Sunday was our first workshop and what a massive hit it was with the ladies that took part - take a look at the customer review that was left for us yesterday ... we couldn't be more thrilled!
Victoria of Lady Norfolk and Lord Rust guided our ladies through every step of painting and upholstering their very own chair (provided by her) - from webbing to foam, from wadding to sewing our patchwork seats. We tackled tacks, we mastered mixing fabrics and we showed the sewing machines who was boss!
Here are lots of pictures from the day - a step-by-step guide to our magnificent masterclass by a truly patient, knowledgeable and skilful teacher.
Our classroom - ready for the upholstery apprentices. 100-year old chairs are all stripped back to the carcass - we're about to learn some amazing new skills:
Preparing our chairs - we cut the foam for our seats; we chose the most opulent of paint colours and we got our paint on! Someone matched their chair to their nails... well, who wouldn't?!
Choosing our fabrics - great fun with fabrics. Following our own instincts and with the best creative guidance from Victoria (who helped us to be brave!), we put together the patchwork of our seat covers:
And here are some moving pictures showing our spectacular sewing skills:
Webbing, wadding, waxing and buffing - we prepared our chairs for the final processes of adding our fabulous patchwork seats. Victoria taught us how to make the webbing for our seat; adding our foam back in, covering it with some wadding. Before we did that, we sanded down, waxed and buffed our chairs - giving them that 'aged' look - they're looking spectacular!
Pinning, tacking and hammering - an eye for detail was needed... as was a lot of patience - those hammers did hurt occasionally! Making sure our patchwork sat exactly where we wanted it and hammering those tacks in ... it's all coming together!
Ta dah!!! - Just look at the individuality, the craftsmanship and those proud faces ... we were all so delighted at our achievements and absolutely thankful to the massively brilliant and patient Victoria. Each chair is unique; each chair reflects our own tastes and each chair was made by us, ourselves! We'll all be back to learn something new - what a massively fun day.
So, now that we've got the first workshop under our belt, we're excited to move forward with the next ones. Coming up in March are three more that could certainly help you to gain brownie points from your mums - you could make her a present from either of these:
Learn Letterpress with Hannah Farthing - Saturday 9th March 9-1, £60
An introduction to Signwriting with Wayne Tanswell - Tuesday 26th March 10-4, £125
Lampshade making with Annie from Rockafella Industries - Saturday 30th March 9-1, £60
Book now as all workshops have limited places in order that you get the attention you need. As always, we can't wait to meet you!