You just can’t go wrong with a low slung mid-century sectional sofa with kidney bean cushions and good solid ‘bones’.

low slung sectional sofa with kidney bean cushions

Retro-weave turquoise wool with flame orange velvet piping adds ‘pop’ appeal to the finished sofa

Fifteen volunteers came to learn deconstruction upholstery, fabric layout, planning and reconstruction during three workshops between January and October, 2014 at the Shane Center in Livingston, Montana. The result is a fantastic and comfortable lounging addition to the art center’s lobby.

The beginning – photos from the January workshop:

Group of students prying upholstery tacks

Working from the bottom up, upholstery workshop participants remove the old fabric from the frame

Upholstery workshop participants prying upholstery tacks

We found this awesome nubby original PINK fabric underneath!

Participants learned basic upholstery skills & techniques while working together with instructor Carla Pyle to restore this Funky 50s Sofa to be installed in the Shane Center’s lobby.

Flexsteel Northome Label - Dubuque, Iowa

The original Flexsteel label

upholstery students cut from a bolt of fabric

Measuring and cutting the new turquoise wool retro starburst fabric

March workshop progress:

mid-century sectional sofa re-upholstery progress

mid-century sectional sofa re-upholstery progress - student stitching

October workshop:

Flexsteel's unique spring system visible from in this bottom view of the sofa as a workshop participant staples the fabric at a corner

Laurel ‘finesses’ a corner as she staples the bottom edge

Working on the back panels in the final stages of reupholstery of the two sofa sections

Kelley gets ready to attach burlap to the outside back in the final stages of the sofa reupholstery

stapling the outside back of the sofa

Laurel & Kelley working on the finishing touches – attaching the outside back to the sofa

Retro-weave turquoise wool with flame orange velvet piping

Bold & sassy: a perfect example of how complimentary colors can be used in upholstery: blue-green & red-orange (turquoise/flame)

diagonal view of freshly reupholstered Flexsteel sectional sofa

The completed sofa in the lobby of the Shane Center

If you missed these workshops, and would like to learn more while working on your own upholstery project, sign up for our mailing list and stay connected with the globally expanding upholstery community. You’ll receive upholstery tips, stories and updates on classes.