This month Ray and Vicky made the trip up to the north of England to Stockport, nr Manchester, to speak with Upholsterer Simion Hawtin-Smith in his Reloved studio.

Simion is known for his incredible mid-century masterpieces and successful television career and he talks frankly about the triumphs and challenges he faces working as an Upholsterer.

Join us as we talk fostering creativity as a young child, the importance of having an upholstery mentor, the challenges of ADHD and the value in having a good team around you. 

Links:

Simion Hawtin-Smith

BEA Staple Guns

Book by Patrick Grant

Ray Clarke

Vicky Grubb

ADHD Help

In episode 4, join Ray and Vicky as they dip into the world of high-end furniture manufacturing with Jim Athey from George Smith, a prestigious British furniture manufacturer based in Newcastle. Have you ever wondered what it's like to work alongside 30 skilled upholsterers crafting furniture for royalty and celebrities? From workshop layout and operational systems to navigating challenges and maintaining quality control at scale, this episode offers a captivating glimpse into creating the 'antiques of the future'.

Check out George Smiths Furniture online:

Https://www.georgesmith.com

In this episode we chat all things business with Angela Rowley . Angela has been a mentor for many years and gives her insight into the things we should be looking out for in starting, running and scaling an upholstery business.

LonestarofLondon

BEA Group

Princes Trust

Dorset Business Mentors (Dormen)

In this episode, join Vicky and Ray as they sit down with Interior Designer Rachel Forster from Forster Inc. With almost three decades of experience in the industry, Rachel brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Delving into her passion for sustainability, Rachel discusses her work with Yodomo on textile redistribution. Drawing from her extensive work with upholsterers', she also shares valuable insights on collaboration between interior designers and her own aspirations in the field.

Also in this episode: Ray's Green Sofa

In the debut episode, hosts Ray Clarke and Vicky Grubb extend a warm welcome as they share the captivating tale of their immersion into the world of upholstery. From their humble beginnings to the inception of their small upholstery businesses, Ray and Vicky offer firsthand accounts of the challenges and triumphs encountered along the way. Delve into the intricacies of starting a business in the upholstery realm. Join them as they set the stage for the podcast's exciting evolution, promising engaging conversations with the movers and shakers, innovators and disrupters of the craft.

Ray Clarke

Vicky Grubb

This month Ray and Vicky head to Shoreditch, London to speak with the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers (AMUSF) and learn how the trade body has guided Upholsterers for the last 75 years.

Joined by the new Chair, Marlen Suller, and Director Louise Boyland (who also owns Shoreditch Design Rooms), we talk a little about The AMUSF’s history, its roles on behalf of its members, differences in Upholstery technique, training institutions, the benefits of becoming a member of the AMUSF and the changes this noble organisation is making to help promote the wonderful craft and trade to help up and coming as well as practicing upholsterers and soft furnishers in the UK.

AMUSF

Shoreditch Design Rooms

BEA Group

Ray Clarke⁠

⁠Vicky Grubb

In this final episode of the season, recorded at the HIRE Cumbria event in the Lake District, Vicky and Ray sit down with Stephen Ball of Cumbria Upholstery who' s incredible story proves that resilience knows no limits. After serving a horrific life-threatening climbing accident, Stephen rebuilt his future, turning determination, ingenuity and pure grit into a successful upholstery business in the North of England. Listen along with us in front of this live audience to his inspiring journey.

Cumbria Upholstery

https://sites.google.com/view/hire-cumbria/home

Our heartfelt thanks go out to our sponsors for this episode

https://www.bea-group.com/en/

https://martinsupholstery.co.uk

In this month’s Chair Stories, Vicky sits down with student Sam, who shares her deeply personal journey through upholstery. After losing both her mother and father to COVID, Sam brought in her father’s cherished Parker Knoll wing chair, hoping to restore it. Join us for a heartfelt conversation about grief, resilience, and how the craft of upholstery—along with a love of books—has helped Sam find healing. Grab a cuppa and listen in.

Fiction Prescription

In this episode, we chat with Linda from 7 Upholstery. Unlike most upholsterers who are self-employed, Linda has spent the last 18 years working a 9-to-5 in the trade. So, what’s it like being employed as an upholsterer? How has her skill evolved over the years, and what has she learned along the way?  
Join Ray and Vicky as we talk shop and dive into Linda’s unique experience in the industry.

7 Upholstery

⁠BEA Staple Guns⁠

⁠Martins Upholstery Supplies

Ray and Vicky took a trip to Sheffield, UK, to visit the legendary William Whiteley & Sons, one of the world’s oldest scissor manufacturers.

In this fascinating episode, we dive into the history, craftsmanship, and surprising details behind this essential upholstery tool—everything you never knew you needed to know about scissors!  

Also available as a video podcast on our new YouTube channel, Sit on This! Productions. Tune in and watch the full experience!

In this episode, we sit down with the legendary Cristina Venegas, the Dame of Drapery behind Drapes of Wrath. If you've ever wondered what it’s like to be an upholsterer in the film industry, this one’s for you!  Cristina has worked on some of the biggest productions, including The Crown and Marvel’s Loki.  We dive into the artistry of drapery, the pressures of deadline-driven upholstery, and what it takes to be one of the few female Drapesmasters in the industry. Don’t miss this fascinating peek behind the curtain!

Thank you to our Sponsors

BEA

Martins

Other interesting links connected to this podcast

Kays Directory

Royal Scottish Conservatoire of Scotland

Sit on This website

ARC

The Upholstery Cabin

This month Vicky has a coffee and a chat with Anita, a more recent upholstery student, who works in a creative field, teaching embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework.

Royal School of Needlework

Restoration of a Bon Marche Chair

In episode 9 of the Sit on This! Podcast, Ray and Vicky chat with Rachael South, a third generation upholsterer and chair caner, who's currently the AMUSF stage 1, 2 & 3 course leader in upholstery at London Metropolitan University and widely regarded as the "Queen of Caning".

Rachael shares her journey through the world of upholstery and textiles, her passion for preserving traditional skills, and what it's like to go from the art of hand-caning to educating the next generation of craftspeople.

From the art of hand-caning to the challenges of modern upholstery education, this episode is a must listen for anyone who loves craftsmanship, heritage and all things upholstery related.

London Met Uni

Rachael South Upholstery

Rachael South's New Book!

Warner Textile Archive

BEA Staple Guns

Martins Upholstery Supplies

In this exciting new mini series, Vicky dives into the heartfelt and inspiring journeys of her upholstery students. Each episode uncovers the personal stories behind the chairs they work on and what drew them to the art of upholstery.

In this first episode, Vicky sits down over a coffee with Serena, a long-term student with a passion for traditional upholstery techniques and a deep love for antique chairs. Together they discuss Serenas journey, her favourite projects and why craftsmanship of the past continues to inspire her today.

In this months episode, Ray and Vicky travel to Norwich to visit with Philip Thomerson, a second generation Upholsterer who has moved and grown his business. Philip learnt the craft from his mother, Carole Thomerson, who was the first conservationist Upholsterer at the V&A Museum in London. Listen to how Philip was introduced into upholstery and discover the highs and lows of his journey in this fascinating chat.

Our many thanks to our sponsors

BEA

Martins upholstery Supplies

Whiteley and Sons

Philip Thomerson 

Carol Thomerson Book 

In this episode Ray and Vicky reflect on the podcast conversations over the last six months giving their own personal insight into changes they've made to their own businesses, lessons learnt and what to expect going forward.

Massive thanks for our sponsors support:

⁠Martins Upholstery⁠

⁠BEA Group⁠

This month Vicky and Ray sit down with the brilliant Leigh-Anne Treadwell, founder of the Bristol Upholstery Collective, teacher, TV upholsterer, and all-round powerhouse. We chat about how she built her teaching practice, what it means to create safe learning spaces, and how ADHD shapes the way she works and teaches.

From building a community to breaking down barriers in upholstery, Leigh-Anne brings heart, honesty, and a whole lot of wisdom to this conversation.

https://www.bristolupholsterycollective.comhttps://www.instagram.com/leighannetreadwell

Our profound thanks go out to all our Sponsors

⁠Martins Upholstery Supplies⁠

⁠BeA Group

Follow Sit on This! for fortnightly chats from the workbench - stories from inside the upholstery world, with makers, fixers, and fabric lovers.

This season, we’re bringing you a series of mini video podcasts spotlighting the key suppliers to the upholstery trade. Each episode gives you insider info on the latest tools, materials, and innovations to help keep your workshop running smoothly and efficiently.

This month, we’re chatting with Mirka, makers of high-performance sanding solutions with a difference. Tune in to hear what sets their kit apart (you might also see us trying the tools out 🤪)

Mirka

You Tube Sit on This!

In this episode Vicky & Ray meet Patricia Alban, founder of The Bespoke Footstool Company and the heart and soul behind Sammy’s Foundation.

Patricia shares her journey and found love of upholstery & soft furnishings and through personal tragedy and is building a powerful legacy

for a new generation of neurodiverse craftspeople. In this inspiring and moving chat we talk about the therapeutic side of making, the importance of bespoke craftsmanship and the community-driven spirit at the core of her work. Whether you’re in the trade or simply curious about creating furniture Patricia is a shining example of how lifes adversity can create inspiring stories, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations of craftspeople of all ages and abilities.

To make a donation to Sammys foundation please click on this link:

Oakleaf Enterprise

Heritage Crafts

Sammys Foundation

The Bespoke Footstool Company

Our profound thanks go out to all our Sponsors

⁠Martins Upholstery Supplies⁠

⁠BeA Group

In this episode Vicky and Ray talk with the Young Upholsterer of the Year (2024), Libby Payne. Libby offers her valuable insight and thoughts on how to encourage young people to the craft as a career option.

Bob Folds Scholarship

Heritage Craft

Lawson Wood

Sponsors Links

⁠Martins Upholstery Supplies⁠

⁠BeA Group

Ray Clarke

Vicky Grubb

Sit on This!

We’re back! And in this first episode of Season 2, Ray and I dive into some of the most exciting conversations we’ve had with the makers, suppliers, and innovators shaping the upholstery industry today—and tomorrow.

This episode is packed with snippets from our live podcast recordings and interviews at the Furniture Components Show in Telford and the Hire Interiors Show in Cumbria. We talk to the people behind the products we actually use in our workshops and ask: where is upholstery headed next?

*A heads-up: some of the audio isn’t as crisp as we’d like (live recording vs studio life!), but we’ve polished it as much as possible—we promise the content is worth it!*

Huge thanks to all our brilliant guests:

Chris from Enkev

John from Pathfinder

Tony and Paul from BeA

Rachel and Clive from Cable & Blake

Rhys from AE Sewing

 We got so much out of these chats, and we hope you do too.

Sponsors Links

Martins Upholstery Supplies

BeA Group