Carding and Upholstery

Carding or Upholstery is one of the historic professions in the KSA. It specializes in manufacturing and refurbishing home furniture using special tools and specific techniques. In the past, upholstery relied on the manual skills of the craftsman, who was called the "carder" or "upholsterer." Upholstery has spread in most regions of the Kingdom, however, its tools and techniques have evolved in modern times.

Upholsterers have worked on manufacturing multiple products, most of which are for the use and furnishing of homes, such as pillows and cushions used for sleeping or sitting. They also made sitting cushions placed behind the back and leaned against the walls, in addition to armrests or sofas used for reclining.

The carders or upholsterers used various tools, including the stick, a long piece of wood used to beat the cotton and untangle it to make it softer and more suitable for carding. There are also needles and threads used to sew and close mattresses stuffed with cotton after stuffing them.

In addition to upholstery and carding tools, carders used cotton as the raw material for manufacturing home furnishings and upholstery, in addition to the Aerva javanica plant, which is a wild plant that grows in some regions of the Kingdom and is similar to cotton in its characteristics and suitability for stuffing home furniture.

The carding profession is similar to other professions in the Kingdom, including quilting, which is manufacturing Arab mattresses such as bedspreads and cushions by stuffing them with cotton, then covering them with a cloth of the customer's choosing, in addition to making quilts from cotton and decorating them with various geometric shapes and motifs. Whoever works in this profession is called a "quiltmaker."

In the modern era, upholsterers use modern machines, such as sewing machines as well as fixed and portable upholstery tools, to help them complete their work quickly and efficiently. They also use ready-made fabrics and raw sponge to manufacture furniture or refurbish old ones. The upholstery profession is one of the licensed professions within the Kingdom. It is practiced in shops and factories designated for that. Besides, it requires familiarity with sewing and furniture upholstery basics before practice.