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At the In Stitches podcast HQ, changes are afoot.  In this episode, our host Robbie Richardson gives an update on what's happening. 

In this week’s episode, Robbie talks to Rowena Murphy. After being housed round the corner from an upholstery shop, Rowena began her journey into the world of upholstery. From being homeless and living on other people’s sofas to working on the AMUSF course at Shoreditch, hear how upholstery helped to better Rowena’s mental health, turned her passion into her work, and how she found her love for the craft.

In this week’s episode, Robbie talks to Helena, Anna and Lucy who are in their second and third years of the AMU course at the Bristol Upholstery Collective. Despite creativity running in their families, neither one of this week’s guests planned on going into a career in upholstery, nor could they have predicted just how life-changing it would be for them when they started. From working in corporate roles to falling in love with the trade, hear how all three ladies swapped their 9-5 jobs for a place on a course at the Bristol Collective and how they’ve found their experience in the industry so far.

Since helping her Grandad in his workshop as a young child, Sharon has always had a passion for crafting. During her school years, Sharon loved art and woodwork lessons, and at 16 moved away from home to study a 2-year BTEC course at college. From there, she went on to have a career in fashion retail, whilst continuing to create things on the side for fun. Tune in to hear how Sharon swapped her retail job for a chance to study at the Ministry of Upholstery and how that has changed her life for the better.

In this week’s episode of In Stitches, Robbie is talking to Susie Stanway, who has recently completed the BSUF's Advanced Traditional Diploma. During her school years Susie knew she wanted to do something to feed her passion for creativity but never considered upholstery as an option.  A successful career in fashion marketing followed but, after 20 years, she needed a change. Tune in to hear how taking a leisure class led to Susie falling in love with the craft and throwing herself in at the deep end, beginning her journey into a new career in upholstery.

In this week's episode Robbie talks to student upholsterer Debbie Cave. From being a teenager, Debbie always had a passion for crafting, initially wanting a career in cabinet making. Unable to study the relevant course to enable her to pursue her dream,  she ended up having a ten year career with NatWest and gaining a degree in Psychology and Counselling.  Tune in to discover how a chance find on Amazon's bookshelves led to Debbie finding Alex Law's course and beginning her journey in to upholstery, and why she thinks you shouldn't let anything hold you back from giving things a go! 

In this week’s episode of In Stitches Robbie is chatting to Aimee Payton, who is coming to the end of her studies at AMUSF. Even as a teenager, Aimee had a passion for textiles, going as far as getting a masters in the History of Design and Decorative art to pursue her dreams. Tune in to discover how Aimee had a 12 year-long career working at the Ashmolean Museum, before stumbling upon the world of upholstery, falling in love with the trade, and subsequently making the decision to see where it could take her.

You probably wouldn’t expect to find a former film lawyer working as an Upholsterer but today’s In Stitches guest, Delyth Fetherston-Dilke, had a very successful career as a lawyer with Warner Bros. before switching paths. Now the proud owner of Delyth Upholstery, Delyth shares her experiences and thoughts on becoming an upholsterer, as well as explaining what she believes would benefit students/new upholsterers going forward.  Listen in to find out which career she has found the most challenging (you might be surprised!) and hear about an interesting find she once made whilst tackling an old chair! 

Chatting to Robbie in this week’s episode of In Stitches is Paula Johnson, a first-year student at the AMUSF. In her teens, Paula was interested in art, textiles and food, and decided she wanted to pursue a career in food thinking it would pay the best!  Cheekily contacting BBC Good Food magazine to try and secure some work experience led to a career in food journalism working for some well-known and respected companies. So why did she leave behind a career she loved, what made her turn to upholstery and what’s it like being a student again? Tune in to find out!

Next up in the ‘In Stitches’ hotseat is Giuliana Cortese, who is currently a first year student at the BSUF. Although Giuliana always knew that she wanted to follow a creative career path, Upholstery was not her first choice. A successful work placement with fashion royalty, Vivienne Westwood, inspired a love textiles, shoes and accessories and Giuliana found a career in the fashion industry. When changes in manufacturing left her feeling deflated, she started her own business in Italian food but eventually found herself looking for a new path. We hear how she found Upholstery quite by chance, why she feels all students would benefit from being given an introduction to running a business, and the excitement of falling in love with something new.

In this week’s episode, Robbie is chatting to Helen Buckley, who is nearly at the end of a 3-year Diploma at the British School of Upholstered Furniture. Helen has always had a passion for fabrics and colours (and a bit of an obsession with chairs), so after being given a taster session with the well-known and respected Upholsterer Wendy Shorter as a birthday present, she was well and truly bitten by the upholstery bug! We hear how important the support of Helen's family and her fellow students has been whilst completing the Diploma, why it’s important to take compliments on board, and how taking a step back when you’re struggling can help bring things into perspective. It's fascinating insight into the life of a student Upholsterer!

It’s time for a new season of In Stitches, and this season we’re chatting to upholsterers whose introduction to the trade came much more recently than some of our previous distinguished guests. Up first, Robbie chats to Petra Gadsby of Gadsby Design.  Listening to how she came to be an Upholsterer and her reasons why she chose the trade, Petra’s enthusiasm and passion is inspiring. We hear about the journey she took from student to business owner, and Petra shares her thoughts on how students and established upholsterers can work together to ensure the longevity of the trade. Whether you’re a student, professional upholsterer, or just a hobbyist, Petra’s story is entertaining, inspiring and full of great tips. If you’re an upholsterer who is interested in sharing your story on future episodes of In Stitches, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us at: Hannah@richardsonandpaige.co.uk