AMUSF-accredited · traditional & modern method · thirty years at the bench

Learn to upholster — properly.

The whole craft, from the jute web up: webbing, springing, stuffing and stitched edges, foam, buttoning, trimming and loose covers — every technique in both its traditional and modern form, with the history and the workshop wisdom that most books leave out.


A complete, in-depth upholstery reference — free to read, chapter by chapter.

I came into the trade the right way round — trained in the modern method with the traditional underneath it — and spent thirty years across workshops doing both, from domestic re-upholstery to vehicle interiors. The books I learned from were rigorous but cold: they told you what to do and never why. This one puts the reasons back in, integrates the two methods properly, and doesn't go quiet on the things that actually keep a workshop alive. Read it through once for the shape of the craft, then keep it on the bench.

— Shaun Greenwood, master upholsterer · AMUSF accredited · Greenwood Upholstery, Hebden Bridge


What's inside

Part One

Foundations

History, the anatomy of a piece, the workshop, the toolkit, materials and fabric — the why beneath the craft.

Part Two

The techniques

Webbing, springing, stuffing & stitched edges, foam, cutting plans, buttoning, trimming, loose covers — each in traditional and modern form.

Part Three

Seven full pieces

Complete walk-throughs, from a drop-in dining seat all the way to a full Chesterfield.

Part Four

The working workshop

Pricing, customers and the business year — the side of the trade the old manuals never mention.

Part Five

Reference

A long glossary, materials and yardage charts, knots and stitches, standards and trade bodies.

Part Six

Workshop stories

A short set of tales from thirty years at the bench.

See the full contents

From the workshop

Free upholstery tips by email

The occasional practical tip from the bench — webbing, fabric, the little tricks that save a job. No spam, just the good stuff.

We'll only use this to email you upholstery tips.