Stuff Stitch Upholstery Magazine Launch

I recently had the absolute pleasure of meeting up with fellow upholsterer Robbie Richardson to co-host the launch of Stuff Stitch – his bi-monthly magazine for hobbyists, students and professionals who are passionate about the Upholstery and Soft-Furnishing profession. How brilliant that finally there is a magazine dedicated to all things upholstery!

I travelled to Wiltshire to meet Robbie – who unbelievably I’d never caught up with in the flesh before. And I didn’t just get a sneak preview of the launch issue, I featured in it! Robbie asked me a couple of months ago to write an article for the first issue and I was only too happy to oblige. Talking about the positive changes the Pandemic has had on our businesses, it was great to see my name in amongst what has shaped up to be a fantastic mix of features and content. 

All about upholstery

From an idea sparked during lockdown, Robbie has managed to pull together a polished publication that gives a real insight into the profession. I know it will appeal to all levels from hobbyists, new students to renowned businesses on the upholstery scene. With interviews, insights, guest editors from across the world and extremely credible reviews, it’s a brilliant resource. You won’t be surprised to hear it’s already sold out. To be sure of securing the next issue in December, you need to subscribe via the website stuffstitch.com.

For anyone familiar with Robbie, they’ll know that Stuff Stitch magazine follows the success of his podcast ‘In Stitches’. Not only did we end up recording an IG & Facebook Live, Robbie also invited me to feature in the next series of his podcast.

“From an idea sparked during lockdown, Robbie has managed to pull together a polished publication that gives a real insight into the profession.”

What followed was a free-flowing, juicy conversation about the ins and outs of running your own ‘show’. We covered topics such as scaling your business, marketing, web and digital, customer service and training. Robbie has lived and breathed the profession from a young age and definitely knows what he’s talking about. Really refreshing to meet someone so enthused and passionate about upholstery. I loved it.

Turning upholstery into a business

I suppose what it also highlights is that while we’re dedicated to the same craft, we all run our businesses in slightly different ways. Robbie is not only known as an accomplished upholsterer, he’s also incredibly business savvy. If you ask me, the two put together are dynamite. All too often I come across people who have confidence in one area or the other, but rarely both. Robbie has invested time and money into informing himself on smarter ways to run his business. It’s got to be admired and the proof of his successes are clear to see.

We found loads to chat about and what we both agree on is the need for more open conversations and better information about what it takes to make it in upholstery. When I launched my online guide to getting into upholstery – Virtual Vintique – it was designed to do just that. I’m so proud that it’s been the springboard for some incredibly promising students. Many of them had found themselves at a crossroads in their lives and took the decision to retrain. What a fantastic career to get into. Not just a career that allows you to carve out a lifestyle that will take you into later years but also something that is all about investing in repurposing and reinventing pre-loved pieces for the future. 

You can get your copy of Stuff Stitch magazine via the website stuffstitch.com. I’ll definitely be picking up the new issue every time it lands. To listen in to the podcast, search “in Stitches’ from all the usual podcast providers, such as Spotify, Apple and Google podcasts.