Weekend Footstool

Times: 9.00-5.00
Duration: 3 days
Includes: Everything
Cost: £370- £395

You’re reading this because you want to do something different and we want to challenge you to think outside the box, as well as give you the tools to be confident in doing so, enabling you to create your own fabric design and upholster a showstopper!

At Ministry of Upholstery we try to always bring you new courses with new innovations, new technology and, most importantly, offer you an opportunity to do something new and exciting and create something unique! With our latest course, we feel that we’ve taken things to a whole new level of unique! We have invested in the latest printing technology so that we can give you the opportunity to not only design your own fabric but to print it in-house at our Manchester workshop. But of course we are not a design school, we are an upholstery school, so in addition to guiding you through the fabric design and printing, we will lead you in an upholstery masterclass, so that you can bring your fabric design to life in a piece that you can take home and proudly show off to everyone and anyone.

For this course we have teamed up with the mighty design powerhouse that is Beth Travers from Bobo1325. Bobo1325 is an innovative design house that has fuelled intrigue and interest from a wide range of clients through the visually striking design choices. 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

Day 1

Pattern is everywhere, it is everything. From the cells and veins in your body to the coffee rim stain on your desk.

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 all 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! We are going to give you a design crash course and show you how to create a pattern called ‘reflect and repeat’ it will hopefully inspire you to believe that you don’t have to be a great illustrator or painter 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 unleashing our inner Andy Warhol/ Bansky/ Pollock. We’ll be experimenting with mixed media art disciplines from acrylic pours to egg whites and candle wax. Go big, go bold; there are no wrong answers it’s about experimenting and layers. Dare to be different. Approach this course with an open mind.

The second part of the workshop will be the #DesignLab

Here we will introduce you to Photoshop and the skills needed to manipulate your photos and experiment to create your first pattern. Your second pattern will come from the mixed media concept that you have created in the Studio. Using Photoshop we will experiment with this design so that you will end your first day having created two unique fabric designs; each delivering different results and opening your mind to the world of pattern design. After creating your patterns, you will pick your favourite, which you will print at your next visit when Anthony Devine takes over and you upholster your very own design!

Days 2 & 3

We start today with your chosen design all ready to print. You will now turn your design from a paper copy to a fabric. We will offer a range of upholstery weight fabrics to choose from, which you’ll choose on day 1.

You will now start your upholstery masterclass. This will be led by Anthony Devine. Anthony is known for his forward-thinking and creative work on BBC1’s Money for Nothing and Flipping Profit. His designs are unconventional, uncompromising and always a talking point! For this part of the course, we are offering 3 different options for upholstery. All of these are brand new solid frames.

You choose

THE SQUARE²* (£370)
The footstool that doubles up as additional seating or coffee table. A simple minimalist design classic.

THE #STOFA* (£370)
The design of this curved bench is crying out for the bold and the brave. Perfect for the end of the bed or to brighten up any hallway.

THE CHAIR* (£395)
A balance of form, function and personality. A Louis style carved frame occasional chair.

The upholstery skills will vary from piece to piece but all will include a staple gun induction and serve as an excellent introduction to the craft of upholstery. Each piece will involve the building up from new frame, layer by layer. If you have done upholstery before we would suggest the Chair would serve as the more advanced of the three, but it is also achievable for beginners.

How does it work?

Each day will run from 9.00-5.00 | all materials included | no experience necessary

The #stofa will include painting of the legs

The Chair will include painting of the frame

The small print

All artwork and rights are owned by you; the maker and will be available to take away on a USB.

£370.00–£395.00

Bring Your Own Project

Courses £255.00–£740.00

5 out of 5

Times: 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

Due to recent changes, it is possible that you could start this course as soon as 10 days from the point of booking! To check our next available dates please call us on 0161 222 4243 or email us on enquiries@ministryofupholstery.co.uk

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.

£255.00–£740.00

Love Seat

Courses £765.00

Times: 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.

£765.00

Weekend #stofa Course

Courses £225.00

5 out of 5

Times: 11.00-5.00
Duration: 2 days Sat & Sun
Includes: Everything except fabric, a guide will be sent in the booking confirmation

Want to create something different? Not quite a sofa, better than a stool; this unique frame was designed by our Creative Director; Anthony Devine for BBC’s Money for Nothing and quickly nicknamed the #stofa! It became so popular with our regular students, that we introduced it as a course and it has fast become one of our firm favourites due to the creative nature of the design and the variety of different ways it can be approached!

You will start the course by customising your legs to match your fabric choice, from a range of paints and waxes provided by us. You will then be taken through a thorough health & safety induction, during which you will be introduced to the pneumatic staple gun and shown how to safely operate it. After you are up to speed it is on with the upholstery. You will require no previous experience as Anthony will be leading this workshop and will guide you, step by step, through the exact process he used to make the TV ‘Stofa’!

You will learn a lot of techniques, from webbing, applying hessian, working with foam, cutting and applying fabric and this is also our first weekend course which can include an introduction to basic sewing! Class sizes will be kept small to maximise teaching time and at the end of the two days, the #stofa is yours to take home and enjoy! It is a very creative course as it can be upholstered in lots of different ways and using different methods and skills. Please have a look at the pictures to see how other students have approached the design for some inspiration. Full guidance on fabric will be sent in the booking confirmation.

The #stofa measures approx.:

1 metre 17cm in length
50cm wide
37cm in height

£225.00

Access Course in Modern Upholstery

Courses £1425.00

Times: 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?

Then this brand new course is the one for you!

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, the majority of which are taught using practice boards, which will also be finished as headboards to enable you to sell them or use them after the course.

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 5 practice boards/ headboards, which can be single or double headboard size. The first one will introduce you to shallow buttoning and borders. The second will be about mastering the skill of deep buttoning, the third a more modern take on buttoning and your first foray into sewing; the square buttoning technique. On the fourth board you will learn how to flute and finally you will finish by learning another skill of creating a contemporary headboard with square tiles. 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 or Double Headboard with shallow buttoning and a border – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric
Module 4	Single or Double Headboard with deep buttoning – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric
Module 5	Single or Double Headboard with Square buttoning – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric
Module 6	Single or Double Headboard with fluting – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric
Module 7	Single or Double Headboard with square tiles – frame and materials supplied, you must supply fabric

All 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 how to use a sewing machine, led by our full-time expert sewing tutor. The pieces that you make are all yours to keep. If you sell these you can expect to recoup around £1200! 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
Foam knowledge
Question & Answer

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 6^th day you are required to pay the next instalment of £475. The same again before you attend your 11^th 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 5^th week!

£1425.00

Business Start Up Course in Modern Upholstery

Courses £2988.00

5 out of 5

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
Social Media for Business
Fabric Measuring
Accounting
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

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.

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 6^th day you are required to pay the next instalment of £747. The same again before you attend your 11^th and 16^th 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 5^th 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!

£2988.00

6 Week Evening

Courses £210.00–£310.00

5 out of 5

Times: 6.30-9.30
Duration: 6 weeks, one evening per week
Includes: If you are bringing your own project, then the course includes everything except project, fabric, fire retardant Calico if required & replacement seat cushions if needed. If you are choosing to make a deep buttoned footstool, then it includes everything you need to make the footstool except 2 metres of fabric and fire retardant interliner if required.

Our 6 week evening course comprises of six, three hour sessions, which will run on the same evening each week. There are two ways of taking this course. You can either select your own piece for re-upholstery and we will teach you all you need to know to strip and upholster your particular project. We know people work at different speeds, but you should be able to get a small nursing chair or set of dining chairs completed in 6 weeks. If you are supplying your own project, then we will happily work with you in advance of the course to point you in the direction. Please note that the largest project you could complete on the 6 week course is a small armchair/ fireside chair/ nursing chair. Larger projects may require extra sessions or another course and we do not guarantee that you will finish your project.

Alternatively if you do not have a project, or wish to skip the stripping back stage and get cracking with the upholstery, then you have the option of taking this course as a complete package and include one of our large deep buttoned footstool frames, which measure 1 metre x 75cm!

Either way you approach this course, we keep our class sizes small so that we can help you structure your learning experience around your project. The 6 week course runs over 8 weeks so that if you need to miss one or two of the sessions that’s ok, you can tag them onto the end. But please ensure when you commit to the course that you can attend 6 of the 8 evenings as we can’t make up for any evenings missed. Please note if the course is on a Monday night, that we do not run the course on bank holidays.

This course is suitable for beginners and those who have already done some upholstery.

£210.00–£310.00

Chaise Longue

Courses £585.00

Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 5 days on any weekdays, subject to availability
Includes: Everything you need to make the chaise except 5 metres of fabric

Sometimes only a chaise will do! When that’s the case, then this is the course. This is our modern take on a traditional chaise. It’s elegant and sleek but also contemporary, basically it will suit any interior.

The frame is made by our team of expert frame-makers, so you rest assured that it’s the best quality wood and built to last.

This course will cover all the basics of upholstery; an expert induction and introduction to all the tools of the trade, plus how to master the all-important compressed air staple gun. You’ll learn how to web up your frame, the materials used to build the shape and structure of the chaise, you’ll master the sewing machine, creating that beautiful tailored look using our twin needle sewing machine for that professional finish. Don’t worry if you’ve never used a sewing machine before, our top of the range Tysew machines do all the hard work for you and you can even set the speed at which you feel comfortable working. This course is suitable for beginners or people with some experience.

This course is available to book on any 5 weekdays and runs from 9.00-4.00. You can either book a full week using the dropdown box above or contact us to discuss days if you wish to attend on 5 chosen weekdays.

Availability

Please note that 5 days is the average completion time for this course but we do not guarantee that you will finish in 5 days as everyone works at different speeds. If you do need an extra day these are chargeable at £85/ day.

£585.00

Find a Ministry of Upholstery Course Near You

Courses

The classic footstool course is a one-day extravaganza combining painting techniques with upholstery, perfect for beginners. You will start the day with a solid hardwood frame and throughout the day you will follow the step by step guidance of the workshop leader, learning all about the tools and materials used, as well as covering lots of techniques from webbing, applying Hessian and wadding, cutting fabric and corners. You will also be introduced basic painting techniques and have an opportunity to choose from a wide range of colours to paint your legs to match your fabric choice! At the end of the day’s course you will be able to take your footstool home to show off your new-found skills!

The course includes everything you need to make your stool, you just need to supply one metre of fabric. All our course providers keep class sizes small so that you benefit from greater one on one teaching and if you then fancy making another footstool for your friend or family member (and trust us, you will be asked!) then kits, containing everything you need to make the stools, will be available to purchase on the day.

To find a course near you, you can select from the map or you can search via postcode or city. To book simply follow the instructions on the shop page or contact the shop directly.

Deep Buttoned Wingback Armchair

Courses £760.00

Times: 9.00-4.00 weekdays only
Duration: 8 days on any weekdays, subject to availability
Includes: Everything you need to make the armchair except 7 metres of fabric and fire retardant interliner if required

Our latest addition to the armchair range; this wingback chair is an absolute classic with its elegant deep buttoned back. This is a cracking course, which will introduce you to all the basics of upholstery plus some more advanced techniques. You’ll start the course with a brand new frame, manufactured by our team of expert frame-makers. You’ll then learn how to build your dream chair layer by layer, from webbing , hessian, foam, applying your fabric, mastering the deep-buttoning process and all the finishing touches. As with all our courses, you will be coached every step of the way by our expert tutors so don’t worry if you’re a complete beginner to upholstery, we’re confident that you will be taking home a chair that you absolutely love!

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

£760.00

Cocktail Chair

Courses £430.00

Times: 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

*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.

£430.00

Weekend Contemporary Stool

Courses £175.00–£195.00

5 out of 5

Times: 11am-5pm Saturday & Sunday
Duration: 2 days
Includes: Everything you need to make the stool except fabric

This weekend course serves as an excellent introduction to upholstery whilst also offering you the opportunity to make a beautiful and incredibly stylish stool. The stool was designed by our Creative Director Anthony Devine, who when not teaching at the Manchester school, can often be seen moonlighting on several TV programmes! Led by Anthony Devine, you will follow the step by step tuition, making this stool from scratch from a bare solid hardwood frame. This course covers some of the same techniques as our weekend footstool course, such as webbing, cutting foam, applying hessian and wadding, but also covers different techniques like making and applying piping and applying borders. You will also have a choice of paints and waxes to finish your legs to match your fabric. Everything is included in this course apart from 1 metre of fabric. You can choose from two different sizes for this course. Both stools are the perfect size and height for a dressing table or desk for example.

The approx. finished upholstered size of the stools is as follows:

Small:
Height: 47cm
Depth: 39.5cm
Length: 53.5cm

Large
Height: 47cm
Depth: 39.5cm
Length: 76.5cm

This course is suitable for complete beginners and those with some basic experience. 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 perfect if you just want an awesome one-off stool for your home at a fraction of the cost of buying one as, at the end of the day, the stool is yours to take home and admire! Or alternatively you could sell it to pay for your next course because trust us, you will be addicted!

£175.00–£195.00