UPHOLSTERY WORKSHOPS UPDATE

Upholstery Workshops and Friday Upholstery Club have all been sellouts lately - a lot of fun and some fabulous results!

Want to join us?
Head to the online shop for all details...www.raptupholstery.bigcartel.com/workshops

all tuckered out - it's hard work being an Upholstery-dog

DELECTABLE DANISH DELUXE

Once every while a REALLY standout chair crosses the threshold of Bottoms' End...
most recently it was this mid-century modern armchair/stool combo by Australian brand DANISH DELUXE. 

My client (a lovely lady who has recently moved into a Gerringong retirement village) has had the chair and its matching stool since buying it new, direct from the maker, in Canberra in the early 1960s.

It was a lot of work to reupholster, no thanks to the previous (lazy !!*@*#!!*) upholsterer who covered over the original upholstery rather than doing the right thing and taking it back to the frame. 

But, after a lot of work, it came up beautifully, largely thanks to the client's wonderful bold choice of fabric - TWINING by James Dunlop Textiles.

The work included refurbishing the beautiful blackwood frame, repairing the internal frame and, as you'll see from the following pics showing the process, complete all-new upholstery.

I was particularly pleased with the new outside back - where I was able to make full use of the full width of the big pattern in one piece, from wing to wing, a big improvement over the previous botchy job.

the original upholstery - grey handwoven-looking wool

Pip not very impressed at this point

 

DRAFT DODGERS

Isn't it amazing that here in the southern hemisphere we're officially halfway through winter (the Solstice is just a few days away, on Sunday 22nd June)?

BUT... the coldest months of the year (July & August) are still ahead of us.

Did you know that simple procedures like blocking drafts in our houses can significantly affect interior warmth, and also reduce heating bills? It's true!


And a great, inexpensive way to block drafts is with these Draft Dodgers.

These are made using quality remnant designer fabrics, and filled with clean builders' sand. They're such heavyweights they actually double-up as doorstoppers.

2 sizes available - 80cm for regular doors ($30each or $50 for 2) 
and 90cm for wider doors ($35each or $65 for 2).

(I'm also happy to custom make to your own particular requirements - please contact me for a quote).

A wide range of choices is available in the Jamberoo showroom now - not in the online shop (but I'll happily ship unfilled if you're happy to fill them yourself).

PS:   AND these make the ULTIMATE house-warming gift!!

UPHOLSTERY CLUB

Greetings!
and apologies for such a long time between posts.
As I've mentioned before, I'm afraid I've succumbed to the lure of Social Media and have been actively posting all my latest news there - specifically INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK (links over there on right of this page).

For those of you who prefer to read this blog, then the latest news is the introduction of a new workshop format - probably the most requested thing in the history of Rapt - UPHOLSTERY CLUB.

This is an ongoing workshop where students bring their own project, and work individually in a small group (max 4) on Saturday afternoons.

The project must first be approved as suitable - ideally something small and achievable in a few hours (such as a dining chair seat , or footstool for instance) rather than a full-blown 4 seater lounge  (but hey, anything's possible once you've got the basics under your belt! ).

Some of the advantages in being an Upholstery Clubber include:

* access to a fully-professional workshop, including use of a range of tools and machinery out of the cost of most home workshops
* the hourly rate includes all the basic supplies, such as staples, foundation materials, glue, threads, etc.  More expensive supplies such as fabric, foam, Dacron are available to purchase at trade prices
* your project can either be something to start and finish in one workshop session, or for you bring back and forth, while continuing to work on it at home.  You could for instance bring 1 dining chair along, with the aim of finishing the set at home in your own workshop at your own pace
* seeing what other students are learning will increase your own general upholstery knowledge.

Details of UPHOLSTERY CLUB, as well as these other workshops, are in the online shop

Upholstery 1.01 - learn to upholster a small Scandi-style bench, with 2 buttons
Upholstery 1.02 - upholster a bigger 10-buttoned bench, with leg options
Lampshade 1.01 - learn the basics of shademaking by making a new drumshade
Lampshade 1.02 - learn how to makeover your own drum or empire shade
Private Lesson - BYO project of any size - just about any weekday time to suit.

WORKSHOPS!

UPHOLSTERY 1.01
Ever since starting this business one of the most frequent questions I've been asked is "will you ever teach upholstery?".
Well, I'm delighted to say that after years of saying "no" finally the answer to this has become "yes".
The first upholstery workshop has been listed in the web-shop - it's called UPHOLSTERY 1.O1 and is an introduction to the basics of upholstery. 

The class is 3 hours long uses a small bamboo stool with handy shelf as the subject for making an upholstered bench with optional buttons. 
Everything is supplied except fabric, which students can bring from home or purchase from Rapt.
This is a great, practical project where students will learn everything they need to know to get started in upholstery. Future workshops are planned which will teach more advanced skills, including a BYO project where students who have completed the introductory workshop will be able to work on their own item.
Tools and upholstery supplies will be available to purchase.

LAMPSHADE MAKING

 Following the success of the first two lampshade workshops earlier this month these are now also going to be a regular feature on the Rapt calendar.
The Beginners' workshop teaches the basics of making a rolled-edge drum lampshade from scratch, while in the Advanced workshop students have the choice of remaking a shade they already own or learning how to make an Empire-shape (slope sided) shade.

All the workshops will run from 'Bottoms' End' - the Rapt home studio-workshop - which guarantees a highly personalised tuition, with maximum 4 participants per class.


Being a country-event, of course morning (or afternoon) tea with yummies is always included in each workshop!

Please head to the web-shop if you'd like more details about any of these, including upcoming dates.Don't hesitate to email me if you still have questions.

 raptups(at)me.com

Hello Strangers!

Apologies it's been so long since my last message.
I do a lot of posting on Instagram these days - I prefer it because I of the interaction I can have with my readers. Unfortunately this blog has been a little forgotten these days. (The link to my Instagram page is over there on the right →→ You don't have to sign up for an account just to have a look).

To compensate for missing posts, here are some pics of work I've done in recent months.

(The hats were a bit of experimental fun with upholstery fabric offcuts!)