As we come towards the end of this term, there is a concerted effort to get projects finished off:

Lisa has put the fabric on the outside of the arms of her 1930's armchair - the fabric is looking great. Lining it up has presented its challenges and it is wool so has the tendency to stretch. But, the finish is impressive - I love it!

Quite an exciting stage for Jayne, as the top fabric goes on her Bergere sofa. I love the choice - ticking style linen fabric, with a red stripe through it. It goes perfectly well with the choice of annie sloan paint, and looks very French ... tres joli.

Linda has finished her pin-cushion elbow chair - a remnant from John Lewis suits this chiar s well - to think it had red draylon and a pompom styled trim on before which totally detracted from the pretty shape of the chair. Looks amazing now.

Suzanne battles away with her 1930's swing chair - it is all hand sewn as the frame is iron. Not one for the faint-hearted! I think the choice of Designer Guild fabric is perfect. .. seat is almost finished. Looks easy, but to get a good finish when it is all hand sewn is very very tricky.

Natasha has finished this very pretty little footstool. The fabric is a John Lewis remnant - great to pick up the odd fabric margin.

And new student Katia, an interior designer, is ripping off the fabric and stuffing on these mock Victorian dining chairs - off with the pink draylon, on with something far more tasteful I am sure with Katia's eye for good design.

This week at Woodford Sue has almost finished her parkner knoll armchair - the arms were certainly a challenge but the overall look is just amazing. The choice of vintage styled fabric from harlequin suites the piece too.

Jayne has now completed the first stuffing of her Bergere sofa. She has finished the stitched edge - not an easy task, but as a first attempt it looks very very good. Ready for the second stuffing and we will be at top fabric in now time. Hint: when sewing the stitched edge, regulate the hair regularly to ensure the roll is even - stand back and ensure that the roll is even and level - when worked at such close quarters you can sometimes allow the roll edge to creep up or narrow or widen in size.

Louise is putting on the back to her wingback armchair - the fabric has been a challenge but worth the hard work. Cushion to go next. 

Kate has a new project - a traditional fireside chair, with sprung seat. having painted the chair in annie sloane paints, we first apply the webbing. We all agreed that the art of webbing brings order to our otherwise hectic lives! Hint: when applying the webbing make sure that it sits no more than half way across the tacking rail to avoid seeing the webbing on the finished chair.

Lisa has finished the inside of the arms of her 1930's armchair - we have decided to finish the chair with a decorative nail edge. It is a masculine chair and the nailed edge seems fitting.

Elaine chair is a classic stuffover chair - we have webbed the chair base, and sewn in the springs. The springs were reused in this case. Hint: the springs can be cleaned off with a little WD40 if they are essentially still useable but a little rusty. 

Here are a few of the projects we are working on at the upholstery classes:

Jayne is continuing with her beautiful bergere sofa - fully sprung, hair and fibre sewn in and now the hessian is being applied over the stuffing ready for the stitched roll-edge. Great work.

Andrea has almost finished her Danish mid-century rocker. The buttons are on, and we only have to hand stitch the back to complete the piece. 

Hilary is at the final stages of her modern deep buttoned headboard - an ambitious project but it has worked well overall. 

Sue's parker knoll chair looks incredible after it shake-over. One arm on and one yet to finish, but not much more to do now! The choice of fabric is a great one for this vintage piece - harlequin from Shufflebottoms in Macclesfield. Look out on ebay as Sue plans to sell this one.

Clarissa's parker knoll is coming along very nicely - just pinned the back and hand sewing in place. Then time to make the cushion.

Great work ladies ...

Coming this August .. beginner upholstery day class:

Price: £60.00 plus materials
Dates: Tuesday 6, 13, 20, 27 August.
Time: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Location: Woodford Community Centre
Numbers: maximum 4 students

We are delighted to be offering a series of day classes, at the beautiful Woodford Community Centre, in Woodford. Situated just off the A34 near Handforth Dean, it is ideally placed for Manchester, Stockport and Cheshire.

Working on the same basis as the popular weekly classes, students are invited to bring their own upholstery projects and tuition is on an individual basis, with each student being taken through the steps required to progress their project.

With small classes, of no more than 4 students, and a full days tuition, students should really be able to progress their project.  All tools are provided, and all materials needed to undertake your renovation project are available to purchase.

The centre has ample parking, close to the hall, and there are kitchen facilities for lunch, and coffee and tea (biscuits and cake too) are provided during the day to keep up your energy. You will need to bring a project that can be transported to and from the class that day.

If interested, please email me.