The Best Resources For Upholstery Education

You’ve been bitten by the upholstery bug and now you want to learn more. Where do you go to up your skills to the next level? 

I’m so often asked what are good resources for learning upholstery online. So I decided to put them all together in one place. Now don’t get me wrong, I totally believe hands-on training is the absolute best way to learn a complex skill like upholstery. But hands-on training is few and far between. 

That’s why I offer to teach upholstery. Because I know how hard it is to find someone that will take on beginner students and show them the ropes. If you have ever taken a class with me you know that I stress the importance of seeking out and learning from different instructors. We all have different teaching styles but even more important is that upholstery is not an exact science. Meaning there are often no right or wrong ways to do a certain task. Additionally, much of upholstery is problem solving. Furniture frames are different, fabrics are different and client’s expectations are different. Having a tool bag of knowledge and multiple ways to tackle a task, the better equipped you are to solve the problems that upholstery brings daily.

Let’s get started…

The Absolute Best Online Upholstery Instructors

Cynthia Bleskachek of The Funky Little Chair

Cynthia is one of the most talented upholsterers I have ever met. She also happens to be one of the very best instructor I’ve come across. She is passionate about providing professional level instruction and developing a path to success for future upholsterers. 

Through Cynthia’s passion of teaching, she has amassed quite a catalog of online learning content on The Funky Little Chair’s YouTube Channel. Check out the Aunt Bea series which takes you step-by-step through the process of reupholstering a chair. Or maybe you just want to learn how to sew a zipper into a panel, or there is that knot you keep forgetting how to tie. There is so much useful and quality content there. 

Recently Cynthia launched FLC Upholstery Training Systems on her own website, The Funky Little Chair, with the intent of developing a path forward for professional level training. The initial courses focus on the basics, slip seats, cushions, a basic chair. The classes are designed to build basic skills that you will carry forward to more advanced upholstery projects. Not only is the instruction spot on, but Cynthia has incorporated virtual assistance. If there is a particular problem you are having, you can schedule a virtual lesson with a professional that will work through the issues with you. (I know the virtual instructors, and you can’t get better than either of these ladies!) I’m anxious to see how FLC Upholstery Training Systems grows. This could very well be a key component of professional level upholstery training. 

Now if all this isn’t enough, Cynthia also partners with The Workroom Channel to bring additional courses. There is a fabulous 5-minute video on everything you ever wanted to know about foam that you didn’t even know you needed to know, haha! And then there are a couple of advanced courses. My favorite is the channel back course. So good!

Kim Chagnon of Kim’s Upholstery

Kim’s Upholstery features video instruction on almost any upholstery skill you could wish to master. Kim and her husband Bill film and edit all their videos. Each course is a complete project detailing many skills in every project. The instruction and quality of the courses is top notch. 

They have hundreds of classes, most of them are available through her membership program. For a monthly fee (or you can pay annually) you have access to not only Kim’s classes but also a FB group and weekly zoom calls for Q&A. 

Kim’s classes range from tufted headboards to many many chair styles, benches, and settees. There is information on suppliers and instruction on the business side of upholstery too.

Kim and Bill are both so supportive and this really shines through the FB group and the weekly calls. Kim is very active on the FB group answering questions directly. On the weekly calls Kim and Bill both participate and help answer and problem solve all kinds of questions. The audience is wide ranging from hobbyist to professionals and the FB group is an active place to network with fellow upholsterers. You can gain so much knowledge from the other participants as well as Kim and Bill.

There are quite a few professional upholsterers that have started with only Kim’s classes and have gone on to launch successful businesses. 

Two other perks of following Kim is that she does 3-day workshops around the country so there is the opportunity to get that valuable hands-on training. She also hosts an upholstery meetup usually once a year. This allows for upholstery peers to meet face to face and there are fun tours with vendors and suppliers, fabric manufacturers, and other trade related businesses. You don’t have to be a member of her membership group to participate in these events. But I would highly recommend her membership group. The annual cost is very reasonable, probably less than most 3-day hands on training. So its an incredible value. 

Wendy Conklin, Chair Whimsy

Now if you want to have some fun with upholstery, Wendy is your gal! A self described, Chair Stylist, Wendy’s chairs are nothing but pure JOY! Wendy left behind a successful career as an educational consultant to live the creative life of a chair designer.

She breathes joy and whimsy into every custom chair she creates. But don’t be fooled by all this whimsy, Wendy is a smart business woman with a heart for education. She has built an incredibly successful custom chair business on Etsy. Harkening back to her education roots, she has launched several courses that cover upholstery basics to how to build your own successful custom chair business. Want to know how to source all the amazing fabrics she uses? Or how to put them together to create a one of a kind chair? Or maybe you want to build your own chair empire! The Business of Chairs course is in reality a year long mentorship program designed to boost your custom chair business. In addition to the course work, there are monthly zoom calls, and extra sessions to cover specific topics. The mentorship program is very individualized. Wendy has all of this and more covered in her courses. I’m pretty good at some of these things myself, but Wendy’s courses have really upped my game. Wendy is very hands-on in the accompanying FB groups. I love how sharing she is. Its clear she has been smart about building her business and wants you to be as well. 

Networking Resources

Networking opportunities are one of the best forms of continuing education. Virtually you meet other upholsterers that become your friends that you can bounce ideas off of and learn from.

Professional Upholstery Network

Otherwise know as the PUN or the punsters, this is a Facebook group started by Lindsay Orwig, owner of A Chick & A Chair, and Lead Instructor at The Funky Little Chair. Being new to upholstery, she wanted a group where she could ask questions so the PUN was born just a few years ago. Now you do need to be a ‘professional’ meaning that you are working with clients or earning money through upholstery. 

This active group is comprised of upholsterers of all levels, beginners to master upholsterers and spans the globe with 2500+ participants. This is a supportive group. You can ask about something that is stumping you or you can share a tip or trick that has helped you. They help you source a fabric or a supply your having trouble finding. And they are always ready to help you. 

But be warned, they are quite a hilarious bunch so bring your sense of humor! 

National Upholstery Association

Did you know that there is a National Upholstery Association? Well yes there is. This organization is new, started in 2019 by group of passionate upholsterers with a mission to promote and advance the upholstery profession. 

So why have I listed this as an educational resource? Well, first any opportunity to network with your fellow upholsterers is an opportunity to learn. But the NUA also offers several educational opportunities. Each month they host a webinar. These have been simply fantastic ranging from setting up a website, marketing, insurance, Quickbooks, how-to make a French mattress cushions, a review of tools and gadgets to industry partner presentations on leather or other types of fabrics. 

This is a young organization, but they are doing big things so definitely consider joining them for the education they offer and add some professional credentials to your resume while your at it. 

Local Meet Ups

This one may take a little effort on your part, but the dividends are huge. If you take advantage of some of the online networking groups I’ve mentioned you will begin to interact with “your people”, those who get your passion for upholstery and fabrics and tools, etc. LOL! So what’s better than getting together with a small group of them that may be local to you.

Search out those in your area and meet up for lunch or dinner. I met with a group near me and its amazing to have some local friends in the biz! We can bounce ideas off each other, recommend resources or just relax and have fun. 

My Upholstery Library

If you’re a book person its a good idea to build a good reference library. Here are 3 of my favorites. 

Spruce A Step-By-Step Guide To Upholstery And Design by Amanda Brown

Amanda’s book is atypical in that it is filled with fun, fresh cool upholstery projects. After all, she is young and cool and lives in the awesome city of Austin, TX. But her instruction is spot on with very good pictures, diagrams and explanations. This is absolutely the first book I reference. I even used it as my teacher to learn how to tie springs. 

Singer Upholstery Basics Plus by Steve Cone

Steve Cone taught upholstery through a trade program in Minnesota for many years. He is a master at both upholstery and teaching. FYI, he was a mentor to Cynthia Bleskachek! I had the opportunity to work with Steve in a class. He was the kindest man but so full of knowledge and tips you only gain from experience. His book is so well written and includes information on tools, supplies, measuring and cutting plans and simple frame repairs. 

Professional Upholstering All The Trade Secrets by Frank Destro

Frank Destro has also taught upholstery for many years. What I love most about his book is all the tips he provides. Literally every page has multiple tips all highlighted in red. These are the tricks of the trade that you would only learn if you were standing next to a master upholsterer learning from them. His book is also well written and organized, but those tips are so worth the price of this book. 

Learning From Different Teachers 

In closing, I’d like to share a story about learning from different teachers and resources. I mentioned above that I learned to tie springs by using Amanda’s book. Never having had the opportunity to do this in a hands-on class and faced with a stripped down chair I had no other resources other than my newly purchased Spruce book by Amanda. That book was pulled right up next to me and I worked thru every step by reading and looking at the pictures. Look at book, tie springs, read some more, work some more. Back and forth, but in the end, I did a pretty darn good job! Maybe not perfect, but definitely functional. It did the job. But tying springs is not easy.

Fast forward a few years and I had the opportunity to take a class with Cynthia Bleskacheck. In this class, my project didn’t involve tying springs, but two other students were tying springs. Another bonus for hands-on instruction is that you can watch what other participants are working on and learn from their projects as well. There were some interesting techniques going on over on those spring tying projects. Tricks that made the tying easier and better. I gleaned enough from peaking at those projects that I went home and implemented them on my next spring tying adventure. Wow! Cynthia’s tips really upped my game.

Shortly thereafter, she came out with her spring tying video thru The Workroom Channel, now a part of FLC Upholstery Training Systems. Oh yes, I purchased this and went step-by-step thru the video. It has made such a difference in my spring tying. I’m very proud of my springs now! Haha!

There is just one little problem I have. I can’t quite figure out how Cynthia teaches tying the springs to the webbing. It’s done from the bottom of the chair. Somehow this knot is just baffling me. Now if I had Cynthia in person, she would show me and there would be no problem. But here is the thing, there is nothing wrong with the way I learned to tie the spring to the webbing from Amanda’s book. It works, it’s simple for me. So I still attach the springs the way I learned from Amanda, but have also incorporated some fabulous learnings from Cynthia.

That is the beauty of upholstery, there isn’t a right or wrong way most of the time. And learning from different instructors allows you to pick and chose the techniques that work for you. It also gives you perspective that things can be done more than one way which gives you more tools for tackling those upholstery projects!

It Takes A Village

You know the phrase, “It takes a village”? I think that phrase aptly applies to trying to master the art of upholstery. You have to consider all the sources and take advantage of the opportunities where you can. Hands-on learning is fabulous, but good videos, books and networking opportunities can pay huge dividends. These are my best suggestions for continuing your upholstery education. These are the resources that I continue to turn to for deepening my knowledge and experience base. I hope you find them useful as well.