Business Start Up Course in Modern Upholstery
£2988.00
£747.00
Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 40 days
Cost: £2988 divided into 4 payments of £747
0 places available
Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 40 days
Cost: £2988 divided into 4 payments of £747
Want to start a new career in upholstery? Then why not study with the UK’s leading modern upholstery school!
We have designed our unique 40 day Business Course in Modern Upholstery for those who want to learn the comprehensive skills required to be able to go on and start a business. Our course is taught at our fully equipped Manchester workshop and is carefully structured to ensure that you will cover all the key skills needed to go on and tackle a range of complex upholstery projects.
This course takes the student through a set programme of practical work, starting with a basic drop in seat dining pad and progressing all the way through to a large wingback chair. Ministry of Upholstery is a modern upholstery school, so you will be coached through all modern upholstery skills required to complete a large range of projects. Although the majority of the course focuses on modern upholstery methods, we also understand the importance of traditional upholstery and so to ensure that you cover all main techniques, you will complete one of our cocktail chairs using mainly traditional methods.
This unique course also allows for you to bring a selection of your own pieces for re-upholstery. Once you have gained the basic skills and feel confident, you will be encouraged to bring your own pieces. This is known as free learning and you can even start to bring customer jobs. This important part of the course allows you to start to think about your own style and the focus your business will take. You may even wish to design your own fabric and use this! Ministry of Upholstery have recently invested in the latest digital printing technology, allowing our students the opportunity to print their own fabric designs in-house. This course even includes a theory session based around the basics of Photoshop and creating your own designs!
Finally, you will finish this course with 5 days in your own self-contained workshop, known as a Pod, where you be encouraged to work autonomously and put everything you have learned into practice. Upon completion of this you will be awarded the Ministry of Upholstery ‘Graduate’ seal of approval, which you can display on your social media and website to show people that you have trained with the best modern upholstery school in the UK!
Throughout the course you will be encouraged to build up a photographic and video portfolio of your work, which will document the techniques used and skills gained. This record will provide an invaluable reference tool to enable you to go on to independent work. You will also take part in a range of classroom sessions covering the following less hands-on side of running an upholstery business:
- Fire Regulations
- Workshop set up at home and introduction to compressors
- Fabric Knowledge
- Job Costing
- Introduction to Sewing Machines
- Fabric Design
- Fabric Measuring
- Setting up a business
- Plus more
We work to a set programme to ensure that you complete all key skills within our skills matrix. Throughout your course, you will complete the following practical projects, all of which are included in your course:
| Module 1 | Drop in seat dining pad – all materials included |
| Module 2 | Small shallow buttoned footstool – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 3 | Large deep buttoned footstool – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 4 | Wingback chair focusing on cap on arm and box seat cushion – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 5 | Wingback chair focusing on scroll arm, pattern matching and fixed seat – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 6 | Cocktail chair using traditional methods – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 7 | Free Learning – you will supply frames and fabric. All materials, except specialist foam, will be included |
| Module 8 | Pod Time – you will supply frames and fabric. All materials are chargeable. We estimate the cost of this to be between £40 and £60. |
These frames are all included in the cost and are brand new frames made by our expert frame-makers. Everything you require to upholster these jobs is also included in the cost of the course. You will only need to supply the fabric and any fire retardant interliner, should you require it. You will also be given a full induction in sewing and, as part of the course, you will make a buttoned scatter cushion. You will be required to supply a small selection of projects of your own choosing for your free learning and one piece for your 5 day Pod time. These can be pieces that you source or we can provide you with a new frame at extra cost. The pieces that you make are all yours to keep. If you sell these you can more than cover the cost of the course as we estimate the market value around £4000!
Techniques and skills covered
- Full health & safety induction and introduction to tools and materials
- Sewing machine induction
- Shallow buttoning
- Deep buttoning
- Facings
- Borders
- Cutting and applying foam
- Scatter cushion
- Box cushion
- Pattern matching
- Fluting
- Costing jobs
- Pleating
- Tool selection
- Stripping
- Piping
- Arms
- Seats
- Applying ply grip
- Applying backtack strip
- Slip stitching
- Double piping
- Fabric costings
- Fire regulations
- Close nail studding
- Sprung seats
- Sewing
- Webbing
- Cutting
- Measuring fabric and fabric guide
- Use of machinery
- Workshop set up advice
- Information about setting up in business
- Fabric design and printing
If you are looking for a course which focuses on smaller projects, then why not consider our brand new Access Course in Modern Upholstery
Availability
This course can be taken on a totally flexible basis. The core hours are 9.00-4.00 Monday to Friday but you are not required to attend 5 days per week. You can even do this course on a day/ week basis if this suits you so please call us for a chat if you would like to discuss this in more detail, we’re always happy to help. Please note that there is no specified timeframe within which you have to complete the 40 day course as it is entirely flexible.
Booking is simple, to book a place you can pay your first instalment of £700 using the Buy button on this page and selecting the first week of attendance. You can then call or email us to book the rest of your time.* If you wish to book odd days or discuss availability, then please email us on enquiries@ministryofupholstery.co.uk or call us on 0161 222 4243.
*Please note that we have a maximum class size of 16 and classes are booked on a first come, first served basis. If you want to check availability for the whole course before you book then please contact us.
Payment
We appreciate that this course is a large amount of money to pay in one go so we have devised a payment scheme that allows you to pay for it in four smaller, more manageable instalments.
Upon booking your first week, which you can do online, you are required to pay the first instalment of £747. Before you attend your 6th day you are required to pay the next instalment of £747. The same again before you attend your 11th and 16th days. This allows you to stagger the payments according to your attendance rate. If you attend once per week for example, then you’ll only make a payment every 5th week!
Although this course is about focusing on skills and not completed projects, we estimate the total value of the products you will make throughout the duration of the course will exceed £4000!
Additional Information
| Dates | Week commencing 4th Jan, Week commencing 18th Jan, Week commencing 15th Feb, Week commencing 22nd Feb, Week commencing 29th Feb, Week commencing 21st March, Week commencing 28th March |
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Fabric Design Basics
Courses £95.00Times: 9.00-4.00 (weekdays), 10.00-5.00 (weekends)
Duration: 1 day
Includes: Ink pour, crash course in Photoshop Elements plus your designs to take away on a USB
Does not include: Fabric
Cost: £95
You’re reading this because you want to try something different and at Ministry of Upholstery we love to challenge you to think outside the box. This course has been designed as a prelude to some of our other courses or as a course in its own right. If you’re undertaking one of the following courses, then you can add on this one day design course in order to create your own unique fabric design. Alternatively you can just come along for this one day and see where it leads you!
- Upholstery Sewing Techniques Day
- Weekend Deep Buttoned Footstool Course
- Weekend Footstool
- #stofa Course
- Weekend Dressing Table Stool
- Weekend Contemporary Stool
During this one day design crash-course we are going to show you how to create a pattern called ‘Reflect and Repeat’, which will hopefully inspire you to believe that you don’t have to be a great illustrator or painter to design; you just have to have imagination, vision and a love to experiment.
The first part of the workshop will be all about getting messy and creating an ink pour. It’s a fool proof way of creating a stunning piece of art, from which you can then start your first design.
The second part of the workshop will be computer based. Here we will introduce you to Photoshop Elements. Photoshop is the world’s best imaging and graphic design software and is the go-to tool for every creative project, from photo editing and compositing to digital painting, animation, and graphic design. Our tutor will introduce you to the basics and how to create a canvas. As a starting point you will use your ink pour and, working as a group, will use Photoshop Elements to experiment with this to create your unique fabric; opening your mind to the world of pattern design.
You’ll then be encouraged to incorporate elements from your own photos, which you will send ahead of the course. These can be photos of your child, your pet, landscapes, your own sketches, doodles or artwork. You’ll be shown how to import, manipulate and layer your images. The rest of your time will be spent freestyling your way to a finished design; experimenting and developing your Photoshop skills at the same time as honing your finished designs.
You will conclude the day by formatting your finished design to the size of your chosen project or a one metre by 130cm panel, if you don’t have a project in mind.
The fabric
You can choose from three different fabric types, onto which we can print your finished design:
- ‘Surface Velvet – a matt velvet – £31
- ‘Rise Velvet’ – a shimmer velvet – £35
- ‘Touch’ – a linen feel fabric – £31
All of our fabrics are upholstery grade, superior quality and comply with UK fire regulations. You will be invoiced for your fabric choice separately.
The small print
IMPORANT – If you are designing a fabric for one of our upholstery courses, then You MUST ensure that your design day is at least one week before your scheduled upholstery course, to enable us to print your fabric.
All artwork and rights are owned by you; the maker and will be available to take away on a USB.
A word about our design tutor
For this course we have teamed up with the mighty design powerhouse that is Beth Travers from Bobo1325. Beth’s designs have seen her reap praise from the industry. She is distinctive, eye-catching and not to be missed. You can view Beth’s work via her website www.bobo1325.com.
Surface pattern encompasses so many design disciplines from graphic illustration, fine art and photography to textile design. We believe in pushing the boundaries and utilising these concepts to create unique designs, because…why not? There are so many types of pattern and aspects of design.
All of Bobo1325’s designs are constructed from illustrations, textures, mixed media and photography. It takes the designs to the next level, they become a journey of discovery rather than a flat pretty design. It’s a story. After all anything is possible in this digital age!
Bring Your Own Upholstery Sewing Day
Courses £70.00Times: 10.00-4.00
Duration: 1 day
Includes: All basic sewing materials, such as thread, zips and piping. Does not include seat cushions, cushion inners or fabric.
At Ministry of Upholstery we are equipped with a large range of state-of-the-art industrial sewing machines and a dedicated full-time sewing tutor with over 40 years’ experience! You can now benefit from this by attending one of our sewing days. They are available to take on almost all weekdays of the year and allow you to tackle whatever suits your needs. These sessions are aimed at those with a particular sewing project in mind, such as sewing new covers for your Ercol cushions. If you want to master a certain skill such as making scatter cushions or perfecting your box cushions, then you could choose to attend one of our Sewing Techniques Days.
These sewing days are ideal if:
- your sofa cushions need new covers
- you have a campervan and the cushions could do with a new lease of life
- you want to improve your upholstery sewing ability
- you own an Ercol and want to re-cover the cushions
Our Bring Your Own sewing days are perfect for those wanting to breathe new life into old furniture at the drop of a hat and at little cost! You bring the old piece, whether that be cushions, seat pads, campervan cushions etc and we will guide you step-by-step through the process of making new covers! You can book one day or multiple days and sewing days are available to take on any weekday you choose!
Booking
Simply choose the week from the dropdown menu and when you book, use the ’notes’ section to advise which day or days you would like to book. We may have availability on other days, which are not listed here and to check this please email us on office@ministryofupholstery.co.uk or if you prefer to speak to us, then please call our office on 0161 222 4243 and we’ll be happy to help.
A note about our workshop and facilities
The sewing area is part of a larger upholstery workshop. We have 9 industrial sewing machines in total: 3 lockstitch sewing machines, 4 walking feet, an overlocker and a twin needle. The sewing area is manned by a dedicated sewing teacher and the teacher’s time is split equally between all students. The number of students will vary from day-to-day but will never exceed the amount of machines. The tutoring is given on an individual basis and not in groups.
Weekend Deep Buttoned Footstool Course
Courses £195.00Times: 11.00-5.00
Duration: 2 days Sat & Sun
Includes: Everything you need to make the footstool except 1 metre of fabric and fire retardant interliner if required
This is the weekend version of our highly sought after deep buttoned footstool. This is a 2 day deep buttoning masterclass. Starting day one with a brand new frame and choice of legs, you will kick off by painting or waxing your legs to match your chosen fabric. After attaching your foam you will then be introduced to the world of deep buttoning. We will show you how to work out the maths behind the placement of buttons but on this introductory course we will have done all of this for you. Working to a template provided by us (think sewing pattern), you will mark out your fabric for the buttoning process to commence. You will then get to make your very own buttons. Then it’s on with the buttoning, pleating and corners. Finally your bottom cover and legs. You will walk away with your completed stool, a load of transferable skills and a real sense of achievement about what you have achieved in just two days.
The approx. finished upholstered size of the stool will be:
Width: 48cm
Length: 61cm
This course is suitable for complete beginners and those with some basic experience, who want to add deep buttoning their repertoire. It serves as an excellent introduction to the tools and materials used and as a perfect taster if you’re thinking about one of our longer courses. It’s also ideal if you just want an awesome one-off stool for your home at a fraction of the cost of buying one!
Upholstery Taster Day
Courses £95.00Times: 10.00-5.00
Duration: 1 day
Includes: All materials
Cost: £95
Want to get started with upholstery but don’t know how? Confused by the jargon, the tools and materials? This one-day crash course will peel back the layers of upholstery, demystify the process, help you to understand all that technical information and explain all the tools and materials of the trade; those you need and those you don’t!
It’s a practical hands-on class, led by Anthony Devine. After a complete tool induction, where Anthony will introduce you to both a pneumatic and handheld staple gun and pros and cons of each, alongside other tools, you will get to grips with lots of different techniques. You will practice these skills on your very own skills board and Anthony will explain their practical application in the upholstery world. In the afternoon, Anthony will hold a ‘surgery session’; where you can ask Anthony’s advice on anything upholstery related. This promises to be a fun, relaxed but incredibly informative course. Places are limited to 12 to ensure plenty of individual guidance from Anthony. The course also includes a session on fire regulations.
Sidecar
Courses £450.00Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 4 days on any weekdays, subject to availability
Includes: Everything you need to make the chair except 4 metres of fabric and fire retardant interliner if required
Cost: £450
If you love the classic design of a cocktail chair but need to fill a slightly bigger space, then you need the Sidecar in your life! Designed by our Creative Director Anthony Devine, this piece is bound to be a talking point in your home. Keep the fabric plain and the piece classic or be bold and make it a statement, either way you will receive a masterclass in modern upholstery tuition. You will start day one with full staple gun induction, ensuring you feel comfortable and ready to tackle your project. You will then be furnished with a brand-new frame, made by our team of expert frame-makers. Our teachers will then guide you step-by-step through each element until your Sidecar is ready to take home and enjoy. Throughout the course you will learn how to web, hessian and foam your project. You will be introduced to a variety of modern upholstery methods including making piping, potential buttoning, applying backtack and plygrip. You will also be able to use our large range of paints and waxes to finish your legs to match your chosen fabric.
This course is available to book on any 4 weekdays and runs from 9.00-4.00. Please select the week you would like to commence the course from the dropdown box and we will be in touch to finalise which 4 day suit you best.
Availability
All of our daytime courses are flexible, which means that they can be taken on any weekdays to suit you and spread over one or even several weeks. If you wish to take all your dates in one week, then please select that week from the dropdown box. If, however, you wish to spread the course over more than one week, then please do contact us via phone or email to discuss availability. If dates do not appear in the dropdown box, it does not necessarily mean that we do not have those dates available, it is always worth giving us a shout.
Please note that 4 days is the average completion time for this course but we do not guarantee that you will finish in 4 days as everyone works at different speeds. If you do need an extra day these are chargeable at £85/ day.
Bring Your Own Project
Courses £255.00–£1,500.00Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 3, 5, 7 or 10 days on any weekdays
Includes: Everything except project, fabric, fire retardant Calico if required, replacement seat cushions if needed
Do you have your own project that you’d like to tackle? Perhaps it’s a chair that’s the perfect size but the wrong fabric, maybe it’s a sentimental piece that you want to keep but it just doesn’t fit in or perhaps it’s a sofa that quite frankly has seen better days and needs a complete overhaul! Whatever it is that you already have, we have a course to suit.
Our Bring Your Own Course is now available to book for 3, 5, 7 or 10 days, dependant on the size of your project. Don’t worry if you don’t finish in your allotted time, you can always tag on extra days if you need them. How ever many days you go for, you’ll receive the same intensive but light-hearted tuition in modern upholstery. We will teach you how to completely strip your project. We will introduce you to the tools and materials used in the upholstery world, covering a full introduction to the pneumatic staple gun and how to use it safely. Once you feel confident, we will then talk you through your options for re-upholstery and you will then receive step-by-step tuition on how to re-upholster your piece to desired specification.
This course is aimed at anyone who has a piece they would like to re-upholster. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve never even seen a staple gun before, let alone handled one. Equally, if you’ve already got some experience and are looking to build on it. Whether you want to start a new hobby, just simply tackle a one-off piece or tick something off your bucket list, we are here to help!
People work at different speeds and come with different levels of experience but we would advise to book as follows. If you are in any doubt, then please send us a photo of your piece to office@ministryofupholstery.co.uk and we can offer our expert guidance.
3 Days
- Footstool
- Headboard
- Dining Chairs (set of 4)
- Italian style chair
- Louis style chair
- Ottoman
5 Days
- Small wingback armchair
- Small Chaise Longue
- Nursing chair
- Fireside Chair
7 Days
- Large Wingback Chair
- Armchair (not Chesterfield)
- Love Seat
- Some Simple Two Seaters
10 Days
- Sofa
- Chesterfield Sofa
- Chesterfield Armchair
You can of course plan to bring more than one project, which is absolutely fine. Please bear in mind that if you wish to do this, that we operate a one-in-one-out policy.
If you have any queries about the suitability of your project, then please email us a picture to enquiries@ministryofupholstery.co.uk and we will be happy to help.
Availability
This course is available to book on any weekdays. Availability dependant and runs from 9.00 -4.00. Please select the week you would like to take the course from the dropdown box. If you are booking for the 5 day we will book you for all the days that week. If you are booking the 3 day we will contact you to see which 3 days you’d like. If you are booking the 7 day we will book you for the 5 days of the week you have chosen plus the Monday and Tuesday of the following week. If you are booking the 10 day we will book you for the week you have chosen and the following week.
All of our daytime courses are flexible, which means that they can be taken on any weekdays to suit you and spread over one or even several weeks. If you wish to spread the course over more than one week, then please contact us via phone or email to discuss availability. If your preferred dates do not appear in the dropdown box, it does not necessarily mean that we do not have those dates available, it is always worth giving us a shout to discuss, especially if you are flexible.
If you do not finish your project within your course you are able to add on extra days at a cost of £85/ day but please bear in mind that you may not be able to book in straight away due to the fully booked nature of the course.
Love Seat
Courses £765.00Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 8 days on any weekdays, subject to availability
Includes: Everything you need to make the chair except 8 metres of fabric and fire retardant interliner if required
Ok, so you need to fill a space and a chair is too small and a sofa is too big, what’s the answer? This course is the answer! Our Love Seat is that perfect size. Imagine curling up on this; fire on, brew (or wine!) in hand – perfection. Also imagine the sense of satisfaction knowing that you made it from scratch. We provide the frame, which will be ready and waiting for you and lovingly made by our expert frame-making team. You’ll benefit from professional tuition by our skilled teaching team, who come with over 120 years of experience between them. As with all our courses, this course is totally suitable for beginners or those with some experience. It covers a whole range of skills; from applying webbing, hessian, cutting and applying foam, how and why we use Dacron, measuring, cutting and applying fabric, button-making and deep-buttoning (optional), forming pleats and finishing touches. We highly recommend this course!
This course is available to book on any 8 weekdays and runs from 9.00-4.00. Please select the week you would like to commence the course from the dropdown box and we will be in touch to finalise your dates.
Availability
All of our daytime courses are flexible, which means that they can be taken on any weekdays to suit you and spread over one or even several weeks. If you wish to take all your dates in one week, then please select that week from the dropdown box. If, however, you wish to spread the course over more than one week, then please do contact us via phone or email to discuss availability. If dates do not appear in the dropdown box, it does not necessarily mean that we do not have those dates available, it is always worth giving us a shout.
Please note that 8 days is the average completion time for this course but we do not guarantee that you will finish in 8 days as everyone works at different speeds. If you do need an extra day these are chargeable at £85/ day.
Access Course in Modern Upholstery
Courses £1425.00Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 15 days
Cost: £1425 divided into 3 payments of £475
Are you completely new to upholstery, thinking about our Business Course in Modern Upholstery but want to ease yourself in with some smaller projects, whilst developing a core set of transferable skills?
Or
Are you considering entering the world of upholstery but want to focus your efforts on smaller upholstered items?
Or
Do you already do some upholstery and want to take it to the next level and convert your hobby into a business?
Designed as a precursor to the Business Course, or as a course in its own right, we have developed this course after witnessing many Ministry of Upholstery students make very successful businesses by focusing on a smaller core set of products; such as footstools, dining chairs and headboards. The beauty of this is:
- They are small, so a kitchen table can provide sufficient working space
- They all focus around a core set of skills, which will be mastered during this course and refined very quickly through repetition
- These skills can be easily transferred from one project to another. For example: deep buttoning can be transferred from a footstool to a headboard and vice versa
- You will reduce your set-up costs by concentrating your efforts around a smaller set of products and
- In turn, this will maximise your profits.
- By taking this course before the full Business Course in Modern Upholstery, you can already be establishing a business, taking a wage and learning and developing your core set of skills, at the same time as developing new ones and expanding on your offering
This 15 day course is taught at our fully equipped, state of the art Manchester workshop and has been carefully structured so that you will cover a concise range of skills concentrated around a select few pieces of upholstery. The skills are transferable so actually, the range of projects which can tackled after this course is vast.
This course takes the student through a structured programme of practical work including a dining chair pad, different styles of footstools, varying styles of headboards and an opportunity to tackle your choice of project at the end!
On your first day you will be eased in with a thorough induction and introduction to the pneumatic staple gun and tools of the trade. Once you are up to speed and feel confident, we will provide you with a drop-in dining seat pad and our expert upholstery teachers will guide you step-by-step through each process until you complete the task. With this basic introduction under your belt you will move onto our contemporary stool, expanding on the basic prepping skills and introducing you to piping, borders and modern upholstery materials such as backtack strip. After this you will complete the first of two headboards. This can be a single or double (you choose) and will introduce you to borders. You will create a sleek modern headboard with loads of transferable skills. Next up is a large deep buttoned footstool. This is a meaty module, covering loads of skills. We’ve also incorporated Van Dyking into this module; the method of joining two pieces of fabric together, hidden in the pleats of deep buttoning. It allows you to work on bigger items and keep the pile running the correct way. The must-have technique in any upholsterer’s toolbox; think headboards and bench seating. After this you are onto the second of our headboards which features a more modern take on buttoning; the square buttoning technique. Then it’s our gorgeous statement cocktail chair, which combines the best of modern and traditional techniques and incorporated a fluted back; yet another transferable skill for your arsenal. Finally you get to work on something that you choose. This could be something you provide yourself or a frame you buy through us. We’d recommend something like an upholstered dining chair, but of course the choice is yours.
Ministry of Upholstery is a modern upholstery school, so you will be coached in modern upholstery skills and using modern upholstery materials. This makes for a course which is more accessible, the skills are easier to master and therefore you can up and running your new business in no time. Throughout the course you will be encouraged to build up a photographic and video portfolio of your work, which will document the techniques used and skills gained. This record will provide an invaluable reference tool to enable you to go on to independent work at home.
Course Content at a glance
| Module 1 | Drop in seat – all materials included |
| Module 2 | Small Contemporary Stool – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 3 | Single (90cm x 90cm) or Double Headboard (135cm x 90cm) with a border – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 4 | Deep Buttoned Footstool with van dyking – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 5 | Single (90cm x 90cm) or Double Headboard (135cm x 90cm) with square buttoning – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 6 | Cocktail Chair with Fluted back – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric |
| Module 7 | Free Learning – materials supplied except any specialist foam, you must supply (or you can buy through us at extra cost) frames and fabric |
All frames are all included in the cost of Modules 1-6 and are brand new frames made by our expert frame-makers. Everything you require to upholster these jobs is also included in the cost of the course. You will only need to supply the fabric and any fire retardant interliner, should you require it. You will also be given a full induction in sewing and how to use a sewing machine, led by our expert sewing tutor. The pieces that you make are all yours to keep. If you sell these you can expect to recoup around £1500! We also sell kits for all products, so once your friends and family start to ask you to make for them, you can hit the ground running and start your business! If you don’t have the tools and space to get you going, don’t worry, we have 3 equipped self-contained workshops (or Pods), which we rent out on day rates to students. It’s as simple as:
Learn the skills Buy the Kit Rent the Pod or use your own space Make the product Start the business!
Classroom Sessions Covered
In addition to the practical side of the course we have also selected some core classroom sessions, designed to give you the knowledge to maximise your new business. These are:
- Fire Regulations
- Fabric Knowledge
- Job Costing and pricing
Practical Techniques and skills covered
- Full health & safety induction and introduction to tools and materials
- Sewing machine induction
- Shallow buttoning
- Deep buttoning
- Borders
- Cutting and applying foam
- Fluting
- Costing jobs
- Pleating
- Tool selection
- Piping
- Applying ply grip
- Applying backtack strip
- Fabric knowledge
- Fire regulations
- Close nail studding
- Sewing
- Webbing
- Prepping
- Cutting
- Measuring fabric and fabric guide
- Use of machinery
- Workshop set up advice
- Information about setting up in business
- Fabric design and printing
If you are looking for a course which is more in depth and covers larger projects, then why not consider our Business Course in Modern Upholstery
Availability
This course can be taken on a totally flexible basis. The core hours are 9.00-4.00 Monday to Friday but you are not required to attend 5 days per week. You can even do this course on a day/ week basis if this suits you so please call us for a chat if you would like to discuss this in more detail, we’re always happy to help. Please note that there is no specified timeframe within which you have to complete the 15 day course as it is entirely flexible.
Booking is simple, to book a place you can pay your first instalment of £475 using the Buy button on this page and selecting the first week of attendance. You can then call or email us to book the rest of your time.* If you wish to book odd days or discuss availability, then please email us on enquiries@ministryofupholstery.co.uk or call us on 0161 222 4243.
*Please note that we have a maximum class size of 16 and classes are booked on a first come, first served basis. If you want to check availability for the whole course before you book then please contact us.
Payment
We appreciate that this course is a large amount of money to pay in one go so we have devised a payment scheme that allows you to pay for it in three smaller, more manageable instalments.
Upon booking your first week, which you can do online, you are required to pay the first instalment of £475. Before you attend your 6th day you are required to pay the next instalment of £475. The same again before you attend your 11th day. This allows you to stagger the payments according to your attendance rate. If you attend once per week for example, then you’ll only make a payment every 5th week!
Queen Anne Wingback Chair
Courses £665.00Times: 9.00-4.00
Duration: 7 days, weekdays only
Includes: Everything you need to make the wingback chair except your fabric and fire retardant interliner if required
If you want to get stuck straight into a meaty project without the hassle and time of having to strip an existing project, then the Queen Anne wingback chair is a large project that covers many techniques. As with all of our courses you will start your first day with a thorough induction, where we will introduce you to the pneumatic staple gun. This chair can be tackled in different ways, depending on the skills you wish to cover or the way you wish your chair to look. Take a look at the pictures above of the various ways past students have tackled the piece for some inspiration! Over 7 days* you will construct the whole piece from bare frame to completion and all you need to bring with you is the fabric. At the end of the 7 days you will walk away with one of these stunning armchairs for your home and a whole raft of upholstery skills.
For this project you will require 7 metres of plain fabric or 8 metres of patterned or striped/ checked.
Availability
All of our daytime courses are flexible, which means that they can be taken on any weekdays to suit you and spread over one or even several weeks. If you wish to take all your dates in one week, then please select that week from the dropdown box. If, however, you wish to spread the course over more than one week, then please do contact us via phone or email to discuss availability. If dates do not appear in the dropdown box, it does not necessarily mean that we do not have those dates available, it is always worth giving us a shout.
*Please note that 7 days is the average completion time for this project. We do not guarantee that you will complete in this time, as everyone works at different speeds. If you need an extra day this will be chargeable at £85/ day.
Cocktail Chair
Courses £430.00Times: 9.00-4.00
Duration: 4 days on any weekdays, subject to availability
Includes: Everything you need to make the cocktail chair except 2-3 metres of fabric (fabric guide will be sent upon booking)
These chairs are a design icon and very sought after so you can be the envy of your friends with your unique version, which you’ll be able to say you created yourself. This 4 day* course offers the complete package so all you need is your fabric and away you go! In this course you will start with a brand new frame, which are constructed from solid hardwood by our expert frame-making team. It’s suitable for beginners to upholstery and those of you that may have tried your hand at some basic skills. The cocktail chair is constructed using a mix of traditional and modern upholstery techniques so this course serves as an excellent introduction to the craft and you will see immediate results as there is no need to strip the chair before you can crack on.
For this project you will require 3 metres of fabric. A fabric guide will be sent to you upon booking but if you have any fabric queries please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Availability
All of our daytime courses are flexible, which means that they can be taken on any weekdays to suit you and spread over one or even several weeks. If you wish to take all your dates in one week, then please select that week from the dropdown box. If, however, you wish to spread the course over more than one week, then please do contact us via phone or email to discuss availability. If dates do not appear in the dropdown box, it does not necessarily mean that we do not have those dates available, it is always worth giving us a shout.
*Please note that 4 days is the average completion time for this project. We do not guarantee that you will complete in this time, as everyone works at different speeds. If you need an extra day this will be chargeable at £85/ day.
Contemporary Sofa
Courses £720.00Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 8 days on any weekdays, subject to availability
Includes: Everything you need to make the sofa except 12 metres of fabric and fire retardant interliner if required
We think this sofa is the perfect sofa for modern day living with its sleek, elegant and stylish lines. Why go out and buy a mass-produced sofa, when you can come to us and make your own for less! You can be assured that the frame is built to last because they are produced by our team of expert frame-makers. This course includes a box seat cushion making masterclass, but don’t worry if you’ve never used a sewing machine before, our top of the range machines make light work of it and you can even set the speed at which you feel comfortable working!
This course is available to book on any 8 weekdays and runs from 9.00-4.00. Please select the week you would like to commence the course from the dropdown box and we will be in touch to finalise your dates.
Availability
All of our daytime courses are flexible, which means that they can be taken on any weekdays to suit you and spread over one or even several weeks. If you wish to take all your dates in one week, then please select that week from the dropdown box. If, however, you wish to spread the course over more than one week, then please do contact us via phone or email to discuss availability. If dates do not appear in the dropdown box, it does not necessarily mean that we do not have those dates available, it is always worth giving us a shout.
Please note that 8 days is the average completion time for this course but we do not guarantee that you will finish in 8 days as everyone works at different speeds. If you do need an extra day these are chargeable at £85/ day.
Classic Sofa
Courses £785.00Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 8 days on any weekdays, subject to availability
Includes: Everything you need to make the sofa except 12 metres of fabric
We love this compact and stylish two-seater sofa. Keep the fabric neutral or go bright for a ‘pop’ of colour – the choice is yours! You will cover a wide range of skills on this course, learning about the preparation of the sofa from bare frame to completion. It can be completed in a couple of different ways. Either with deep-buttoning or square buttoning (please see pictures for the difference). This sofa is usually completed with two box cushions. Don’t worry if you’ve never used a sewing machine before, our top of the range machines make light work of it and you can even set the speed at which you feel comfortable working!
This course is available to book on any 8 weekdays and runs from 9.00-4.00. Please select the week you would like to commence the course from the dropdown box and we will be in touch to finalise your dates.
Availability
All of our daytime courses are flexible, which means that they can be taken on any weekdays to suit you and spread over one or even several weeks. If you wish to take all your dates in one week, then please select that week from the dropdown box. If, however, you wish to spread the course over more than one week, then please do contact us via phone or email to discuss availability. If dates do not appear in the dropdown box, it does not necessarily mean that we do not have those dates available, it is always worth giving us a shout.
Please note that 8 days is the average completion time for this course but we do not guarantee that you will finish in 8 days as everyone works at different speeds. If you do need an extra day these are chargeable at £85/ day.
Just completed this course and have really enjoyed it. Flexible learning has been ideal for me fitting it in between work and home life. I’ve completed lots of different projects and gained a really good insight into both modern and traditional upholstery techniques. My confidence has grown throughout my time at yhe Ministry thanks to Anthonys encouragement and teaching style. I’m now taking on projects at home on my own and am loving the challenge. Doing this course has been the first step to mybuilding up a business for the future. Would recommend this course without a doubt. Thanks Anthony and Susie for all your support.