Hand Stitching versus Metal Grip

I always insist on hand stitching back covers  using slipping thread despite the rather lengthy process! This is because not only does the finish have a traditional, tailored look but also it is 100% safe!. Metal grip, which is an alternative and quicker method of securing back covers, can wear through the fabric over the years.  Slipping needles, which are curved, are easy to use and with careful placing of stitches, should ensure the seam is invisible! It is a bit of an art but my tip is to pin both fabrics together stretching the back cover fairly tightly, and always start the stitch a little above/behind the end point of the last stitch, so that when the thread is pulled the fabric sits flat producing an invisible seam.

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How to Buy Good Quality Furniture...

Good Quality Furniture requires a Good Quality Hardwood Frame!

If you are intending to buy a good quality piece of furniture such as a  sofa or armchair that you want to use for more than a few years or might want re-covering in future, then it is crucial to ask that all important question "How is the frame made?" . Today much of the upholstery sold in Britain is imported from Far Eastern and Eastern European factories and a lot of this is cheaply made using chipboard and softwood and is held together by staples. I have even seen cardboard used as part of the main construction and this was a high street name, with a price tag to match! 

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A good quality sofa or chair should have   :

• a solid hardwood, (ideally beech), frame

• screwed, glued and dowelled joints

•  legs that are an integral part of the frame, not screw in

A good frame is crucial to the longevity of an item tested by the rigours of everyday life and needs to of sufficient strength to be re-upholstered or re-covered in future. Hence why upholsterers are still in great demand to reupholster Victorian chairs or old chairs from names such as Parker Knoll, where no expense is spared on the quality of their frame construction. Most British Framemakers who make furniture today  using the above methods will offer a mininum of a 10 year guarantee on the frame, as do I.

So ask the question ...

Our framemakers make beautiful chair, sofa and stool frames using solid beech, which are screwed, glued and dowelled with legs integral to the frame.