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Upholstery Immersion 7S23 (Tuesday evening)

Jump into reupholstering a small piece of furniture in this 5-week class.

Join a shop away from home, with tools, mentorship and community.

In this open-format class, there is no set curriculum. Instead, the instructor will circulate throughout the classroom,  giving upholstery instruction at all levels.

Bring in a fabric-backed dining chair, footstool, ottoman or other small piece to the first class.

Love seats/sofas/chaise lounges cannot be accommodated in our classroom space.

Larger projects, such as armchairs or wing-back chairs will require more than one semester to complete (smaller pieces may as well).  We ask that you work on a single project at a time, and tag your pieces with your name, semester, and phone number.  All projects will go home with you at the end of the semester.

INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS: You may prepare for class by stripping your furniture at home. Beginners may wish to strip furniture with supervision of the instructor.

New sections open each semester. Add yourself to our newsletter list to receive notice when our new schedules go up online.

*No class on July 4th

In summer, we offer a Summer Upholstery Intensive – a full week of upholstery education and practice.

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Seymour Beckford

Seymour Beckford

Seymour Beckford started his apprenticeship at age 15 in Jamaica, doing both automobile and household upholstery. He continued as a professional upholsterer in a manufacturing plant there before founding his own company, MasterCraft Upholstery. Relocating to Boston, he worked at Majestic Upholstery in Kenmore Square and taught woodworking to children with physical and mental disabilities at Little People’s School (Newton). For over 22 years, he has maintained Seymour's Upholstering, a small storefront business in Mattapan.

Specialty: 
Upholstery
Materials to bring to class:

Bring to the first class:

Your piece of furniture. Beginners will learn to strip furniture in the first class session.

*Please only bring a furniture item you are able to move on your own, or bring someone to assist you

Two dropcloths (old bedsheets work well): one to cover work surface, one to cover furniture in storage

Needed after the first class (Check with instructor in class before shopping):

  • Measuring tape
  • Good pair of scissors suitable for upholstery-weight fabric
  • Tack and Staple Remover (Tool #121)
  • Tack claw (Osborne # 202)
  • Magnetic hammer (Osborne #222)
  • 10" Upholstery shears (Osborne #684-10)
  • Ripping tool (Osborne #402)
  • Curved needles (Osborne #K-3)
  • Straight-point needles (Osborne # K-5)
  • Upholstery pins (Osborne #190)
  • 6-oz. Upholstery tacks
  • Marking chalk (Osborne #88)
  • Additional Supplies
  • The following will be discussed in class:
  • webbing
  • burlap
  • muslin
  • 1” or 4” foam
  • cushion foam
  • cotton batting
  • cambric
  • Italian Ruby twine – 1 lb. spool
  • spring-tying twine
  • spring nails
  • fabric: 5/32” welt