Sean with his chair, before & after re-upholstery and wood refinish

Sean Harrigan is a professional wood refinisher in Livingston, Montana. Since he often has customers asking him to refinish the wood on their upholstered heirlooms, he decided to delve into the mysteries of upholstery by taking Living Home Furniture’s Beginner Chair Upholstery Class. He chose the ‘Mad Men’ office chair as his first project, and proceeded to disassemble and reassemble the entire frame:

Sean’s chair, disassembled. Photo by Sean Harrigan

‘Mad Men’ chair, reassembled, glued & clamped. Photo by Sean Harrigan

A base layer of hemp canvas over the springs, foam, cotton & dacron make a comfortable seat! Photos by Sean Harrigan

Upholstery instructor Carla Pyle demonstrates fabric application for Sean during the class. Photo by ChiekoHorn.com

Sean applies fabric to his chair’s arm as Deb cuts dacron batting for her chair during the workshop. Photo by ChiekoHorn.com

Learn more about the Beginner Chair Upholstery Class here.

Corduroy garment from hickorees.com

The mill dated back to the industrial revolution, when it had been water-powered. Back then, before denim, workmen’s pants used to be made of corduroy because its tufted wales protected the woven backing from abrasion and cuts. I thought this durable cloth would be great for climbing. Ordering up some fabric, I had some knickers and double-seated shorts made. They sold well to our climbing friends, so I ordered some more.

Whenever we needed mor corduroy, seven old men had to come out of retirement to crank up their machine at the mill. They warned us that when the hundreds of knife blades that cut the corduroy’s wales got dull, it would be too expensive to sharpen them, and that would be the end of their machine. As it turned out, we sold these knickers and shorts in small but steady numbers for ten years before the knives finally dulled and the loom was retired.

– Yvon Chouinard, from his book Let my People go Surfing

An interesting description of corduroy from Wikipedia:

Corduroy is a textile composed of twisted fibers that, when woven, lie parallel (similar to twill) to one another to form the cloth’s distinct pattern, a “cord.” Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel (bare to the base fabric) between the tufts. Corduroy is, in essence, a ridged form of velvet.

As a fabric, corduroy is considered a durable cloth. Corduroy is found in the construction of trousers, jackets and shirts. The width of the cord is commonly referred to as the size of the “wale” (i.e. the number of ridges per inch). The lower the “wale” number, the thicker the width of the wale (e.g., 4-wale is much thicker than 11-wale). Corduroy’s wale count per inch can vary from 1.5 to 21, although the traditional standard falls somewhere between 10 and 12. Wide wale is more commonly used in trousers and furniture upholstery (primarily couches); medium, narrow, and fine wale fabrics are usually found in garments worn above the waist.

Corduroy is made by weaving extra sets of fiber into the base fabric to form vertical ridges called wales. The wales are built so that clear lines can be seen when they are cut into pile. The primary types of corduroy are:

Standard wale: 11 wales/inch, and available in many colors
Pincord/pinwale/needlecord: Pincord is the finest cord around with a count at the upper end of the spectrum (above 16)
Pigment dyed/printed corduroy: The process of coloring or printing corduroy with pigment dyes. The dye is applied to the surface of the fabric, then the garment is cut and sewn. When washed during the final phase of the manufacturing process, the pigment dye washes out in an irregular way, creating a vintage look. The color of each garment becomes softer with each washing, and there is a subtle color variation from one to the next. No two are alike.

Corduroy close-up from vintagefashionguild.com

She may not be so pretty to look at in her current upholstery, but this chair has great potential…

An update in fabric and upholstery styling will do wonders for this solid old oak-framed chair. Available for purchase by our clients or students. For students, this qualifies for an ‘Advanced Level Workshop’.
Contact Carla for pricing and details.

A wave-curve seat and pedestal back make this mid-century chair unique.
For students, this qualifies for a ‘Beginner Level Workshop’.

Sorry, this chair is no longer available. Contact Carla with questions about other chairs we have in stock.

A update in fabric will do wonders for this unusual mod chair – available for purchase by our clients or students. For students, this qualifies for an ‘Advanced Level Workshop’.
Contact Carla for pricing and details.

The label reads: ” The Original Stow-Away Hassock by Barnett” – with four different open positions. Available for purchase by our clients or students. For students, this qualifies for a ‘Beginner Level Workshop’.
Contact Carla for pricing and details.

The window-back styling on these chairs will add a new dimension of style to your living space. These chairs are available for purchase by our clients or students. For students, this qualifies for a ‘Beginner Level Workshop’.
Contact Carla for pricing and details.

You’ll appreciate the exquisite detailing in the carved abacus style backs on this pair of oak chairs – available for purchase by our clients or students. For students, this qualifies for a ‘Beginner Level Workshop’.
Contact Carla for pricing and details.

This chair just needs a thin tie and a pair of chunky eyeglasses to complete it …
For students, this qualifies for a ‘Beginner Level Workshop’.

Sorry, this chair is no longer available. Contact Carla with questions about other chairs we have in stock.