Traditional Hand-Sewn Upholstery
In this two day class students will learn some of the history of early American upholstery as it came to us from France by way of England and was adapted by colonial craftsmen with the materials that they could obtain both locally and from imported sources.
We will discuss the simple tools and materials needed for both simple and complex work, including linen webbing, hessian (burlap) coir fiber, curled horsehair, cotton wadding, and calico (muslin). Students will complete a simple footstool using hand tacking and hand-sewing techniques in the English style as described by David James in his book “Upholstery, A Complete Course”.
All tools and materials including frames will be provided as well as a selection of generic show covers, and students are also free to bring ¾ to 1 yard of their own fabric if they wish.
No prior experience in upholstery is necessary, however a willingness to work with heavy threads and large needles is a great starting point.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: June 7th - 8th 2025
Includes:
$90 in Materials
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
In this two day class students will learn some of the history of early American upholstery as it came to us from France by way of England and was adapted by colonial craftsmen with the materials that they could obtain both locally and from imported sources.
We will discuss the simple tools and materials needed for both simple and complex work, including linen webbing, hessian (burlap) coir fiber, curled horsehair, cotton wadding, and calico (muslin). Students will complete a simple footstool using hand tacking and hand-sewing techniques in the English style as described by David James in his book “Upholstery, A Complete Course”.
All tools and materials including frames will be provided as well as a selection of generic show covers, and students are also free to bring ¾ to 1 yard of their own fabric if they wish.
No prior experience in upholstery is necessary, however a willingness to work with heavy threads and large needles is a great starting point.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: June 7th - 8th 2025
Includes:
$90 in Materials
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
In this two day class students will learn some of the history of early American upholstery as it came to us from France by way of England and was adapted by colonial craftsmen with the materials that they could obtain both locally and from imported sources.
We will discuss the simple tools and materials needed for both simple and complex work, including linen webbing, hessian (burlap) coir fiber, curled horsehair, cotton wadding, and calico (muslin). Students will complete a simple footstool using hand tacking and hand-sewing techniques in the English style as described by David James in his book “Upholstery, A Complete Course”.
All tools and materials including frames will be provided as well as a selection of generic show covers, and students are also free to bring ¾ to 1 yard of their own fabric if they wish.
No prior experience in upholstery is necessary, however a willingness to work with heavy threads and large needles is a great starting point.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: June 7th - 8th 2025
Includes:
$90 in Materials
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
Instructors
Michael Mascelli
I am a working upholsterer and objects conservator and specialize in upholstery for period and period reproduction pieces, though my work takes me to all sorts of unusual places including some very unique contemporary pieces. I also have been teaching and lecturing in person for many years at most of the well-known woodworking schools throughout the country as well as on line, and these classes have for the most part been “casual” in that they are for a general audience, not for professionals in the trade. I am now part of the National Upholstery Association which is a wonderful and long overdue trade organization, though most of the members are involved in upholstery with modern materials.
However, I have been a student and practitioner of traditional hand sewn upholstery for many years, in the English tradition as taught by the master David James and also through the work of Leroy Graves at Williamsburg who I know through the Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM). And I cannot think of a better place to offer a class in traditional upholstery than at Historic Eastfield Village surrounded by the genuine feel of the earlier time.