Time to talk courses of course
Connectivity is one our Eclectic Boogaloo’s core values.
Through our Upholstery Courses & Upholstery Club, we have been building a community that we are truly proud of.
It is now approaching five years since we ran our first “Chair & Cheese” Upholstery Course, where did that time go! We have clocked up around 70 courses and racing towards skilling up 450 students. Including Upholstery Club, our community has saved close to 750 chairs from landfill!
Our “Chair & Cheese’ became our “Chair & Chat” (thanks COVID), we introduced our “Chair Amnesty” so that our students could restore their beloved memories, and then our Masterclass to really showcase the art of Upholstery. Since then, we’ve collaborated with our Sewing & MCM revival courses, and are about to embark on teaching more modern upholstery skills with our footstool course. And of course our ever-popular Fabric Tours book out at a drop-of-the-hat.
We often get asked what course is best suited for our students, so we’ve put together this handy journal post to help guide you on your upholstery journey. Read on!
Chair Amnesty Traditional Upholstery Course
Revive your family heirloom
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Discover our Chair Amnesty upholstery course, designed for those looking to revitalize their furniture with style and creativity. This hands-on workshop guides participants through various techniques and materials, equipping them with the skills needed to transform old chairs into unique statement pieces. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned DIY enthusiast, you will learn about fabric selection, reupholstering methods, and design principles, all while fostering sustainability. Join us in breathing new life into your furniture and express your individual style in a supportive, collaborative environment.
IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
This course is a three-day course and is tailored to beginners who would like to restore their own occasional armchair, or dining chair(s). The course is using traditional (coil sprung) techniques & traditional tools (so is only suitable for certain chairs). If you don’t have your own chair, we always have a variety of suitable chairs for purchase for a nominal price (around $60). This course is also suitable for those who have previously joined a Chair & Chat (2-day) course or Modern footstool course and would like to advance their knowledge (or get more experience with dedicated tutorage). You learn similar skills as the 2-day Chair & Chat course, but with the additional skills of learning to strip down the chair, as well as being able to work on a larger chair. If you don’t finish it, that’s ok, we always have Upholstery Club to finish it off.
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
In this course, you will be learning a variety of traditional upholstery skills, tips & tricks, and hopefully a love of the craft. With three days to work through your project, you will learn how to fully strip, rebuild and cover your chair. Our aim is to arm you with enough knowledge & confidence to continue your skills at home. We truly hope that you will be inspired to join our mission to save the world, one chair at a time.
Chair & Chat Traditional Upholstery Course
Choose one of our chair frames
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Discover the art of upholstery with our Chair and Chat Upholstery Course. This comprehensive program offers hands-on experience in transforming a dining chair through traditional upholstery techniques. Participants will learn about fabric selection, repair methods, and design principles, all while engaging in lively discussions with fellow students. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your skills, this course provides expert guidance and a supportive community. Join us to bring new life to old furniture and connect with like-minded individuals in a creative environment. Your journey into the world of upholstery begins here!
IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
This course is a two-day course and is tailored to beginners who would like to learn traditional upholstery techniques. This is a great course if you don’t have your own chair, as your choice of dining chair is included it the course fees, or you would like to get some experience before moving up to your beloved armchair restoration. Since the chair starts with a stripped frame, we do the hard work of stripping everything before-hand, so you can get straight into rebuilding it from day-one. Usually we run this on a single weekend, so it is also great for those who live outside of Melbourne, or interstate and would prefer not to travel over multiple weekends. We’re a pretty social bunch, hence the Chat!
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
Not only will you be taking home your very own vintage chair, but you’ll also walk away with a variety of traditional upholstery skills, tips & tricks, and hopefully a love of the craft. You’ll learn how to use various upholstery tools and get to understand all the materials involved in traditional upholstery. Our aim is to inspire you & arm you with enough knowledge & confidence to start your own project, and that you will join us on our mission to save the world, one chair at a time.
Footstool Modern Upholstery Course
Put your feet up
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Our newest course addition, join our Modern Upholstery Footstool Course to explore the art of transforming a raw frame into something to put your feet on for many years to come. Over this hands-on course, participants will learn essential modern upholstery techniques, including tips & methods to ensure a professional finish. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, our experienced instructors will guide you step-by-step through the process of creating a stylish and functional footstool that enhances any space. Discover your creativity and gain the confidence to tackle future upholstery projects with ease.
IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
This course is our introduction to modern upholstery techniques. With the introduction of foam into furniture making in the 20th century, the ability to manufacture furniture has become faster. This is why we are able to offer this one day course. Unlike the traditional upholstery courses, you’ll be using synthetic materials, including elastic webbing, foam & dacron. It is using complementary (but different) skills than the traditional courses.
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
Not only will you be taking home your amazing footstool, you’ll walk away with a variety of modern upholstery skills, tips & tricks, and hopefully a love of the craft. Our aim is to inspire you & arm you with enough knowledge & confidence to continue using your skills at home.
English Upholstery Masterclass
All stitched up
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Our English Upholstery Masterclass has been curated to satiate that restoration itch by developing traditional upholstery skills. With traditional upholstery hand-tools & advanced techniques extinct in modern manufacturing, you will slow-stitch your way to build a footstool from naked frame over eight weeks (usually run in the evenings for three-hours per day). This course is typically run by the seasoned upholsterer, Charlie, who will guide you through this disappearing art. Charlie is a passionate educator & upholsterer into his fourth decade of the craft. In the early days of his craft, Charlie worked his way through Europe, soaking in the dying traditional skills of yesteryear from European upholsterers renowned for the craft. His passion was born. Since then Charlie has worked alongside antique-dealers, architects & designers, through the range of eras & styles from antique to contemporary furniture & continues to pass on these skills to the next generation of upholstery apprentices & students.
IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
This course is designed for those with a deeper appreciation of upholstery and skilful arts. Modern upholstery materials and advancements have made a lot of these skills extremely rare, usually only found with restoration of antiques, or high end custom furniture. This skills take time, but are so beautiful and cathartic to master. This course is usually made up of a mix of students who have completed our traditional course and looking for a new challenge, students from TAFE and sometimes even professional upholsterers. That said, we do also have complete beginners on this course who have a passion for learning new skills. We run this class every year or so depending on demand.
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
Not only will you be taking home your amazing footstool, you’ll walk away with a variety of advanced traditional English upholstery skills, stitches & techniques, and hopefully a love of the craft. Our aim is to continue to inspire you & to propagate traditional skills that have been used for centuries. Join us on our mission to save the world, one chair at a time.
Scatter & Chatter Sewing Course
Be your own interior designer
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Have you always wanted to be able to wield a sewing machine, or perhaps just keen to redecorate your bedroom or lounge with a collection of self-made scatter cushions? Our Scatter (cushion) & Chatter sewing course starts at the beginning, no sewing experience required. In this five and a half hour course located in our Moorabbin Upholstery Workshop, your seamstress will take you through the ins & outs of a sewing machine and then on to creating your very own 40 x 40 centimetre scatter cushions to take home. You’ll learn how to cut to a pattern with seam allowance, sew different types of zip positioning, sew knife & piped cushion edges & learn about different types of fabrics & cushion inserts. This course is the perfect introduction to sewing in a social and relaxed atmosphere.
IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
We have designed this course as a great introduction to sewing, where you sew (from scratch), two scatter cushions. We get a mix of students with no sewing experience, as well as people who have been sewing for years from various patterns. The day is busy, but you do cover a lot. This course is especially great for people who want to have a go at redecorating their home using their new skills.
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
Not only will you be taking home your awesome cushions, you’ll get to know your way around a sewing machine, plus gain a variety of sewing tips & tricks from our industry experts. Our aim is to inspire you & arm you with enough knowledge & confidence to continue using your skills at home.
Box & Banter Sewing Course
Skill up for your next project
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Have you always wanted to be able to wield a sewing machine, or perhaps learn the basics around sewing the ever-useful box cushion, commonly used in upholstery for seats, benches, caravans or just for decoration? Our social Box (cushion) & Banter sewing course starts at the beginning, no sewing experience required. In this short four hour course, your seamstress will take you through the ins & outs of sewing machine and then on to creating your very own 45 x 45 centimetre box cushion to take home. You’ll learn how to cut to a pattern with seam allowance, you’ll learn about different styles of box cushions, sewing in a zip & learn about different types of fabrics & cushion inserts suitable for box cushions. This course, located in our Moorabbin Upholstery Workshop is the perfect introduction to sewing in a social and relaxed atmosphere.
IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
You can join this course as an absolute beginner, or as someone who knows their way around their machine and wants to advance their skills in home furnishings. The skills you pick up in this course really supplement the upholstery courses, as the box cushion skills can be used for furniture (including midcentury), for benches and even for a caravan project. This is our shorter sewing course.
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
Not only will you be taking home your awesome box cushion, you’ll learn your way around a sewing machine, plus gain a variety of sewing tips & tricks from our industry experts. Our aim is to inspire you & arm you with enough knowledge & confidence to continue using your skills at home.
Scrap & Sew Day
Recycle, Reuse & Repurpose
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Join us for a fun day of sewing & socialising at our Moorabbin warehouse. Our Scrap & Sew day is an uber-relaxed go-with-the-flow kind-of day, where Jen will get you comfortable with a sewing machine & teach you how to sew a knife-edge scatter cushion with an invisible zip. You can then make your own creations at your own pace or just play around with the fabrics & sewing machine in a supportive & chatty environment. Jen will talk you through the various scatter cushion finishes such as flange & piping. The best part, fabric is included - so you can play interior designer for the day. We are stocked up with some amazing fabrics, over-stocked, dead-stock, short-ends and what-not from our years of relationships with fabric houses & designers. We'd love to do our bit for reducing textile waste, so want to share these opportunities with our loyal followers & new-comers alike. What better way to do this, than at our Scrap & Sew day!
IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
This day is a great social event, and suitable for people with no skills or sewing-experts who just want to smash out a heap of cushions with our in-house fabrics. In fact, even though we do teach you various sewing skills, we don’t really call this one a course per se - since you can learn at your own pace, or just jump straight on the machines. Great for people who want to be an interior designer for the day!
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
Not only will you be taking home your awesome cushions, you’ll get to know your way around a sewing machine, plus gain a variety of sewing tips & tricks from our industry experts. Our aim is to inspire you & arm you with enough knowledge & confidence to continue using your skills at home.
Fabric Tour
Explore Melbourne
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Join us on a tour of some of our favourite Melbourne fabric houses & textile designers. Meeting at EBHQ (our Warehouse in Moorabbin), you’ll travel as part a group in the EB "bus" and have the chance to hear from Jen on various topics related to fabrics. You’ll also have ample time to peruse the plethora of awesome textiles and ask questions. We’ve built up some fabulous relationships with various fabric houses & textile designers, so we often get some special treatment! These tours are only for 6 people at time typically, so is very personalised.
IS THIS TOUR FOR ME?
Do you love fabrics? Well this day is for you. Each tour is a little bit different, and we try to vary up some of the locations (usually with some core locations that we retain). At most locations, we get to interact with the experts at these fabric houses, and for others, Jen shares her years of knowledge with you. The locations are organised in advance, so our hosts usually do spoil us!
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
You will learn about the various fabric-houses and textile designers, as well as the various textiles that they offer. Learn about sustainability in the industry, the fabric terminology and the different properties of the textiles.
Upcoming Courses
Have a browse of our upcoming courses by selecting them below. We usually plan for courses one or two months before the upcoming term. You can alway join our early-bird mailing list with the Expression of Interest button below.
Course Not Scheduled?
We often rotate our courses to keep things fresh & ensure we can provide our followers with a good mix of options & skill progression. If you don’t see your preferred course scheduled, let us know by expressing your interest with the button below & we will endeavour to organise based on demand.