Immediately after you enroll in the Foley-Belsaw Institute’s Professional Upholstery Career Program, you will receive your first SkillPak or Lesson Book. Each SkillPak or Lesson Book contains all the course material you need to successfully complete each lesson.
Your SkillPaks or Lesson Books are written by industry experts; professional upholstery technicians who understand the business, the techniques, and what it takes to be successful.
SkillPaks or Lesson Books will arrive as needed, each containing about four lessons – sometimes more, sometimes less. At the end of each lesson, you will find an exam or homework assignment. Detailed instructions mean that each lesson assignment is easy to follow and complete. Exams contain 10 questions that you can always double check in the lesson material prior to answering an exam question. This means you always have the opportunity to review as you go.
After you have completed the final lesson in each SkillPak or Lesson Book, you will send in the exam answer sheets and/or lesson card to your instructor. Your instructor will check your work and issue a grade. Once we have received your completed SkillPak or Lesson Book, we will send you the next.
The Foley-Belsaw Professional Upholstery Course consists of 30 Lessons in a series of Lesson Books according to the following Course Guide:
| LESSON 1 |
| Section 1 |
What Custom Upholstery Offers You |
| Section 2 |
Starting a Spare Time Business |
| Section 3 |
How to Get the Most from your Upholstery Program |
| Section 4 |
Describing and Illustrating you Projects |
| |
Quiz #1 |
| LESSON 2 |
| Section 5 |
Dictionary of Upholstery Terms A-P |
| Section 6 |
Dictionary of Upholstery Terms P-Z |
| Section 7 |
Introduction to Tools and How to Use Them |
| Section 8 |
Padding a Simple Seat |
| Section 9 |
Your Future as an Upholsterer |
| Section 10 |
Upholstering as it is Today |
| |
Quiz #2 |
| LESSON 3 |
| Section 11 |
Furniture Recognition |
| Section 12 |
Foam Seat Project |
| Section 13 |
Repairing of Simple Padded Furniture |
| |
Quiz #3 |
| LESSON 4 |
| Section 14 |
Padding a Wooden Bench |
| Section 15 |
Padding a Solid Sear Chair |
| Section 16 |
Staining and Finishing Furniture |
| Section 17 |
Introduction to Furniture History |
| |
Quiz #4 |
| LESSON 5 |
| Section 18 |
Building a Solid Frame Ottoman |
| Section 19 |
Fixing the Edge Roll and Stuffing an Ottoman |
| Section 20 |
Fabric Layout and Application |
| Section 21 |
Locating Low Cost Frames for Practice |
| |
Quiz #5 |
| LESSON 6 |
| Section 22 |
Tearing Down and Reupholstering a Used Ottoman |
| Section 23 |
Applying the Edge Roll, Padding and Stuffing on a Used Ottoman |
| Section 24 |
A General Discussion of Furniture |
| Section 25 |
History of Furniture Styles |
| Section 26 |
Room Color and Harmony in Upholstery |
| |
Quiz #6 |
| LESSON 7 |
| Section 27 |
Types of Springs and Their Uses |
| Section 28 |
Springing a Coil-spring Ottoman |
| Section 29 |
The Art of Tying Springs |
| Section 30 |
Building Layers of Upholstery |
| |
Quiz #7 |
| LESSON 8 |
| Section 31 |
Footstools of Odd Shape |
| Section 32 |
Introduction to Fabrics |
| Section 33 |
The New Fabrics - Synthetics |
| Section 34 |
Furniture Hardware |
| Section 35 |
Repairing Broken Furniture |
| Section 36 |
Building a Cutting Table |
| |
Quiz #8 |
| LESSON 9 |
| Section 37 |
England's Influence on Furniture |
| Section 38 |
Care of Fabrics and Upholstering |
| Section 39 |
Building You Own Upholsterer's Trestles |
| |
Quiz #9 |
| LESSON 10 |
| Section 40 |
Sewing Machine Techniques |
| Section 41 |
Using the Sewing Machine |
| Section 42 |
How to Construct a Low-Cost Machine from an Electric Portable |
| |
Quiz #10 |
| LESSON 11 |
| Section 43 |
Introduction to Slip-Covers |
| Section 44 |
Measuring the Slip-Cover (Ottoman) |
| Section 45 |
Pinning and Cutting the Slip-Cover |
| Section 46 |
Sewing the Slip-Cover |
| |
Quiz #11 |
| LESSON 12 |
| Section 47 |
Slip-Covering a day Bed |
| Section 48 |
Making a Throw Pillow |
| Section 49 |
History of American Furniture |
| Section 50 |
Building a Spring Edge |
| |
Quiz #12 |
| LESSON 13 |
| Section 51 |
Introduction to Cornices |
| Section 52 |
Designing and Building a Cornice |
| Section 53 |
Upholstering the Cornice |
| |
Quiz #13 |
| LESSON 14 |
| Section 54 |
Mitering and Applying the Quarter Round |
| Section 55 |
Installing the Welt and Lining |
| Section 56 |
Cornice Hardware & Installation |
| |
Quiz #14 |
| LESSON 15 |
| Section 57 |
Restyling and Recovering Cornices |
| Section 58 |
Making an Upholster's Apron |
| Section 59 |
Restyling Furniture |
| Section 60 |
Reupholstering the Chair |
| Section 61 |
Covering the Back and Making the Cushion |
| Section 62 |
Making the seat Cushion |
| |
Quiz #15 |
| LESSON 16 |
| Section 63 |
You Build a Boudoir Chair |
| Section 64 |
Tying Eight-way Springs |
| Section 65 |
Stuffing and Muslin Applications |
| |
Quiz #16 |
| LESSON 17 |
| Lesson 66 |
Applying the Muslin to Inside Arms |
| Lesson 67 |
Covering the Inside Back with Muslin |
| Lesson 68 |
Leveling a Chair |
| Section 69 |
The Fabric Paper Plan |
| |
Quiz # 17 |
| LESSON 18 |
| Section 70 |
Covering the Seat with Fabric |
| Section 71 |
Covering the Border |
| Section 72 |
Covering the Inside Arms |
| Section 73 |
Covering the Inside Back and Outside Arms |
| Section 74 |
Covering the Outside Back |
| |
Quiz #18 |
| LESSON 19 |
| Section 75 |
Skirting and Covering the Bottom |
| Section 76 |
Reupholstering Solid Seats |
| Section 77 |
Making a Pull-up Chair |
| Section 78 |
A Look at our Progress |
| |
Quiz #19 |
| LESSON 20 |
| Section 79 |
How to Make an Occasional Chair |
| Section 80 |
Tips on Seat Construction |
| Section 81 |
Building a Spring-seat |
| Section 82 |
Upholstering Arms |
| |
Quiz #20 |
| LESSON 21 |
| Section 83 |
Slip-covering a Boudoir Chair |
| Section 84 |
Paper Planning and Fitting |
| Section 85 |
Pinning the Slip-Cover |
| Section 86 |
Sewing the Slip-Cover |
| Section 87 |
Making Draperies for Profit |
| |
Quiz #21 |
| LESSON 22 |
| Section 88 |
Drapery Measuring and Estimation |
| Section 89 |
Making a Pair (unlined) |
| Section 90 |
Making the Pleats and Hanging the Drapes |
| Section 91 |
Polyfoam - The Upholsterer's Friend |
| Section 92 |
A Section in Pictures |
| |
Quiz #22 |
| LESSON 23 |
| Section 93 |
Making Piping for Channel-back Chairs |
| Section 94 |
Leather, Foam, and Synthetic Leather |
| Section 95 |
How to Make a Wing Chair |
| Section 96 |
How o Upholster a Brentwood Chair |
| Section 97 |
Upholstering a Folding Chair |
| |
Quiz #23 |
| LESSON 24 |
| Section 98 |
Making a Chaise Lounge |
| Section 99 |
Applying Layers of Upholstery |
| Section 100 |
Using a Button and Cushion Machine |
| Section 101 |
Doing Diamond Tufting |
| Section 102 |
Polyfoam Techniques |
| |
Quiz #24 |
| LESSON 25 |
| Section 103 |
Custom Auto Upholstery |
| Section 104 |
Custom Auto Upholstery |
| Section 105 |
Custom Auto Upholstery |
| Section 106 |
Custom Auto Upholstery |
| Section 107 |
Custom Auto Upholstery |
| |
Quiz #25 |
| LESSON 26 |
| Section 108 |
Preparing the Club Chair Frame |
| Section 109 |
Webbing the Club Chair Frame |
| Section 110 |
Springing-up |
| Section 111 |
Tying the Springs |
| |
Quiz #26 |
| LESSON 27 |
| Section 112 |
Burlapping the Springs and Applying the Edges |
| Section 113 |
Decking and Nosing |
| Section 114 |
Making the paper Plan |
| Section 115 |
Covering the Inside Arms |
| Section 116 |
Covering the Inside Back |
| |
Quiz #27 |
| LESSON 28 |
| Section 117 |
Buttoning a Back Cushion |
| Section 118 |
Making a Pillow Back |
| Section 119 |
Cover the Outside Arms and Back |
| Section 120 |
Making a Foam Stuffed Cushion |
| Section 121 |
Labeling Requirements |
| |
Quiz #28 |
| LESSON 29 |
| Section 122 |
How To Upholster a love Seat |
| Section 123 |
Building the Love Seat in Upholstery |
| Section 124 |
Applying the Final Cover |
| |
Quiz #29 |
| LESSON 30 |
| Section 125 |
Building a Luxury Lounge |
| Section 126 |
Applying the Upholstery and Cover |
| Section 127 |
Upholstery as a Business |
| |
FINAL EXAM |
