Traditional Upholstery Workshops & Courses

Upholstery is a craft which began in the Middle Ages and which has been passed on for generations. It is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘to provide (furniture) with a soft padded covering’ and is often used as a general term for stuffed, padded and sprung furniture.

A piece of furniture upholstered traditionally will consist of layers of materials, which have been built up by hand and will have taken skill and many hours to complete.

A traditionally upholstered chair should last one hundred years. On a Sarah Louise Dix upholstery course, students will learn the traditional upholstery skills while using time-honoured materials such as coil springs, fibre (coir), hessian, cotton wadding and calico.

About the workshops & courses

We offer a selection of workshops and courses, which are suitable for all abilities. From beginners or those with no experience, to intermediate and those experienced. We provide something for everyone.

Our workshops and courses are undertaken in small groups (maximum 12 students) and run during the week, at weekends and evenings. All take place at our studio located in Godalming, Surrey.

One Day Footstool Upholstery Workshops (Beginner) 

For students new to upholstery.

Available as a one day Saturday workshop. 10.30 to 16.30.

Students will be taught how to upholster a beach frame footstool with a drop in pad traditionally.

Workshop Requirements

Please note that you will NOT need to bring any furniture with you, as this is included.

You will need to provide your own top fabric. You will require approximately half a metre of upholstery weight fabric. We have fabric remnants to buy at the studio so you can pop in ahead of your workshop or choose something on the day.

All tools and materials (excluding top fabric) are provided.

View Beginners Upholstery Workshop dates >>

10 Week Courses (Beginner or Intermediate)

An ideal follow on from the Beginners Workshops, but you are welcome to join if you have no previous experience as you will be guided through the upholstery process.

10 x 3 hour sessions (school term times)

Course Requirements

Students are free to bring along an item of furniture no larger than a wingback armchair, items have to fit on a workbench measuring 150cm x 75cm.  Please note that some complicated pieces (i.e. winged armchair) will take longer than 10 weeks to complete. 

All tools are provided.

Fabric and materials can be purchased from us as required. Students are expected to keep a record of what they have used via the provided materials sheet. We kindly ask that all materials are paid for promptly at the end of each course. To comply with 1988 fire regulations, fire retardant barrier cloth (wool) is always available for students to use on their furniture.

View 10 Week Upholstery Course dates >>

Summer School - 1 Week Intensive / Drop-in Sessions (Beginner or Intermediate)

An ideal follow on from the Beginners Workshops and 10 Week Courses, but you are welcome to join if you have no previous experience as you will be guided through the upholstery process.

For one week each Summer we run two sessions per day, students sign up for as many sessions as required. By signing up for the whole week this would be the equivalent of our usual 10 week term allowing for endless possibilities.

We run this course for many reasons, including...

  • demand from students to work on larger pieces - Summer is your chance to revamp your chaise longue! We have trialled allowing larger pieces of furniture during our 10 Week Courses, due to storage space and current class sizes we are not able to accommodate this.

  • flexibility - we receive ongoing requests for shorter, more intense courses

  • 'no upholstery through the summer makes me sad' Anon

To sign up for the course please email us and send a photo of your proposed piece of furniture so we can advise how many sessions it would take to complete it.

Course Requirements

Students are free to bring along an item of furniture - the main limitation is our staircase! Please note that some complicated pieces (i.e. winged armchair) will take longer than 10 weeks to complete. We will discuss your planned piece/s with you in advance and advise about this ahead of the course.

All tools are provided.

Fabric and materials can be purchased from us as required. Students are expected to keep a record of what they have used via the provided materials sheet. We kindly ask that all materials are paid for promptly at the end of each course. To comply with 1988 fire regulations, fire retardant barrier cloth (wool) is always available for students to use on their furniture.

View Summer School Upholstery Course dates >>