Upholstery Techniques Online

Times: 11.00GMT
Days: Tuesdays
Duration: Each module is comprised of 8 online sessions
Cost: £125/Module
Date: Commences 8th September 2022 (see below for full details)

Your complete guide to the three main disciplines required for successful upholstery, allowing you to build your confidence and banish imposter syndrome. This is a unique, completely accessible online techniques-based course.

Why Ministry of Upholstery?

Ministry of Upholstery are leading the way with relevant, industry-based upholstery. We have taught in-person courses at our Manchester school for over 10 years and now we are successfully pioneering the way with online upholstery training. This unique Upholstery Skills course allows you the opportunity to be trained professionally by the UK’s leading industry upholstery school, without having to come to us in Manchester.

What is a techniques course and who is it for?

Imagine you can see a chair and see the techniques involved. Not only that but you possess all the skills required to complete these techniques. Well, If you could do that then you could upholster anything! That’s what this course aims to achieve. Not only that but we will also delve into the business side of upholstery, so that you get the complete package and can not only make items, but also sell them after and most importantly, make a profit!

This course is ideally suited to anyone who has undertaken some upholstery training, been practicing upholstery as a hobby, is self-trained or is running an existing business and wants to ensure they are ‘getting it right’. It’s ideal if you want to:

• Turn your hobby into a business
• Fill any learning gaps
• Understand routes to market
• Grow in confidence and banish ‘imposter syndrome’
• Grow and develop your existing skillset
• Ensure compliance

The Three Skillsets

In the upholstery industry there are three defined stages with three separate skillsets, which will be undertaken by different people. These are cutting, sewing and the ‘upholstery’. It’s not until you work for yourself, that you need to master all three of these disciplines and yet people still don’t give them equal respect and attention. To become successful, you need to understand and be able to conquer all three of these areas. That’s why we are not only going to cover each of these in great detail, but also we are going to take it one step further and show you not only how to make the furniture but also how to sell it.

How to use the course

Really this is up to you but here are a few suggested ways you might want to take advantage of this course:

Watch it each week and use it to fill in gaps from previous learning or self-tuition

Pick a project (we will supply suggestions in advance) and use the knowledge gained each week to slowly put the pieces of the jigsaw together until the piece is finished

Follow along and practice each skill in isolation by using a set of ‘skills boards’ – essentially boards on which you will practice the individual skill. You can use off-cuts of fabric with no pressure to get it right first time and keep additional learning costs down.

Carry on running an already established business and use the sessions to give you the confidence to know you are ‘doing it right’, banish imposter syndrome and gain confidence.

Start a completely new chapter in your life without having to compromise on anything else. The accessibility of our course means you can tune in as and when it suits you, building up your skills week by week until you are ready to go for it!

How is it delivered?

The course will consist of 5 Modules and each week we will break each of these modules down into a comprehensive step-by-step guide. Each module will run in 8-week blocks (with one or two weeks off every 6 weeks). It will go live each Thursday at 11.00GMT, with the recording following the next day. You will have unlimited access to these recordings for the duration of the entire course. Each week Anthony Devine will dive into the modules, explaining the how, why, when and what! He will combine easy to understand theory with live demonstrations, giving you the understanding and allowing you to build your confidence slowly each week, so that by the end of the course, you will be able to tackle a whole range or upholstery projects confidently and not only that, but value your skill and your time and make a profitable business.

You will have access to an exclusive Facebook group so you can share your journey and questions as you progress. Upon successful completion you will be awarded our Upholstery Skills certificate.

Why train with Ministry of Upholstery?

Over the last 18 months we have grown our online offering from 15-minute classroom sessions, introduced during lockdown, to a full 25 week foundation certificate. We have seen the success of these students and now have a proven formula of delivering concise, clear and easy to follow online tutorials, which then get sent out as recordings. The benefit of this is that the learning is live and personal and relevant to your needs, but also accessible as and when you need it. Our fully equipped recording studio has state of the art equipment to allow us to show our teaching from up to 5 different angles and we are now ready to use all of our tried and tested methods in order to give you the skills to tackle any upholstery project with confidence.

Module 1 – Frames | Foam | Prepping

• Getting to know your frame, differentiating your inside arm from your spring rail, the inside back from the outside back.
• Understanding foam and the different densities, thicknesses, firmness and when and where to use them – let’s bust that jargon and break it down so it’s easy to understand and most importantly, manageable from a cost and storage point of view.
• Where to source foam and how to buy it, when is it better to buy cut to size versus cutting it yourself?
• How should I attach foam? Should I staple? Should I glue? Or should I do both?
• The different foam stapling techniques and where they apply
• How to troubleshoot foam-related issues such as it popping off
• Rules surrounding re-using old foam
• FAQs

Module 2 – Cutting | Tailoring

• Understanding a fabric roll, what to look out for, discovering and reporting flaws
• Marking out on fabric, what to use and how
• Fabric measuring; working out how much you need for a job
• Which way should fabric run
• Should you pattern match
• Understanding fabric pattern repeats and implications of different sizes of repeats
• What is the Martindale test and how is it relevant to my fabric choice
• Understanding suitability of fabrics
• How do I care for my fabric
• Which fabrics are more environmentally friendly and what are my options
• Fire Regulations
• Talking with fabric reps from fabric companies
• Dye sublimation printing and how you can use this technology to your advantage
• Understanding tailoring
• Making patterns
• Making pattern matching patterns
• Prepping fabric for being sewn, including seam allowances and notch cuts
• Cutting fabric for fluting
• Cutting fabric in the correct direction
• Cutting fabric for pattern matching
• FAQs

Module 3 – Sewing

• Setting up and using your sewing machine
• Setting up your sewing area
• Confidence with your sewing machine
• Choosing the correct thread/ needles/ zip/ piping cord
• Choosing the right feet, what you need and don’t need and where to source them
• Having the correct chair
• Basics of sewing
• Understanding piping
• Understanding a pattern matched border with piping
• Scatter cushion
• Window seat
• Bolster
• Square buttoning
• Invisible square buttoning
• Piping
• Fluting
• Tub chair inside back

Module 4 – Upholstery

This module will take everything you have learnt so far, in order to be in a great place to produce top quality pieces with confidence. You’ve mastered all other disciplines you’re now ready to upholster.

• Choosing the correct tools
• Choosing and sourcing the right fabric
• Staple guns
• Compressors
• Latest products
• Webbing options, what are they and where should they be used
• What other options are there to webbing
• Spring variations and options
• Profile roll, where and which thickness
• Lining cloth options and where to use them
• Working with backtack, where and how to use it
• Working with ply grip, where and how to use it
• Nail strip
• Slip stitching
• Van dyking
• Perfect corners
• How to prep and fill a cushion the right way
• Cuts – Y cut and V cut
• Understanding angles around legs and rails

Module 5 – Business

• Routes to market
• Online platforms versus shops
• Upholstery versus re-upholstery
• Sale or return policy
• Customer complaints
• Putting quotes together
• Job Costing
• Deposits
• Managing both the practical and the business without burning out
• Lead times
• Managing your time effectively
• Managing customers’ expectations
• How much information should I give my customer
• Pros and cons of bespoke service

Course Dates

This course will run as follows

Module 1

8th September 2022                       6th October 2022

15th September 2022                               13th October 2022

22nd September 2022                                20th October 2022

29th September 2022                               3rd November 2022

Module 2

10th November 2022                                17th November 2022

24th November 2022                                1st December 2022

8th December 2022                        15th December 2022

12th January 2023                         19th January 2023

Module 3

26th January 2023                         2nd February 2023

9th February 2023                         16th February 2023

2nd March 2023                                       9th March 2023

16th March 2023                                      23rd March 2023

Module 4

20th April 2023                                        27th April 2023

4th May 2023                                           11th May 2023

18th May 2023                                         25th May 2023

15th June 2023                                         22nd June 2023

Module 5

29th June 2023                                         6th July 2023

13th July 2023                                          20th July 2023

27th July 2023

WHAT IS THE MINISTRY CERTIFICATE?

Established in 2012, Ministry of Upholstery are now world renowned as the go-to place for learning the craftsmanship of relevant, industry- based upholstery. Upon completion of this course, you will be awarded our Upholstery Skills Certificate. We will provide both a virtual and physical certificate, which you can display on your social media and website to show people that you have trained with the leading upholstery school in the UK.

Payment

Each of the five module costs £125 payable in advance. You can sign up for the entire course or pick and choose which modules you feel will benefit you. If you sign up for Module 1, you will automatically be invited to sign up for Module 2 part way through Module 1 and so on.

Booking from inside the UK

You are invited to sign up now by selecting and paying for any or all of the modules.

Booking from outside the UK

This course is open to all and if you wish to sign up from outside the UK, simply email office@ministryofupholstery.co.uk, stating which modules you’d like to sign up for and we will send you an invoice via email.

SPECIAL OFFER

If you sign up to any module before the end of June, you will also receive 3 x FREE 20-minute 1-2-1 coaching sessions. These can be used for advice and motivation, for help on a specific project or to reinforce a specific subject matter.