Le douillet EN • Upholstering an ottoman
CO-LINGUAL COURSE
Upholstery of a piece of furniture
This course will introduce you to the basics of making a fully upholstered piece of furniture, by upholstering an ottoman. You’ll learn to lay the foam, attach the covering fabric, include decorative piping and how to hand-sew for a neat, traditional finish.
You’ll be guided through the various stages of upholstery, exploring the basic tools and materials. To put the learning material into practice, each person will make a personalized square pouffe with the fabric of their choice, to take home.
PLEASE NOTE: This course is co-lingual (French–English), which means that francophone and anglophone participants form a single group and attend the same classes. The trainer adjusts the language of teaching to accommodate the group or alternates between French and English. All participants may speak the language of their choice, and the trainer will make sure that everyone understands the content.
It is not necessary to be bilingual to register, but basic understanding of both languages may be helpful. Because this course is based on manual work and individual exploration, it is particularly well suited to this way of working. We consider linguistic diversity an asset, and we ask that you show inclusiveness, kindness, and respect.
Practical course
- Presentations and demonstrations by the teacher
- Technical exercises and making of an object/piece of furniture by the participants
Schedule
Prerequisites for the course
Level 1 – No prerequisites
Number of sessions
1 session
Training duration
6 hours
Cost
300 $ + txs
Group 1
Saturday April 25th 2026, 9 AM to 4 PM
Course plan
- Scissors
- Electric fabric cutter
- Pneumatic stapler
- Needles and small tools
- Create cushion form with foam and polyester batting
- Laying fabric
- Use of cardboard tack strip
- Applying seamless piping
- Finishing with hand stitching
- The wooden frame of the ottoman, as well as the materials and tools needed to carry out the exercises and/or projects.
- Course notebook
- If necessary, loan of hearing protectors and safety glasses
IMPORTANT : Each participant must bring their own choice of upholstery fabric (1,5 metre). This fabric should :
- Ideally have a resistance of minimum 25 000 double rubs.
- Have a solid color that doesn’t change in appearance depending on direction (avoid patterned fabrics).
- Be of medium thickness; avoid thick fabrics.
Shops like C&M Textiles and Fabricville have staff that will be able to advise. There are also numerous fabric shops on the rue St-Hubert that have an extensive upholstery section.
The project calls for participants to create their own piping using the same fabric as the entire pouffe. For contrasting or store-bought piping, contact the École.
If you have one, you can bring:
- a dust mask
- hearing protectors
- safety glasses
- safety shoes
Schedule for the introduction to upholstery course
- Introduction, course objectives and project
- Size of foam and polyester
- Form the seat (give shape by stapling the polyester over the foam, to the frame) and lay the fabric on the top of ottoman
- Place piping with staples
- Place fabric strip with cardboard tacking strip
- Traditional hand-stitch finishing
- Arrange final fabric on the base
Participants
Unless otherwise specified, ÉÉAM general public courses are only open to people 18 years of age and older.
As openness and inclusion are essential values for the ÉÉAM, the school strives to accommodate everyone who is interested in cabinetmaking. If you live with a functional limitation and have questions regarding your ability to attend training, please contact us to discuss.
