Upholstery might not be a word to get your blood flowing, however the history of upholstering is linked with that of tent-making. In fact, when the Upholsterers’ Company was granted charter in 1626 its coat of arms was a shield with three tents!
However, it wasn’t until the discovery that chairs could actually be comfortable that the upholsterer’s trade and the fabric he used for it began to come into its own and flourish.
A basic warning before you clean your upholstery fabrics is to neverremove cushion covers for separate dry cleaning or washing. Doing so can destroy the backing and shrink or oherwise damage your upholstery fabric. The zipper is to make it easy to stuff the cushion filling into the fabric cover — not to remove it!