Book Description
For the beginner inspired to renovate, update, or restore an existing piece of upholstery, this new and practical guide, by prominent author David James (Upholstery: A Complete Course, Upholstery: Techniques & Projects) is the essential color-illustrated reference. It contains everything a novice needs to know and covers all the basics: planning the project; buying equipment; selecting good-quality material, such as foams, animal hair, webbings, and twine; choosing the right fabrics and trimmings or making your own; removing old upholstery; and preparing new frames. Ten beautiful, fully-detailed projects, presented in order of difficulty, include a Mahogany Stool with a Drop-in Seat, small Edwardian Country-Style Armchair, 19th-century Walnut Writing Chair, Bed Headboard, Four-Fold Screen, and Balloon-Back Dining Chair.
Customer Reviews:
May not be what you need.......2007-07-04
I thought this book was okay, a good overview. It was well written and thoughtfully laid out. It didn't wow me. This book is geared more for people who want to work on older furniture, mainly chairs. I want to reupholster my couch and love seat. In that respect, this book was minimally helpful and I'm going to have to buy another book to fill in the gaps. Keep that in mind if you want to purchase this book. Also, the author and much of the reference information is UK-based.
upol.review.......2006-03-01
very informative, both books. The home book, was helpful in learning how to recover an armchair, and the auto book was helpful in seeing what I needed to do to mend a door panel with material. Very happy with the results.
FINALLY! A BOOK THAT'S MORE THAN I WANTED!!!!!!!.......2005-12-08
I ordered this book because I wanted the "baby steps" version of upholstery. I have several books on this subject, this is the only one that motivates me, knowing--yes I can do it!
Upholstery: A Beginner's Guide.......2005-09-12
I have glanced through the book. I am a self-taught upholsterer, with projects all around my home to do. I pretty much copy the existing pattern and method of upholstery as each project was originally put together. There have been challenges along the way with a few upholstered chairs. This book has color and detailed illustrations. I do own two other books by David James. I wish I had owned this book earlier.
Great Book.......2005-03-30
This is a really great book -- a sort of shortened version of his "Upholstery: A Complete Course". I think this is by far the best book for people who are interested in learning upholstery. It is superior to Singer's "Upholstery Basics" and makes Sunset's "Simply Upholstery," truly simplistic. They pale in comparison. All of David James' books are great -- very thorough and well written. There is an obvious difference in books that are written by those who love the craft and those that are simply informative. If videos were offered of what David James teaches in his books, it would be like having your very own private upholstery lessons!
Book Description
This is a revised and expanded edition of a highly successful reupholstering book that has sold thousands of copies. It gives step-by-step instructions with 350 clear and detailed photographs to show how to rebuild that dilapidated chair or sofa to look like new. The author explains what tools and materials you will need, and offers expert advice about which types of fabric are best for your needs. The author then leads your through specific steps with text, photographs and captions to reupholster your chair, couch, or hassock. The result is furniture you are proud to own for years to come, and you did it all yourself!
Customer Reviews:
Easy to follow!.......2006-10-05
This book is excellent! The author shows you step by step what you need to do to reupholster your piece of furniture. I used this book and was able to quickly learn what I needed to do to reupholster an old chair I own and looked like I bought a new chair from the store when I was finished. Since then, I have had family and friends asking me where I bought the "new chair!" I recommend this book to anyone wishing to do the same.
Full of VERY HELP information.......2005-03-29
Although a book could never substitute seeing first hand, how upholstery is done, this book provides very detailed information. The photos are dated, but the process of the work is not and very clearly explained. Definitely a good reference book to have for anyone learning upholstery who might need additional information.
An excellent starting point.......2000-03-27
This book is well written, concise, and easy to follow. It is especially good for first-timers as the authors take you through many steps most beginners do not consider.
Book Description
-Instructs how to reupholster outdated furniture and provides a valuable overview of upholstery.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful book.......2007-09-15
This book was very helpful, I have done a lot of sewing, but no upholstering, so I made a sample boxed, zippered, cushion with welting, and learned from my (minor) mistakes before using expensive special order fabrics.
Very basic but informative.......2007-07-27
I have taken an upholstery class before, but have never tried to do a large sofa. I found this book gave me just enough information following the directions for an overstuffed chair to tackle the project. If I were a beginner, I don't think I would have been as confident using this book, but would have wanted something a bit more detailed.
Great Book, at least for beginners like me.......2007-07-21
I bought this book because I couldn't afford to buy new living room furniture and wanted to at least recover the cushions. However, the instructions and illustrations were clear enough that I was able to reupholster both the couch and chair. And they look amazingly good--which, I confess, amazes me!
Great book for beginning upholsterers.......2007-07-16
This book has great pictures and illustrations and the instructions are easy to follow. I checked it out at the library and loved it so much, I added a copy to my own personal library. It is a great reference book and well written.
Upholstery Basics.......2006-11-07
This book is very helpful. The pictures are large enough to see essential details and the instructions are clear and allow a complete beginner to obtain professional results.
Book Description
Revive tired, worn, and threadbare furniture with these easy-to-follow lessons in upholstery. So Simple Upholstery offers clear, detailed advice, and step-by-step photography that makes this subject accessible for even the newcomer. Four 'background sections' discuss furniture styles, furniture anatomy, fabric details, and tools techniques. From there, 10 projects are presented, ranging from a simple music stool to an elegant chaise lounge. Additional topics include handling the practicalities of repairing innards, calculating new yardage, cutting pieces to fit properly, and achieving smooth coverage. The emphasis in this book is on practical household furniture - chairs, ottomans, sofas - because these pieces are used on a day-to-day basis. So Simple Upholstery encourages the reader to use the best materials and the most reliable techniques, so that furniture can enjoy a full life.
Book Description
With 15 easy to follow, fabulously illustrated step-by-step projects, this is just what the beginning upholsterer needs. The first eight items--including a drop-in-bottom chair, overstuffed seat, and box cushion--teach the fundamental techniques required to tackle any upholstery task that might arise. After that, it's time to get more creative, with a beautiful Art Deco armchair, chaise longue, leather chesterfield, and more. Each project includes a list of tools and materials, a quick overview of the key skills, and tip boxes to make the work go more smoothly.
Customer Reviews:
Love this book!.......2007-09-23
This is an excellent resource for beginners and experts alike! Great photos and step by step instructions.
Beautifully photographed step-by-step instructions.......2006-12-04
This book directs the reader through several projects, beginning with a very simple one to one that is quite complicated. Covers a wide range of techniques, and displays each step quite clearly with many good photographs. The book is particulary valuable for upholstering antique pieces with materials similar to what would have been original to the piece. There is not a piece of foam used in any of the projects. Some upholsterers find that the vegetable fiber is more difficult to smooth out than foam, particularly for the inexperienced student. But if you want to see traditional techniques beautifully illustrated, this is the book for you.
Great book, with great photographs. .......2006-05-24
I have an old leather chesterfield couch that needs to be repaired in sections. I have no doubt that this is going to be a great help. The projects are all step by step with great color photographs. It also goes over all the tools needed. If my project turns out half as nice as the pictures I will be thrilled.
Book Description
Gheen presents a wealth of detail on tools, furniture styles, padding materials, fabrics, estimating, cleaning and maintenance, buttons, channeling, tufting, finishing alternatives, working with vinyls, stripping, stuffing, padding, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Truly a Complete Course.......2006-09-01
I just received this book yesterday and already I have learned a great deal about re-upholstery. This book has made me very excited and confident that I can do a good job on my first project. As far as I can tell it covers just about every issue in concise and easy to understand language. I would give it a 5 star rating but for the darkness of some of the photos. However, there are an abundance of photos and if you read the instructions carefully then a few dark photos won't be much of a hinderance. If you are interested in learning about upholstery then this is the book and you can't beat the price for this much information.
This book is a disgrace!!!.......2005-02-07
I bought this book for christmas. I had hoped to improve my knowledge of upholstery through it, but I was dissappointed!. This book has only black and white MINI pictures!!. How in the world can one learn to upholster with black and white pictures. These pictures are so bad that they sometimes look just like a black patch? For me, buying this book was a big waste of money. An upholstery book with no good picture is not interesting to read and very very boring!!!
Russ.......2005-01-27
It is completely useless book. It has many old pictures that basically useless b/s given without sequence of steps, show the old type of fabric, has a lot of general information, that you wouldn't need if you want to learn upholstery. I am sure there are better books out there.
Good, but somewhat dated.......2004-10-31
I use this book as a reference for specific upholstery repair issues. There are not many good upholstery books out there, but this is one of the better ones. The fact that it is illustrated is a big bonus, a picture is worth a thousand words. It is well organized and approaches aspects in a systematic manner.
I agree with the other reviewer. Though the book is profusely illustrated, the photos are B&W and many are of mediocre photographic quality and choice of fabric texture to make clear photos. With today's quality of color photos in many DIY books, this one is in need of an update. It could also use a little better editing so the photos are on the same page as the accompanying text.
generally useful.......1999-10-30
While highly detailed on many aspects of upholstery, there are some glaring gaps, which forced me to seek additional information in other books. Also, the photographic reproduction in this book is rather poor, making some of the photos barely discernible.
Book Description
“This massive compilation of facts, skills, techniques, designs, and insider advice tells you everything....Set up your own workshop with just a few tools, a staple gun, cloth, and foam cutters. It’s practically enough information to make you a professional upholsterer!”—Decorating Country Style.
Customer Reviews:
Great reference on traditional techniques.......2006-06-23
Like the other book from the same author, this one is a great reference for traditional techniques. It provides a clear insight on how to do very high quality upholstery. It may not be the reference you need on practical and modern techniques required in today's workshops to compete. It is a great reference anyway.
An interesting and informative survey of the art of upholste.......1998-09-18
If you're looking for a step-by-step guide or a source-book, look elsewhere. This book is a general introduction to the history of upholstery, with general descriptions of traditional and modern upholstery techniques, of more value to those considering upholstering as a vocation or to the serious hobbyist than to the casual do-it-yourselfer.
Book Description
“Contains individual furniture projects that are clearly illustrated by the author with cross-section diagrams and fabric-cutting layouts. An excellent textbook for an advanced upholstery class and a cost-effective purchase.”—Library Journal. “Like a visit to a top upholsterer’s workshop....A much needed resource for those reupholstering antique furniture.”—Fine Woodworking.
Book Description
Comprehensive, practical guide.
Customer Reviews:
AMEN -- ALTHOUGH..........2000-11-27
I agree entirely with the reviews of this admirable book. But the buyer should be aware that it's an English publication and all the sources for supplies etc are British. As one who is having a tough time finding American suppliers of materials suitable for antiques who are willing to sell retail, I'm finding that's a fairly big gap.
superb reference and instruction book on upholstery.......2000-07-09
Just about anything and everything you ever wanted or needed to know about upholstery is in this book. Photographs and descriptions of professional tools,
The book starts by teaching about style through the ages with the help of period drawings and paintings... then a walk through materials and techniques. Even a list of addresses of suppliers of professional upholstery supplies is provided. This is an essential reference for anyone thinking about upholstering anything.
Book Description
No specialist carpentry skills are required, and extraordinarily detailed, large-size photos and drawings make the instructions easy to follow. All the basics are covered, from tools to fabric and woods to making seat cushions. Choose from a black leather Chesterfield sofa, an elegant Knole-style setee that replicates a real 17th century piece, a Victorian bedroom chair, club suite, and more.
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Upholstery Basics (Singer Sewing Reference Library) (Singer Sewing Reference Library)
Complete Step-by-Step Upholstery
Reupholstering at Home: A Do-It-Yourself Manual for Turning Old Furniture into New Showpieces
Simply Upholstery (Simply)
Complete Upholsterer
