I want to deepen my fabric decision-making for restoration work, not just new builds. This month I’m torn between mohair and cotton damask for a 1920s club chair and an 1880s settee, and I’m weighing dye crocking, historic accuracy, and interlining choices. Can anyone recommend CEU-eligible courses or workshops that get into textile conservation for upholstery — colorfastness testing, FR standards, and backing/interlining best practices?
For CEUs that get into crocking, AATCC’s colorfastness courses are solid — they issue certificates you can submit for credit: AATCC Education Award - AATCC. After their wet/dry rub module, I started doing a quick damp muslin “rub test” on mohair before spec’ing; it’s saved me from a pink-palms callback. Not upholstery-specific, so pair it with a conservation-focused talk like Winterthur’s upholstery sessions if you want more on interlining choices.
I’ve had good luck submitting CEUs from AIC’s Textile Specialty Group webinars; their certificates have been accepted here: https://learning.culturalheritage.org/. For your decision, do a quick 20–30 rub dry-crock with white cotton tape and mock up a thin domette under the mohair — great for hair-seed masking, but it can dull damask relief, so test both ways (your thumb is a budget Crockmeter). Period-wise, mohair reads right for a 1920s club chair, while an 1880s settee often leans wool/silk damask; cotton can pass if the luster’s controlled.
CCI’s training stream has textile-focused sessions that dig into dye migration, crocking tests, and interlining choices, and they issue certificates you can submit for CE: https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/training.html. Quick tip while you decide: do a damp “white-swab” rub in the seam allowance and, for mohair on a 1920s club chair, add a wool domette interlining to calm sheen and reduce tack strike-through — like a slip under a dress. Small caveat: some CE reviewers want stated learning objectives, so ask CCI for that when you register.
I’d look at the International Preservation Studies Center in Illinois — their upholstery/textile conservation intensives have been accepted as CEUs for me, and they drill into dye migration and interlining choices… On the bench, when I’m torn between mohair and cotton damask, I do a quick “dry crocking” swipe on a white twill after steaming and then test again over domette; mohair’s pile can hide loose dye that shows up at the front roll. Small caveat: for the 1880s settee, damask over domette usually reads truer historically, but mohair wins if abrasion is your main constraint.
I got the most practical dye-crocking chops from AATCC’s colorfastness/crocking workshop — my certificate counted for CEUs on my last renewal: AATCC Education Award - AATCC. They had us do controlled wet/dry rubs and quick pH spot tests, which settled a mohair vs damask call when a damp rub lifted just enough dye that I added an undyed cambric barrier under the face fabric. If you want a conservation lens beyond testing, @isabella41, Winterthur’s short textile sessions are solid but they book up fast.
FAIC/AIC’s pre-conference textile labs were the best CE credit I’ve taken for upholstery conservation — solid on dye migration, crock testing, and interlining — and the certificates counted for my renewal. Tip that’s helped me with mohair: run an AATCC 8 rub on both wool and cotton witness cloths and, if the wool shows even a ghost, use a prewashed silk organza slip as the barrier instead of cotton flannel (I switch to prewashed cambric if the face cloth is very light); keep an eye on https://learning.culturalheritage.org for the next sessions.