Do It Yourself Upholostery?

Have any of you done your own re-uphostery? Did you use a conventional sewing machine or a heavy duty one? I am in the midst of having several pieces of my furniture done and the more I visit the fabric stores and talk to people the more I want to do. And as the country song says, " I make dimes but spend dollars". I can sew; although have not put a zipper in for 35+ years. Our local comm. college no longer offers such a class however the guy that is doing my sofa use to run such a school. If I could learn from him without a special machine I would approach him with my idea. Thanks.