David contacted us to discuss all things tartan fabric when he was looking to embark upon his first Tartan Upholstery project. He was kind enough to keep us updated throughout his progress and now that his chair is finished to perfection we thought we'd find out more about David's project.
David, when we first spoke, you mentioned that you were studying at Ministry of Upholstery, what inspired you to sign up for a course?
I was meant to start my upholstery course at the Ministry of Upholstery on the 30th March. Unfortunately, this coincided with COVID pandemic starting to take hold in the United Kingdom, so my course had to be put on hold for the health and safety of everyone involved. However, as the severity of the COVID pandemic eased I was able to start in early July. I was inspired to learn upholstery, because I have always been particularly good with my hands and I thought that it would be a useful trade to learn.
Is this your first upholstery project?
Before starting this course, I had never upholstered anything before in my life. The format of the Business start-up course at the Ministry of Upholstery slowly teaches you all the techniques you would need to become a modern upholsterer. The course starts out with a small Queen Anne footstool, then a deep button stool, before progressing onto a plain wingback chair. The course teaches you a range of upholstery techniques, with the previous project enabling you to complete the next project, as you slowly build up your knowledge and skills.
What were the most challenging and rewarding aspects of the project?
The most challenging aspect of the wingback chair is the pattern matching process itself. However, once you have mastered the matching process, the end result is something to behold and that’s the most rewarding aspect of the project. When you see the final project completed and you can say to yourself: "I did that". (I am already feeling inspired and wondering if maybe I should do my dining room chairs myself, after all what is a second lockdown for?)
Did you enjoy working with a tartan fabric?
There is a definite skill to pattern matching and it’s not as easy as it looks, that’s for sure. But working with a 16oz tartan fabric is an absolute joy as it’s tough and easy to work with and if I was to give anyone a tip for choosing a fabric to practice pattern matching with it certainly would be tartan. (Contact us prior to ordering if you need to know what size the pattern is on your chosen fabric as this can have quite an effect on the amount of cloth you need to order. Being tartan of course every one has a different pattern size...just to test your maths!)
Will you continue upholstering?
I hope to start upholstering as my career, it was one of the main reasons why I chose to do the Business start-up course at the Ministry of Upholstery.
How did you calculate how much fabric you’d need for your project?
The good thing about learning upholstery at the Ministry of Upholstery was that the structure of the course provided me with all the necessary information regarding how much fabric I would need. The knowledge of the tutors was invaluable when it came to determine fabric for any given project. (We receive lots of customer calls asking us to calculate how much fabric they might need and it really is impossible without measurements of every element of your chair or piece of furniture. It is best to ask your upholsterer as they are the experts and can advise on any extra they might need for creating the perfect finish.)
Do you have any tips and tricks for anyone thinking about embarking on their own upholstery project?
My advice to anyone thinking about starting an upholstery project is to check if there is an upholstery course in their local area. What I learnt while doing this course at the Ministry of Upholstery is that there is no substitution for experience. If people want to try and learn upholstery from Youtube they can do, but if you end up in difficulty there is going to be no one there to help you. So, I'd recommend finding a reputable course and learning the basics, this will then provide you with the necessary skills for you to tackle some of your own upholstery projects.
Are you connected to a Scottish Clan or do you have a favourite tartan?
I’m not connected to any tartan by family name, however I think the Buchanan Ancient tartan is a fantastic tartan for this project. It’s a traditional Scottish tartan, however the vibrant colours lend themselves to be easily worked into a modern piece of furniture.
You took inspiration for your project from rugby legend Doddie Weir. Have you always been a big rugby / Doddie fan?
Being born and raised in Widnes in Cheshire, meant that I was always going to be a rugby fan, as it's a strong Rugby League town. However, this doesn't stop me from enjoying rugby union, I watch the Six Nations and I think it’s a great competition. When I saw Doddie Weir's story highlighted on the BBC as an accompanying sports piece to the Six Nations coverage, I was intrigued by Doddie’s battle with Motor Neurone Disease and what he was trying to accomplish and how he was raising awareness about MND, I was blown away. A recent interview between Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow (ex Leeds Rhinos player) a fellow MND sufferer, prompted me to dedicate this chair to raise funds for MND research.
I hear you are going to auction the chair off for the MND Foundation?
Yes, The plan is for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation to auction the chair at a future date with all proceeds going to Motor Neurone Disease research.
We want to say a big thank you to David for talking us through his upholstery journey and for his huge generosity raising money for MND, a cause so close to our hearts. We will share the details of the auction of this magnificent chair as soon as a date is set and look forward to seeing what David is going to create next. For now we are inspired and I am off to have a better look at those dining room chairs of mine!
