Tack and Hammer

A major benefit of being a student in a training centre linked to a large university is not only the ability to access trade discounts via the accounts the centre has with suppliers; but also gaining exposure to the better sources for upholstery materials and supplies. When shopping for specialised equipment the default answer nowadays is Amazon - it has everything, right? But a one stop shop that is cheap, accessible, and delivers quickly, although tempting for an enthusiastic newbie, is not the way to go. This is true for fabric and trimmings as well as materials and tools. Without a doubt, it is better to patronize the suppliers known for selling quality tools of the trade. And because upholstery is such a niche trade, suppliers can often be small family businesses as well as industrial traders with unfamiliar names that have been in business for years - often specializing in a particular tool or item.   Some of the suppliers and trusted brands I've been introduced to as a ...

 It's Fench! I have another chair, the day after the disappointment of discovering my frame was too far gone. Also a Napolean III but with a square back. Such luck! Seeing another stripped down frame from this family of chairs has reinforced my obsession with them. I love the delicacy and slight scroll/turn of the arms. I love the rather plain, but all the more tasteful for it, legs. The narrow back relative to wide front rail proportionally is just very pleasing to my eye. I'm tempted to upholster this chair using several techniques that can be employed together - deep buttoning and piping to emphasise the arm scrolls. These are two techniques that I have not yet heavily applied to a chair so feels like this will be the last, best opportunity to do so as a student. However, looking at many examples of upholstered chairs in the style, seems that less is more and non-fabric manipulated plain application really highlights the demure simplicity of the frame. so maybe that's th...