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Events Calendar

Events for all NUA events are displayed in the calendar below. Members can view events not available to public. 

If you are an Industry Partner, you can advertise up to 6 trade show appearances/events on the calendar each year. If you are an Educator member, you can advertise up to 12 classes on the calendar each year. To add events, contact us. 

Upcoming events

  • Box Cushion Construction

    • May 13, 2025
    • 1:00 PM

    Learn techniques upholsterers and slipcover-makers use to create perfect box cushions in record time. Topics include welt cord, pattern matching, zipper insertion, and inserts for indoor and outdoor applications. Tips for long bench cushions and welt-edge throw pillows are also included.

    With Jeanelle Dech


    A life-long textile enthusiast, entrepreneur, and educator, Jeanelle Dech leads a team of twenty-two people as the president of Adaptive Textiles, an innovative textile printing company in West Chester, PA. She is the creative energy behind The Workroom Channel's METHOD SHARE, FLY ON THE WALL, and REAL WORKROOM series (www.TheWorkroomChannel.com), and is the founder of The Workroom Marketplace (www.WorkroomMarketplace.com) which offers a curated collection of drapery patterns and workroom efficiency tools to professional sewists around the world.  She celebrates nearly four decades in the home décor industry with the launch of her latest venture, Klimaka Studios (www.klimakastudios.com), which provides a beautiful collection of fabrics and engineered designs for the profit and joy of workrooms.

    Show details

  • Natural Fibers for Upholstery

    • June 10, 2025
    • 1:00 PM
    With Karsten Siewert

    Natural fibers are preferred for upholstery due to the following reasons:
     Eco-Friendly: Natural fibers come from renewable resources that are biodegradable and sustainable.
     Breathability and Comfort: Natural fibers are highly breathable and comfortable.
     Durability and Longevity: Natural fibers are durable and long-lasting.
     Hypoallergenic Properties: Some natural fibers are hypoallergenic.

     Timeless Elegance and Versatility: Natural fibers offer a timeless and versatile   look.

    American-Dutch, born raised educated in the Netherlands, since 2001 in furniture & mattress industry in Europe since 2007 in furniture & mattress industry in North Carolina

    Show details

  • Furniture Manufacturing Expo

    • June 11, 2025
    • June 12, 2025
    • Hickory Metro Convention Center, Hickory, NC

    Furniture Manufacturing Expo is the opportunity to take part in the only trade show in North America showcasing the largest gathering of suppliers and the latest solutions for manufacturers of furniture.
     
    Over two days, attendees have the chance to engage with exhibiting suppliers and see first-hand the latest innovative products, equipment, and machinery as well as gain a better understanding of the services and new technology making a critical impact on warehousing, logistics, finance, and the bottom line. The show also features an engaging education program developed by show management with topic/speaker guidance from the show’s advisory board of industry leaders.

    Gain a fresh industry perspective, generate new product ideas, develop new relationships, and enhance existing connections in the industry!

    Registration Opens late January 2025!


    Who Should Attend?

    Professionals of all management levels involved in the manufacturing of furniture such as but not limited to:

    • Designers
    • Engineers
    • Executives
    • Machine Operators
    • Plant Managers
    • Procurement Officers
    • Purchasing Managers
    • Quality Control Managers
    • Research & Development Managers
    • Specifiers

    Education Program

    Developed by show management in conjunction with the show’s advisory board, the 2025 education program will focus on the latest innovations, technology, and techniques for the furniture manufacturing industry.

    All sessions will be available to registered attendees at no additional charge.

    Learn from industry professionals as they discuss the hottest topics in the furniture industry.


    Who's Exhibiting?

    Companies that produce, design, develop, and/or manufacture products and equipment, or offer services and solutions for the furniture manufacturing industry will be showcasing their latest products, services, machinery, and technologies for the furniture manufacturing industry.

    Click here to see a full list of Exhibitors.

    Show details

  • 3-Day Leather Upholstery Workshop, Castle Rock, CO June 21-23, 2025

    • June 21, 2025
    • 9:00 AM
    • June 23, 2025
    • 5:00 PM

     With Rhonda Shanahan

    I will be teaching a 3-day leather workshop June 21-23, 2025. If you’ve been wanting to add leather to your upholstery skills this is the workshop for you. This class is limited to 3 students for individual attention.

    Day 1: Intro to leather. This day will include how to measure your project to calculate your sq. ft. in leather. How to order your hides. What to do when they arrive.  How to inspect the hides before you start your project. How to store your hides. Where to make your cuts. How to skive, stitch, and make buttons and welt. Coming up with a plan for your chair and planning your cuts on the hide. 

    Day 2: Getting started on your chair. Ways to attach the leather to the frame. What are the differences between fabric and leather?  Start cutting leather and upholstering your chair. How and why to vent leather cushions and solid benches or seats.  

    Day 3: Continue working on your chair. How to make a leather zipper for a cushion. How to topstitch leather. What to know if you want to add a leather welt to your cushion? Wrap up your chair project. If time allows we’ll practice sewing and creating with leather scraps. Some projects may be pillows, poufs, and baskets.

    REGISTER HERE!

    Show details

  • The Business of Upholstery Education: Turning Your Skills into a Teaching Program

    • July 08, 2025
    • 1:00 PM

    Join our panel as they share their unique approaches to integrating upholstery education into their businesses.

    Panel Discussion with Kymm Clark, Lindsay Orwig, Nancy Sargent, Rhonda Shanahan, and Claire Wright.

    Show details

  • How to Specify Fabrics for Window Treatments and Upholstery

    • August 12, 2025
    • 1:00 PM

    With Morris Mayer


    Show details

  • Tips and Tricks from the Professionals at PUN

    • September 09, 2025
    • 1:00 PM


    With Lindsay Orwig


    Show details

  • Custom Workroom Conference

    • September 23, 2025
    • September 25, 2025
    • Kingsport, TN

    Why attend CWC?

    If you are new to the workroom industry, or would like to learn more about starting your own workroom business.

    If you are an experienced workroom owner looking for fellowship, fresh ideas and inspiration.

    If you are looking for better and more efficient methods and equipment to improve production.

    If you would like to meet your peers and suppliers in person, to put a face to a name and strengthen relationships.

    If you would like help with pricing, marketing or setting business goals.

    If you have never attended a workroom conference – it can be life changing!

    ​https://www.customworkroomconference.com/

    Show details

  • RV Interiors Made Easy

    • October 14, 2025
    • 1:00 PM

    Learn the basics of RV interiors, from camper vans to luxury motor homes.  You'll discover the tools and special supplies required.  Find out the difference between home and RV furniture and cushions and other requirements you need to consider for pricing.  How to start easy and what to watch out for.

    With Diane Girty

    Diane lives in Windsor Ontario Canada, just south of Detroit, and surrounded by the great lakes. Her business, “New Skins Upholstery”, is behind her house. 80% of her business comes from Marine, but she also does auto, furniture, ATV’s and RV’s.

    She has been in the upholstery business for 16 years, having spent the first 32 years of her career doing accounting/finance.

    In her spare time she loves to travel, do crafts and ride her bike. She has 6 grandchildren from ages 25 to 15, all of whom have learned to sew/upholster in her shop. Two granddaughters are learning the upholstery trade and loving it.


    Show details

  • Advanced Textiles Expo 2025

    • November 05, 2025
    • November 07, 2025
    • Indianapolis, IN

    CONNECT with over 4,500 textiles professionals.

    DISCOVER the newest innovations in the marketplace.

    SOURCE from over 300 exhibitors to drive your business forward.

    Advanced Textiles Expo, formerly IFAI Expo, is organized by Advanced Textiles Association (ATA).

    For a century, Advanced Textiles Expo has been the industrial fabrics industry’s flagship show. As the premier textiles event, Expo is the place where industry stakeholders and leaders CONNECT, DISCOVER, and SOURCE in order to grow their businesses.


    https://advancedtextilesexpo.com

    Show details

  • Intermediate Spring Tying Techniques

    • November 11, 2025
    • 1:00 PM

    With Upholstery Education's Gareth Rees

    In this webinar, Gareth will expand on an earlier discussion of spring dynamics, how they work, effective lashing methods for a range of furniture styles and methods for choosing the right gauges and heights.

    Gareth Rees has been working as an upholsterer for over 27 years. He gained his training on the shop floor, working in various workshops in England and Wales and is versed in many aspects of furniture making from cabinet work to mattress making.

    Gareth started his own company in 2004 and in this time has taken commissions and private work for high end interior design companies, bespoke furniture makers, private collectors, antique dealers, embassies and museums.

    Here in the US, Gareth is the course writer and primary tutor for Upholstery Education, offering continuing education classes to upholstery professionals and aspiring individuals new to the trade. Back home in the United Kingdom, Gareth is a director and full time instructor at the British School of Upholstered Furniture in Oxfordshire, UK where he teaches the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers (AMUSF) Diploma program. He is also the lead tutor for the Advancements in Traditional Upholstery Diploma, run in association with the Guild of Traditional Upholsterers (GTU).

    Past Chairman of the Guild of Traditional Upholsterers. Currently he sits as its vice chair and examination/journeyman secretary.

    In March 2023 Gareth was awarded the Master Upholders certificate from the Worshipful Company of Upholders.

    Although a full-time educator, Gareth still takes on commissions from select clients, predominantly focusing on the decorative arts from 1840-1950.

    Gareth is eager to promote and celebrate the craft and trade of upholstery to a broader spectrum of people.



    Show details

  • French Mattress Techniques

    • December 09, 2025
    • 1:00 PM


    With Polly Waite

    Check back for more information!


    Show details

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