Tel: 07716 527793 Email: curvedneedle@aol.com
This is me with my Diploma and the four projects I did as part of the assessment. I would love to say that Barley the Labradoodle is my workshop dog, but she's too scared of the tools and machinery to come anywhere near!
The view from behind the workshop; Queensbury is one of the highest villages in England, over 300m above sea level, and we can see for miles!
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Hello and welcome! My name is Rachel and I am the owner of Curved Needle Upholstery.
After many years in teaching, I retrained in both traditional and modern upholstery. I have a Diploma awarded by the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers; in all three stages of the course I achieved Pass with Distinction, of which I am very proud. I was also fortunate to have been taught by two Fellows of the AMUSF. They instilled in me their very high standards and an appreciation of the art of upholstery, which requires an understanding of both the practical and artistic elements of furniture construction. I am a small-scale, independent, friendly and reliable upholsterer based in Queensbury, between Halifax and Bradford. I love my home-workshop, where I am often helped by my husband, who is skilled at frame repairs. All my work meets current Furniture Fire Safety Regulations. I will take the time to listen to your needs, advising on fabric and trimmings if required, giving you a personalised service. I am somewhat a perfectionist (both a blessing and a curse!), so patterns have to match, lines have to be straight and everything symmetrical! I absolutely love transforming tired, old furniture into things of beauty once more. My charges are reasonable, although they do reflect the amount of time and skill required to create bespoke upholstery for you. I enjoy all sorts of arts and crafts, and have been sewing since I was nine. My eye for form and colour transfers well to the reinvention of furniture, and I can create something amazingly unique for you! I also have great sympathy for antique pieces, being a Historian by training, and can ensure that an older piece is reupholstered correctly for its period. In January 2018 I was Runner-Up in the Heico Chair Design Competition, with my Elizabethan Knot Garden design. I imagined and made every aspect of this little chair from scratch, and it reflects my love of history and fabric, as well as showcasing the range of techniques that can be incorporated into a chair. It was featured in Upholsterer & Soft Furnisher magazine! There are more pictures of this in the Gallery. Please have a look at the examples of my work in the Gallery, visit my shop and feel free to contact me to discuss your upholstery needs. Why 'Curved Needle'? The curved (or semi-circular) needle is traditionally used by upholsterers to hand stitch fabric or trimmings onto a flat surface. When you sew by hand with a straight needle, the fabric is held in your hand and can be manipulated to get the needle in and out, but this is not possible on furniture, because the fabric is tight and flat on the surface of the piece. Surgeons also use a curved needle for similar reasons when stitching up skin! So, I chose this needle to show my love of traditional methods, and to my delight found that it also made a great little 'C' for a logo! |