the student via the smart phone.

D.) OR perhaps there might be another way.

Let me know if you have any interest in this. Then I might explore it future. Perhaps you could be in on the testing phase?

To respond, click on the link to send a message to this email address:
workshops@upholsteryresource.com (without the spaces.)
(Answer the questions that will appear in the email.)

Map and Nearby Lodging

Map of Area and Lodging Close to Independence Oregon

If you need a place to stay while taking one of the workshops, ....

Below is a map of our area, with some of the lodging marked on the map. You may drag the map around, or enlarge or reduce the map.

Our location does not show on the map below. To see where out shop is located, click on the View on Google Maps link in the map. That will take you to another larger map, look for the blue dot that is left of the middle. That blue dot is our location

 


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