Short Upholstery Courses at Manorhouse
Here at Manorhouse, we are proud to offer a variety of short courses covering many aspects of both modern and traditional upholstery, plus popular soft furnishing skills. Our upholstery and soft furnishing courses are designed to suit every student, regardless of skill or experience, so whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced upholsterer, we’re sure we have a course for you.
Upcoming short courses
One Day Footstool course
£145 or £155
Saturdays. January 25th, March 8th.
This one day course runs from 10.00 – 4.00 and includes free parking, drinks and light refreshments. Lunch can be bought in the local shops and cafes if required. No experience is needed for this course and it is suitable for all ages from teens and beyond. You will take your completed footstool home at the end of the day.
Class sizes are limited to 10 and there will be two tutors on the day to provide an appropriate level of guidance and instruction. This is a fantastic introduction to the skills of upholstery, and many students continue to a full 12-week course with more complex items of furniture renovation.
You will learn how to work with a variety of tools and equipment, work with fabric to get the best from the pattern, how to apply foam, how to fold and cut corners, how to shallow button and how to finish a project. You will also have a choice of waxes to finish your legs to complement your chosen fabric.
Cost for the day, including all materials and use of tools to complete the footstool to the point where it needs a top cover, is £145 if you choose fluted legs, or £155 if you choose Queen Anne legs. You will need to supply a metre of your chosen top cover fabric. The standard size of the footstool on this course is approximately 50cm x 35cm and 20cm in height. Small Queen Anne or fluted cone legs are used and can be waxed or stained to match your fabric. If you want to paint the legs, please check with us at the time of booking.
One day Roman Blind course £145
Saturday February 1st
On this one day course you will master the skills to make a hand sewn roman blind.
This fun one day course is for a small group of students looking to develop the skills and knowledge to make a Roman Blind. All materials and equipment will be provided and the course will take place in our purpose built workshop in Almondbury
The course is suitable for all skill levels, from beginners to those with some experience.
The outcome of the course will be a finished Roman Blind sample which is yours to keep and use as a reference when making your own blinds at home.
As a hand sewn blind the rod pockets on the reverse of the blind are contained within the lining fabric meaning there are no unsightly stitch lines showing on the front of the blind. The techniques introduced will allow you to make professional high quality blinds for your own home or for friends and family.
What will be covered
Child safety regulations relating to roman blinds
Various headrail and fixing options available to hang your blinds, including contact details for suppliers
How to measure a window and how to deal with walls that are not aligned
Calculating fabric requirements for your project
Options for linings and interlinings and their suitability for your project
Dealing with pattern matching and pattern placement
Cutting out fabric
How to calculate the positions of rod pockets
Creating rod pockets in the lining
Putting the various elements together to form your blind
Stringing your blind & attaching it to the headrail system
Kits and linings can be bought from Manorhouse and a large range of fabrics can be bought for future projects.
Includes:
Off road parking
Hot drinks and biscuits throughout the day
Full set of notes and instructions for future reference
All fabric and equipment to produce a sample blind - all you need to bring is lunch.
Use of all equipment in the workshop, and advice on equipment needed for home use.
The Course starts at 9.30am and finishes at approximately 4.00pm.
One day Box cushion course £145
Saturday February 8th.
On this one-day course you will master the skills to make a box cushion.
This fun one day course is for a small group of students looking to develop the skills and knowledge to make a box cushion. All materials and equipment will be provided and the course will take place in our purpose built workshop in Almondbury
The course is suitable for all skill levels, from beginners to those with some experience.
The outcome of the course will be a finished box cushion sample which is yours to keep and use as a reference when making your own cushions at home.
The techniques introduced will allow you to make professional high quality box cushions for your own home or for friends and family.
What will be covered
How to measure correctly
Calculating fabric requirements for your project
Options for materials and their suitability for your project
Dealing with pattern matching and pattern placement
Cutting out fabric
How to insert zips
Putting the various elements together to form your box cushion
Foam and materials can be bought from Manorhouse and a large range of fabrics can be bought for future projects.
Includes:
Off road parking
Hot drinks and biscuits throughout the day
Full set of notes and instructions for future reference
All fabric and equipment to produce a sample box cushion - all you need to bring is lunch.
Use of all equipment in the workshop, and advice on equipment needed for home use.
The Course starts at 9.30am and finishes at approximately 4.30pm.
3-day curtain making course £420.
3 x Fridays, January 24th, January 31st, February 7th
Learn all you need to know to make beautiful lined and interlined hand made curtains. At the end of the 3 days you will take home your own sample curtains to keep and use as a reference point for future projects.
What will be covered
How to measure correctly
Calculating fabric requirements for your project
Options for materials and their suitability for your project
Dealing with pattern matching and pattern placement
Cutting out fabric
Interlining
Mitres
Interlined mitres
Attaching linings
Headings - pencil pleat; goblet; double/triple pleats..
Includes:
Off road parking
Hot drinks and biscuits throughout the day
Full set of notes and instructions for future reference
All fabric and equipment to produce a sample curtain - all you need to bring is lunch.
Use of all equipment in the workshop, and advice on equipment needed for home use.
The Course starts at 9.30am and finishes at approximately 4.00pm.
Small winged armchair £450
Monday to Thursday April 7th - 10th.
This 4 day course is the ideal upholstery course for:
those people who want to create a beautiful small armchair for their own use or as a gift,
those people who want to learn a range of modern upholstery skills and techniques for use on other armchair projects,
The Small Winged Armchair uses all the same skills and techniques that are needed when upholstering a full size armchair – it’s just smaller and easier to handle. The 4 day course is 100% hands-on, practical and fully supported at all stages.
You will be supplied with a new handmade frame and a pair of 6 inch Queen Anne legs, plus all the materials required to upholster the chair to the point where you are ready to apply your own choice of top cover fabric. At the end of the 4 days you will leave with your finished chair and the skills and knowledge to tackle other armchair projects.
Throughout the course you will spend the 100% of your time in our workshop mastering these core skills, confident that experienced tutors will be on hand to support and guide you.
Topics covered:
Health and safety induction
Identifying tools and their uses, and safe use of tools
Fabric selection and calculation
Pattern matching
Forming corners and making cuts
Apply back tacking strip
Apply metal grip
Hand finish sewing techniques
Apply bottoming
Safe use of sewing machine
Make single piping
Make and apply fascias to arms
Dimensions of chair:
· Height 67cm
· Depth 47cm
· Width 56cm
Your choice of top cover will determine the amount of fabric you need to buy and we will advise you before the course starts. This course requires you to have some experience of the basic upholstery techniques and is not suitable for an absolute beginner.
Large deep buttoned footstool.
£395.
February 22nd - 23rd
On this two-day course you will master the skills to make a hand made large footstool
Our 2 day deep buttoned footstool course is a fantastic introduction into the world of upholstery and is the big brother/sister of the 1 day small footstool course. It's a step up and introduces more advanced skills and techniques that will be useful to many other projects. The finished footstool is 85cm x 60cm and will make a statement as the centre piece for any room.
The course is suitable for all ages and skill levels, although absolute beginners could find it a challenging weekend. Over the course of the 2 days, our expert tutors will guide you through every step of the process. You will learn how to work with various tools and equipment, work with fabric to get the best from the pattern, how to apply foam, how to fold and cut corners, how to deep button and how to finish a project. You will also choose a colour and stain or wax the legs of your footstool. And at the end of all that, you get to take your completed large footstool home.
The course runs for 6 hours each day, starting at 10am and finishing at 4pm, including a short break for lunch. Drinks and biscuits are provided free of charge to keep you going in the workshop, and being just a one minute walk from the village centre means there are plenty of options for buying lunch.
The price of the course is £395 with options for fluted or Queen Anne legs. This includes everything you will need to complete your footstool to a top cover stage, so all you will need to bring with you on the day is 2.5 metre of your chosen fabric. If you have any questions about your choice of fabric, send us an email or call and we'll be happy to help. The size of your finished footstool will be 85cm x 60cm, and approx 30cm in height, subject to your choice of legs.
No experience is needed for this course and it is suitable for all ages.
FAQs
Is everything included in the price for the footstool and Roman Blinds courses?
Other than 1 metre of your chosen top fabric for your footstool, everything else is included. Tools and equipment are available in the workshop and each student uses their own set of tools. All frames, legs and base layers are included in the price. Everything is included on the Roman Blinds course.
Where can I park my car?
We have free onsite parking for up to 12 cars so parking is never an issue. When you arrive there will be one of the team available to guide you to a suitable parking spot.
Can I add buttons to my footstool ?
Yes of course. Most students on the footstool course become quite excited at the thought of making their own buttons and adding them to a footstool.
Do you sell Gift vouchers?
Yes we do - from as little as £10. Visit our shop - we will email a printable voucher that you can use at home, or if you don’t have access to a printer we can mail a voucher to you.
Where can I buy top cover fabric?
Fabworks in Dewsbury has a great range of fabrics at discounted prices and is worth a visit. Local markets can have good choices, retailers such as Dunelm also offer suitable fabrics. Or you could order through Manorhouse if time allows - we have accounts with the main suppliers and have a fabulous range - if you are unsure, call Jan to discuss your options.
Will I take my Roman Blind home with me?
Yes. You will make a sample blind that you take home as a reference for future projects.
I want to paint my footstool legs, can I?
Some paints are made specially for furniture projects and are designed to dry very quickly. If you would like to use paint instead of wax please talk to us in advance of the course as we do not carry stocks of paint. Alternatively you can bring your own suitable paint, or take the raw legs away with you to paint at home.