Workshop services

Footstools, cushions and benches, made in the loft

Six lines of work run across the bench at SofsandVivs LLC, all of them sewn and stuffed in the Murray loft at 6423 S Westridge St, Murray - 84107-7748, United States (US). Each line is described below with what we make, how the fitting is measured, and where the work usually ends up in a room.

Commission intake orders@sofsandvivs.buzz
+12315632566
Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00

Tufted Footstool Builds

A tufted footstool is the smallest complete piece we make and the clearest demonstration of how the loft thinks. The frame is built first, in kiln-dried hardwood with glued and screwed corner blocks, and the deck is webbed across the span before any cushioning goes near it. That order matters because a stool that carries a soft top over a weak deck will look perfect in the loft and then sink under a foot within a season. We measure the seat height of the chair the stool will serve, because a footstool that sits too low or too high is uncomfortable no matter how well the buttons are pulled.

Tufting comes next. Diamond tufting requires a foam pad marked on a grid and buttons pulled through the wadding at even tension; square tufting gives a more architectural top and works well in a room with straight lines; channel tufting suits narrow stools where diamonds would crowd. The dimpled buttons are pulled with heavy waxed thread and locked off on the underside of the deck, never glued, so a repair years later can be opened without destroying the top. Fabric is chosen from the bolt rack, and we cut a paper template of the top before the final cut so the pattern repeats land where the client expects.

Finished stools leave the loft with felt pads on the feet and a written note of the frame dimensions, the fill and the fabric, so a future repair starts from a record rather than a guess. Most builds take two to three loft days once the fabric is on hand.

Hardwood frame
Diamond, square or channel tuft
Felt foot pads

Cushion Cover Sewing

Cushion covers are the most handled object in any soft furnishing scheme and the least forgiving of a rushed seam. We sew replacements from the insert outward, measuring the actual cushion rather than trusting a label, and we allow for the way a fill compresses over time. A cover that fits a fresh insert tightly will strain at the zip after a month of use, so the finished cover is always tried on the insert before it is signed off.

Closures are hidden zips set into a placket, which keeps metal away from skin and allows the cover to be removed for washing without fighting a machine. Piping is cut on the bias so it curves cleanly around corners, and flange edges are drafted to the depth the client wants rather than to a default. For bolster and lumbar shapes we make a paper pattern first, because a cylinder that looks right on a table can be a full size wrong once it is stuffed.

We also reset covers that are still sound but poorly finished, taking in a seam or replacing a failed zip rather than starting from new fabric. Pairs and matched sets are cut from the same length of cloth and sewn in sequence so the pile runs the same direction on every cushion.

Hidden zip closure
Bias piping
Pairs cut from one length

Bench Seat Reupholstery

Bench seats are where upholstery and carpentry meet. A dining bench, a window seat or a mudroom box usually arrives with a sound frame and a failed top: crushed foam, a deck that has sagged between supports, or a fabric that has worn through at the front edge. We strip the top back to the bare frame, inspect the joints, and rebuild the deck with webbing or plywood according to the span. Long unsupported spans get an added center rail rather than a thicker cushion, because foam cannot fix a structural sag.

The new top is cut to the bench footprint with a small overhang, wrapped in fresh wadding, and covered in the chosen fabric with the seam placed where it will be least seen and least rubbed. Corners are folded and stitched rather than stapled into a bundle, which keeps the shape crisp after repeated use. Where a bench has a hinged lid we keep the hinge line clear of the wrap and refit the hardware with new screws.

Clients receive photographs of the tear-down and the rebuilt deck, both because it documents the work and because it shows what was actually replaced. Reupholstered benches are checked for level across the full span on a flat floor before they are released.

Deck rebuild
Hinge-safe wrap
Tear-down photographs

Fabric Swatch Loans

Choosing a fabric under loft light is a poor test of how it will behave in a living room at four in the afternoon. Our swatch loan exists to close that gap. A client may borrow up to twelve cut swatches for a week, take them home, and test them against the wall paint, the floor, the dogs and the actual light in the room. Swatches are cut generously enough to see a full repeat and to drape over the edge of a chair, because a flat square never reads the way a seat does.

Every loan is recorded in a ledger with the client name, the swatch numbers, the date out and the expected return. Borrowed swatches travel in a simple canvas sleeve that keeps them flat and away from spills. When the swatches come back we check them against the ledger, and a piece that has frayed or stained goes to the offcut bin rather than back onto the rack, so the next client never receives a tired sample.

The loan is free for clients with an open commission and carries a small deposit for visitors who are still deciding. If a fabric is chosen after the loan, the deposit is applied to the first cut. This service is also how many commissions begin, since a client who has lived with a swatch for a week arrives at the bench with a decision already made.

Up to twelve swatches
One week loan
Ledger tracked returns

Foam Cut and Refill

Foam is the layer most often blamed for a piece that has failed, and the layer most often replaced without checking the rest of the stack. We cut foam to a profile on the blocking table using a sharp blade, a straight edge and a traced template, and we match firmness to use rather than to habit. A footstool top wants a firm foam so the tuft dimples read and the seat does not bottom out; a bench used for reading can take a softer grade with a wadding wrap; a dining bench needs a grade that will not collapse under a knee.

Refill work covers inserts that have gone flat inside a sound cover. The insert is opened along an existing seam where possible, the old fill is removed and measured, and the replacement is cut to the same volume with a small allowance for the way new foam relaxes. Where the cover is still serviceable we close it with a hand stitch that matches the original seam, and the client keeps the cover they already own.

Offcuts from larger cuts are not thrown away. They are trimmed into small squares for packing, for sample blocks, and for the plum chips kept at the corner of the bench. The cutting table is ruled in inches, and every cut is written on the job card so a second batch can be matched exactly.

Traced templates
Firmness by use
Insert refill

heirloom Repair Nights

Once a month the loft stays open into the evening for pieces that carry family history. A split seat on a chair that came from a grandparent, a bolster torn at the seam, a footstool with a frame that has been in the same house for decades: these pieces get slower work and a different kind of conversation. The aim is not to make the piece look new but to make it sound again while keeping what makes it worth repairing.

Repair nights run on a first-come list with a short assessment for each piece. Where possible we keep the original fabric and patch from the underside or from a hidden return, matching the weave direction so a repair reads as a repair rather than a scar. If the fabric cannot be saved we discuss a sympathetic replacement and the client decides before anything is cut. Frame repairs are done with hide glue and clamps where the original joints allow it, rather than with modern adhesive that cannot be undone later.

Every repair is documented with before and after photographs and a written note of what was kept, what was replaced and what the client asked us to leave alone. Pieces that need more than one evening stay on the bench and are collected at the next fitting window.

Patched original fabric
Hide glue joints
Written repair record

How a commission runs from first sketch to pickup

Consultation. Bring the piece or its measurements to the loft, or send a photograph of the room and the seat. We talk about how the piece is used, what has failed, and what the client wants kept. No work is quoted before this step.
Swatch loan. Cut swatches are taken home for a week and checked in real light. Clients return the sleeve at the next visit, and the ledger is updated.
Measured drawing and estimate. The fitting dimensions are drawn on the job card and a written estimate follows by email, listing the frame work, the fill, the fabric and the sewing.
Cut and sew. The piece is stripped, the deck is inspected, the foam is cut on the blocking table and the cover is sewn on the walking foot machine. Photographs are taken at each stage.
Fitting check. The finished piece is set on a flat floor and pressed across the full seat. If it rocks or pulls, it goes back to the bench.
Pickup. The client collects from 6423 S Westridge St, Murray - 84107-7748, United States (US), and receives the job card with the fill, fabric and fitting notes for future reference.

Ready to put a piece on the rail?

Send a photograph and the approximate seat dimensions to orders@sofsandvivs.buzz, or call +12315632566 during loft hours. We will tell you which of the six services fits the piece and when the bench has room.

Open the contact page →