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jowithtwoiis's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a pretty comprehensive and detailed. I loved how all the steps were illustrated. Doesn't skim over the more advanced techniques like some books do, while still managing to keep the instructions simple enough to seem doable. Another library borrow that I'll be adding to my to buy list.
sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Storey Publishing.
Upholstery is something I've been wanting to dabble my hand in for a long while. I've even checked out a few books from the library on the topic. But all the books I've found have been at least 30 years old, with limited scope and confusing/lacking instructions. Or some combination there of. Spruce is different.
Firstly, its clean and modern. The pages aren't to cluttered, there's lots of white space and it has a nice, easy on the eye colour palette. So much better than all those 70's titles with orange drawings and so much small, crammed text that it's enough to make your head explode. The approach in Spruce is deceptively simple. It only contains 5 in-depth projects: an ottoman, a three-seater sofa, a wing back chair, a pair of slipper chairs and a louis chair. But it provides a genius mix-and-match guide which means that with a little in-depth reading and minimal adapting, you can reupholster anything yourself. It's surprisingly effective; reading through the instructions for each piece it was easy to see how they could be applied to completely different pieces. A final chapter gives helpful (if not as detailed) instructions for sewing matching soft furnishings. The appendix contains plenty (like a bucketload) of useful advice, from essentials in settling up your own upholstery business to fabric variations.
The instructions in Spruce are detailed, thorough and seem achievable if you follow them closely and carefully. The photos and drawings are very clear, and add to the instructions rather than making them more complex.
If I have one small criticism to make its that I wouldn't feel comfortable as a DIY-er just jumping in to upholstery on a Sunday afternoon with this book as my guide. Spruce is almost too professional. The tools are numerous and expensive, the processes lengthy. To some extent this is the reality of fantastic looking upholstery, but on the other hand I've seen other titles that are far more DIY friendly (even if offering a less polished look).
Overall, Spruce is a genuinely interesting and attractive package. Even if it made me more scared of home upholstery than I was before. I'm not sure if I'll be tackling my old wingback quite yet.
Upholstery is something I've been wanting to dabble my hand in for a long while. I've even checked out a few books from the library on the topic. But all the books I've found have been at least 30 years old, with limited scope and confusing/lacking instructions. Or some combination there of. Spruce is different.
Firstly, its clean and modern. The pages aren't to cluttered, there's lots of white space and it has a nice, easy on the eye colour palette. So much better than all those 70's titles with orange drawings and so much small, crammed text that it's enough to make your head explode. The approach in Spruce is deceptively simple. It only contains 5 in-depth projects: an ottoman, a three-seater sofa, a wing back chair, a pair of slipper chairs and a louis chair. But it provides a genius mix-and-match guide which means that with a little in-depth reading and minimal adapting, you can reupholster anything yourself. It's surprisingly effective; reading through the instructions for each piece it was easy to see how they could be applied to completely different pieces. A final chapter gives helpful (if not as detailed) instructions for sewing matching soft furnishings. The appendix contains plenty (like a bucketload) of useful advice, from essentials in settling up your own upholstery business to fabric variations.
The instructions in Spruce are detailed, thorough and seem achievable if you follow them closely and carefully. The photos and drawings are very clear, and add to the instructions rather than making them more complex.
If I have one small criticism to make its that I wouldn't feel comfortable as a DIY-er just jumping in to upholstery on a Sunday afternoon with this book as my guide. Spruce is almost too professional. The tools are numerous and expensive, the processes lengthy. To some extent this is the reality of fantastic looking upholstery, but on the other hand I've seen other titles that are far more DIY friendly (even if offering a less polished look).
Overall, Spruce is a genuinely interesting and attractive package. Even if it made me more scared of home upholstery than I was before. I'm not sure if I'll be tackling my old wingback quite yet.
liedora's review against another edition
2.0
I am very much into upcycling and recycling old furniture as a way to reducing my carbon footprint, so when I was given the opportunity to review this book I jumped at the chance, thinking I would be now able to take on bigger projects and expand from the usual tables, bookcases etc., that I normally do.
The cover for this book is bright and colourful, and held at lot of promises as to what I might find within its pages, but it didn’t keep those promises. Firstly I looked for the easiest project, in my mind, in the index which was an ottoman; again I was wrong, this was not going to be the easy to follow guide I imagined it to be.
For the experienced or intermediate upholsterer, this book is ideal and will help you take your skills to a top-notch level, but for beginners it will make you feel that all your successes up to this point have been failures, and this is not a feeling a book that describes itself as ‘the only book you’ll need to learn the craft and art of upholstery from start to finish’ should project. Yes, the step by step instructions and accompanying photographs are very clear and detailed, but it isn’t until you read the list of required tools at the end of the book that you realise this is not for those wanting to learn the basics.
I felt that the ‘tool recommendations’ would have been better placed at the beginning of the book, along with some upholstery techniques that the reader would need to be familiar with before trying to start on these projects. Also it needs to state that these are projects that may be best carried out in a workshop and away from inquisitive tiny hands due to the tools used, and that the materials suggested may turn out to be expensive for those on a limited budget.
I did enjoy looking at this book imagining myself doing these kinds of projects, and I do commend the Author for her skill in this area. With this in mind I would recommend this book to anyone with more than a basic knowledge of upholstery, and who may be looking to take it to the next level with the intent of turning a hobby into a business. Unfortunately this was not the book I was hoping it would be.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/09/13/review-spruce-a-step-by-step-guide-to-upholstery-and-design-amanda-brown/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
The cover for this book is bright and colourful, and held at lot of promises as to what I might find within its pages, but it didn’t keep those promises. Firstly I looked for the easiest project, in my mind, in the index which was an ottoman; again I was wrong, this was not going to be the easy to follow guide I imagined it to be.
For the experienced or intermediate upholsterer, this book is ideal and will help you take your skills to a top-notch level, but for beginners it will make you feel that all your successes up to this point have been failures, and this is not a feeling a book that describes itself as ‘the only book you’ll need to learn the craft and art of upholstery from start to finish’ should project. Yes, the step by step instructions and accompanying photographs are very clear and detailed, but it isn’t until you read the list of required tools at the end of the book that you realise this is not for those wanting to learn the basics.
I felt that the ‘tool recommendations’ would have been better placed at the beginning of the book, along with some upholstery techniques that the reader would need to be familiar with before trying to start on these projects. Also it needs to state that these are projects that may be best carried out in a workshop and away from inquisitive tiny hands due to the tools used, and that the materials suggested may turn out to be expensive for those on a limited budget.
I did enjoy looking at this book imagining myself doing these kinds of projects, and I do commend the Author for her skill in this area. With this in mind I would recommend this book to anyone with more than a basic knowledge of upholstery, and who may be looking to take it to the next level with the intent of turning a hobby into a business. Unfortunately this was not the book I was hoping it would be.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/09/13/review-spruce-a-step-by-step-guide-to-upholstery-and-design-amanda-brown/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
annieb123's review
5.0
Whenever a book waxes hyperbolic and blurbs "the ONLY book you'll ever need to ___", I think *meh*. BOY howdy, was I wrong. This book, lavishly photographed and meticulous, really delivers.
I'm what I like to think of as a keen amateur and fixer-of-things and am fairly comfortable with simple painting, refinishing, and the like. This book was not afraid to really dive into the deep end and tackle advanced concepts like channel stuffing, recovering wing and lyre back furniture, diamond tufting and a lot lot more, but in a clear and easy to follow manner that isn't intimidating.
I really love the setup of the book where each design element has its own chapter and you can progress through a project alacart...
It's not often in my experience that a book manages to be a really good tutorial book AND an all purpose encyclopedic reference book at the same time.
I borrowed it from the library and immediately went and purchased my own copy.
Highly recommended
I'm what I like to think of as a keen amateur and fixer-of-things and am fairly comfortable with simple painting, refinishing, and the like. This book was not afraid to really dive into the deep end and tackle advanced concepts like channel stuffing, recovering wing and lyre back furniture, diamond tufting and a lot lot more, but in a clear and easy to follow manner that isn't intimidating.
I really love the setup of the book where each design element has its own chapter and you can progress through a project alacart...
It's not often in my experience that a book manages to be a really good tutorial book AND an all purpose encyclopedic reference book at the same time.
I borrowed it from the library and immediately went and purchased my own copy.
Highly recommended
agianelloni's review against another edition
5.0
Detailed with step by step instructions and photographs. Great for learning both the basics of re-upholstery and advanced techniques! And I love the author's quirky eclectic style... the book includes many examples for future inspiration.
local_hat's review
informative
4.0
Incredibly thourough and detailed without being overwhelming. I feel confident both that I could do upholstery, and also that I very much am happy to pay someone else for their expertise.
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