Seat Doctor

27/01/2024

Today I'm cutting 128 pieces for my next project.

Wish me patience.

23/01/2024

My work days are changing a bit for this year. I'll mostly be up in Sydney at my factory job during the week and doing my Seat Doctor work on the weekends.

I do have flexibility with my other gig if I need to take time off for the big upholstery jobs but I'll be trying to fit my picks ups, deliveries and consults in on the weekend.

08/01/2024

And there is the first job off the bench for the year - a lovely set of dining chairs recovered in Bolton fabric in Citron from Warwick Fabrics Australia.

If this fabric looks familiar, then you've been watching closely. These chairs came from my previous customer Trish and it turned out I had just enough left over from her last order to finish this full set of six.

These chairs were made in 2014 and covered in a cheap leather substitute where leather fibres are compressed and then coated in PVC. In Australia, this is legal to sell as "leather" because of that fibre content but out doesn't last or age like genuine full grain leather. As you can see, this "leather" barely lasted ten years.

If you love leather but feel like you can't trust the retail sector, then talk to your upholsterer. We buy leather in full hides and can guarantee that you are getting the finish you're paying for.

02/01/2024

Happy 2024 to you all!

I'm super excited to be back at work for another year and to show you the first job on the bench this year is this lovely Victorian slipper chair. I will be stripping it back to bare bones for a full reupholster before covering it with hair on cow hide.

It's been through a few rounds of DIY work and done hard duty over the years but nothing that can't be fixed with some patience and dedication. Can't wait to show you it in all its renewed glory.

I'm continuing on part time this year to fit the upholstery work around my Sydney factory job. I'm booked out for the next month or so, but happy to talk projects any time.

08/12/2023

If you dream about being an upholster, enrolments are open for next year where I learn.

UPHOLSTERY
Do you just sit on upholstered furniture without a thought of how it came about or why it is so comfortable?

Upholstery is about comfort, texture, colour, design, craft, expertise, knowledge and good training.

We are about to take new enrolments for 2024.

TAFE NSW Upholstery
TAFE NSW - Lidcombe

01/12/2023

Looking back on the year, I'm super proud of what I've achieved with Seat Doctor in 2023. I've got one more year of tafe to go and can't wait to see wheat I'll be pumping out by this time next year.

Thanks to everyone who has cheered for me on this epic journey.

25/11/2023

And there they are, the beautiful birds in their new habitat.

These chairs were a delight. I'm so glad Nita chose such a lovely pair of birds for her new look dining set.

19/11/2023

Spring is springing all over the place here with these gorgeous birds. They're right at home on their new perch, but you'll need to wait to see that.

13/11/2023

Finally got these beauties out the door after a full rebuild of the timber, a clean and polish, full reupholstery and their new covers. These chairs have been in John's family for at least 3 generations and he wanted them in good shape to pass along again.

Fabric is Vivaldi from Warwick Fabrics Australia in Scarlet.

There was a brief period where the chairs were covered in Vivaldi in Tahini but after taking them home John realised they were far too pale so they came back for another go.

I'll pop a pic of the Tahini in the comments.

28/10/2023

There's been some tricky chairs in the workshop that have stretched out forever but here's a bed head set that I've managed to sneak through around that chaos.

Julie brought me this set along with the attached inspo image to bring new life to her bedroom. She chose the adaptable Luther fabric from Warwick Fabrics Australia in driftwood and also opted for a Scothguard treatment to help keep the fabric looking sharp and neat.

These were the biggest surfaces I've covered to date and the clear thread lines meant every angle needed to be pulled precise and straight. I was pretty chuffed to get them all lined up. The finish is double piping that would not have been possible without my amazing new-old sewing machine.

Stayed tuned for the soon to be finally finished Victorian nursing chairs.

18/08/2023

Have a pair of these Victorian nursing chairs coming up and can wait to see what's hidden under these covers!

The shopvac will be getting a workout on this project.

What fabric would you choose for these chairs?

16/08/2023

Come watch me wrangle Joan's latest chair.

I forgive it by the end.