amusf accredited upholstery courses
The Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers (AMUSF) accredited course is aimed at those who want to pursue a career in upholstery, and is currently the only recognised accredited qualification for budding professional upholsterers.
We believe upholstery as a trade has a place in the world now more than ever, and through the AMUSF course, we aim to equip our students with everything they need to forge their own paths as craftspeople, focusing on creating treasured pieces of furniture that will stand the test of time.
The AMUSF syllabus is a comprehensive programme that gives a grounding in traditional and modern upholstery techniques, but also in the foundations of furniture design, wood restoration and sewing. Each stage of the course is accompanied by an assessed research project focusing on valuable topics such as fabric characteristics and suitability, a history of upholstery and a history of 20th Century furniture. These projects are invaluable in giving trainee upholsterers the knowledge they need to advise real clients in the future.
AMUSF STAGE 1
During this stage students work on various exercise pieces - provided by us - and projects including a drop in seat, a box cushion with zip and piping, and a sprung arm, to help build a foundation of practical upholstery skills.
As you move on to your project pieces: a sprung dining chair and an upholstered, lined box with deep-buttoning, you will get a good understanding of upholstery fabrics and textiles as well as machine sewing skills. We also encourage students to develop personal, creative ideas around their first project pieces, to help prepare them for working with clients in future,
Stage 1 also includes a dedicated sewing module to introduce you to detailed elements of sewing, including making a scatter cushion.
AMUSF STAGE 2
At Stage 2 you will further develop the modern and traditional skills learned at Stage 1, which will include various set projects including a T-shaped cushion with piping and zips, and an independent sprung edge.
The project pieces at Stage 2 are a traditionally upholstered sprung armless chair and a post 1950s armchair using modern materials and techniques. All the time you will be encouraged to develop creative ideas and solutions for your project pieces as well as benefiting hugely from learning within a group where you’ll be alongside others working on slightly different styles of chairs, broadening your knowledge base.
At Stage 2 we encourage you to utilise the knowledge you’ve gained so far and build your confidence in making decisions about the upholstery job at hand.
AMUSF STAGE 3
As well as developing all these skills further, you will acquire an understanding of the history of upholstered furniture and begin to be able to read the various requirements of the hundreds of different styles of chair. This will include being able to adapt your skills to different forms of both traditional furniture as well as to more modern, curved and shaped pieces.
A wide range different skills and techniques will be taught and practiced as well as important, practical knowledge and advice required to take upholstery forward as a possible career choice: estimating and costing materials and labour, legal and safety requirements, insurance, PR and marketing and other requirements around self-employment.
At SDR, our working upholstery studio and large variety of clients, enable us to open up unique work experience and apprenticeship opportunities for our students , as well as hugely beneficial, general access to many areas of the design industries.
Course format
These qualification courses can be studied in a few different formats:
Stage 1 (216 hours)
One day per week over 36 weeks of the academic year – September 2025 til July 2026
NEXT COURSE: Two days per week over 18 weeks – Feb 2025 til July 2025
An evening class, one-evening per week, over two academic years – Sept 2025 til July 2027
Stage 2 and 3 (216 hours each)
For those students who already have a Stage 1 or Stage 2 qualification we will be teaching the Stage 2 qualification (216 hours) and the Stage 3 qualification (216 hours), one day per week over 36 weeks starting in Sept 2025.
Please get in touch for all further details, to register your interest and to receive an application form, or if you’d just like to come by for a visit.
All courses are run in line with the academic year: September to July with half-term and holidays in line with most Hackney schools.
Places on the Stage 1, 2 & 3 courses are limited
AMUSF Students’ Work
