Tackling upholstery has been a learning experience in many ways. My usual approach when tackling a new skill is to get some books on the subject, see if any classes are available, start with practice pieces, and then tackle a simple first project. In recent years I’ve added on-line courses for things like Fusion 360.
This time I added YouTube to the mix. I’ve used YouTube with great success as a resource for things like changing the battery in a 2013 CMax – the first challenge is finding the battery!
There are many YouTube videos on upholstery. Seeing how a task is done is a very powerful learning tool. To the point that I’ve ended up using YouTube as my primary resource for learning upholstery!
YouTube creators show many different approaches from high end work to rather crude quick and dirty techniques. The creators themselves range from engaging to annoying. With a bias toward annoying…
Sampling the different channels and approaches I came across Cechaflo. This channel has several hundred videos posted and offers upholstery courses. While many of the projects are advanced, he makes them clear and approachable. They have an excellent set of introductory videos for someone just getting started.
I’m not sure where he is located, but it apparently isn’t in the US. Cechaflo uses a novel approach to his videos – there is no narration and no background music. The videos themselves have excellent production quality and are clear and easy to understand.
Cechaflo takes you through the entire process of accomplishing a task, going step by step in a very clear way. Instead of narration, where appropriate he uses written notes to convey information.
Further, Cechaflo is a craftsman. All of his work is high quality and he doesn’t cut corners. There are many ways to accomplish any given task – and Cechaflo often shows several different ways to do something. The difference is that all of the ways he shows lead to high quality results. With Cechaflo you aren’t learning bad habits or quick and dirty approaches.
After going through these videos I have a good idea of what to do and how to do it. The only thing lacking is the actual skill to execute. And how to apply the concepts from the video to my project which isn’t exactly the same. And perhaps a solid understanding of how to actually do what was shown on the video…
Which brings us back to all of the practice pieces I have been doing. Having a solid idea of what the end result should be, what steps need to be taken, and how to accomplish those steps is a great starting point. With that as a starting point, execute the basic steps over and over until you get acceptable results. Then move on to the next step.
Having a good understanding of what you are trying to do is a great place to start developing new skills. There is still frustration and making garbage in the early stages. But understanding the process and seeing what the final results should look like makes learning much easier.
I don’t think YouTube will replace books for all new skills I need to learn, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well it works for learning mechanical skills like upholstery.