Recycling and upcycling are not new concepts.
However the thrill of revamping your grand mothers favourite chair and moving it into your sitting room, is something a shop bought chair cannot offer.
Traditional upholstery is a skill, an art, a craft learnt over years.
The techniques and materials of traditional upholstery have become complicated but are constantly used in producing a comfortable balanced seat.
The rules are strict and yet adapted to suit every chair and the upholstery required to produce the perfect pad or seat.
Each seat has its own particularities and we have techniques for each and every one.
The basics remain the same, but have slight differences adapted to whatever seat required.
It is a voyage of learning.
The more you learn, the more you realise there is always more to learn.
I am still on my journey come and join me!
I have a passion for furniture and definitely seating in all its forms and shapes.
Many years ago I took a course in traditional ‘upholstery’ at my local club in France and everything started from there….
Here I am 30 years later teaching, working and loving every minute.
My professional experience comes from 3 years at the Institute des Arts et Metiers in Bruxelles, in year 2013 I followed a ‘perfectionnement’ course in the prestigious Ecole Boulle in Paris.
My classes consist of enthusiastic people of every age and background interested in this wonderful art.
It is a privilege to pass on this love of upholstery in convivial surroundings, with no pressure, allowing everyone to work at their own pace, on their own piece of furniture.
To discover their own interest in wood, decoration, sewing, and fabrics.
The great pleasure, when someone finishes a piece of furniture with great pride in their accomplishment.
These workshops are open to everyone… time and effort is of no importance when the final tack is placed on your piece of furniture!
Jane
Here I teach traditional upholstery.
Class numbers remain small where you will meet like minded people in a relaxed and informal environment.
Beginners and those with some experience are welcome.
Each person will be provided with a footstool, especially made for us.
We use traditional methods and time-honoured materials such as hessian, coil springs, natural fibres, cotton wadding and calico.
The fabric will be of your choice and you will require a piece of 70cm X 70cm for your footstool.
Layers of materials which have to be built up by hand and sewn into place, which will take skill and many hours to complete.
Maximum of four people per class
The classes will take place once a week during the school year.
Materials provided :
Footstool and materials will be provided (excluding the top fabric).
All tools will be at your disposition during class.
All students must have their tetanus vaccination up to date.
Note: Bienasssise.fr offer classes in upholstery and these classes are not ascribed any certification or qualification in pursuing a profession in upholstery. Our classes are purely a recreational activity.
October 8, October 15, November 5
November 19 and November 26 2024
October 10, October 17, November 7
November 21 and November 28 2024
220 € per workshop (5 half days,
foostool and materials provided)
Upholstery is all about shape and comfort.
The techniques of upholstery make it a highly skilled craft.
Upholstery techniques have changed as shapes evolve.
Since Louis XIII, seating has been garnished, before this time seating consisted of benches, stools and hard wooden seating.
The use of leather and tapestry work on the seat for comfort appears to be the first step in upholstery.
During the reign of Louis XIII upholstery came into its own and webbing with the use of vegetal stuffing and horse hair.
The introduction of springs around 1840 gave an enormous boost to the creation of new style seating such as the Crapaud, Hooped Back Chair, Nursing chairs and Voltaire (and many others).
Again in 1930’s the development of Latex Foam by Dunlop allowed the furniture designers to create new shapes and forms, the foam could and can be cut and shaped to fit any form of chair and armchair.
The use of Foam saw a decline in traditional techniques being used, being more difficult, more time consuming and more expensive.
The decline in the use of the horse in agriculture and deliveries from 1910 onwards made the price of horse hair exorbitant and nowadays we use only a little when reupholstering a chair/armchair using traditional methods.
Find all our latest news about