NEWS
Meet Your Maker // Selvedge Edge Upholstery and Interiors
Selvedge Edge and has been producing beautiful pieces, drawing from a wealth of technical experience and eye for design. When she is not making, Becka can be found adventuring with daughter Alba, weightlifting or with chef partner James, eating and cooking. So, dive into Becka’s journey below.
What inspired you to start your upholstery journey?
My journey into upholstery began in a pretty roundabout way. I started off studying costume design and then got into guitar making while living in London. Neither were my dream calling, but they did teach me some valuable skills.
After my London stint, I ended up in Brighton, where I got into making boat covers and doing a bit of boat upholstery. When I eventually made my way back to Edinburgh, I kept up with sewing and worked as a machinist at The Feather Company. It was during my time there that I decided to apply for the Furniture Restoration course at City of Glasgow College.
What inspired me to go down this path? Well, it all came together because I had the woodworking skills from guitar making, a passion for hands-on work, and by this point was pretty good at using a sewing machine. And I guess that peek into the upholstery world during my time at the boat company was the clincher for me.
How have you developed your upholstery skills ?
I try to continue to keep learning, and right now, I’m in the last year of my Master Upholsterer’s Diploma. I decided to do this course with the intention of focusing more on traditional upholstery in the future.
Who inspires you ?
I’m inspired by this French upholsterer I had the chance to learn from, Armand Verdier. Taking his masterclass got me really excited about where I’m headed in this craft. Just being around him, seeing how he works, and the crazy amount of knowledge he’s got – it blew my mind. I definitely aspire to be like that someday!
Who or what gives you energy to create ?
It’s those moments when I can’t sit still or when there’s a looming deadline! Back when Alba was just tiny, taking multiple naps a day, I found a burst of creative energy. During her nap times, I’d be in a frenzy of sewing, making myself a new wardrobe. Those early months were super productive for me because I had a schedule of tiny deadlines and not much else to do!
If you could get a ‘dream commission’ who would this be from / what would it be ?
A dream commission is probably a more collaborative thing for me. I enjoy working alongside other makers. Recently, I have been working with resident maker and textile designer Katie Charleson. She focuses on using natural fibres so her work marries well with traditional upholstery. I loved exchanging ideas with her for the piece I just finished for her.
Collaborating with resident, Anna Nichols, was great too. Anna made and designed a couple of armchairs with matching stools that I made cushions for. It was a pretty cool process as everything was designed and made from scratch. We kept having to adapt our plans throughout the process. I like problem solving and I guess this job is problem solving most of the time.
If someone wants to learn about upholstery, where should they start ?
They could do a leisure class through Edinburgh Council for a taster or if they wanted to get really into it, the course I’m doing now with The Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers is great. There’s also the apprentice route if they could find one.
You’re currently working out of Edinburgh Open Workshop – Why does this community work for you ?
I find Edinburgh Open Workshop to be a fantastic community for several reasons, but collaboration is the big one for me. Having fellow creatives around to brainstorm ideas, seek advice, and get a different perspective is invaluable. You know, there’s never just one way to solve a problem, so it’s cool to see how others might approach it.
Where would you like to see Selvedge Edge in the future ?
My vision for Selvedge Edge would be a workshop with a shop front. At the moment, I just provide an upholstery service, but I’d like to expand to selling vintage homeware and restored pieces of furniture too. I’ve been thinking of taglines, what do you think of “Preserving the past, one piece at a time”?
If someone wants to commission you – how best would they go about this ?
If someone wants to commission my services, the best way to reach out is via email to [email protected] but you can slide into my DM’s on Insta too. Also, lookout for my website. I hope to finish it soon – I just don’t have a deadline yet!
