Journal · Boston Upholstery Design
Notes from the workroom
Upholstery, notions and the small tools that make a day's work easier.
Jul 2026Setting up a sewing bench that worksBench height, light, where the pins go and where the bin goes. The layout decisions that decide whether a session is comfortable or exhausting.Read →
Jun 2026Wooden-base pincushions and why they stay putThe Japanese-style pincushion is a small object with a specific advantage over every other design, and it is one you only notice at a busy bench.Read →
May 2026Pins for upholstery versus dressmakingPin length, thickness, point shape and head type, and why the pin that works on cotton lawn bends in a chair arm.Read →
May 2026Wrist pincushions for working standing upWhy upholstery and fitting work needs the pins on your arm rather than on the table, how to wear one so it does not turn, and who should not use…Read →
Apr 2026Magnetic pin holders: what they do and do not doA magnetic tray is not a pin cushion and it will not hold a needle you have threaded. Where it is far better than a cushion, and the two situations…Read →
Mar 2026What is inside a tomato pin cushionThe tomato is the most recognisable object in sewing and almost nobody knows why it is a tomato, or what the little strawberry attached to it is for.Read →