Sew Much More

Kendra Hays, the owner of Cloudberry Drapery Studio is the wife of her video game loving husband Marcus and mother to four amazing kids, and her passion for sewing came from her mother.  In her early 20's her love for home decor sewing took off when she was given her first sewing machine. She filled her new home with various curtains and bedding. One of her first projects was her oldest sons nursery! Her work has evolved through the years and she loves collaborating with and inspiring her clients to make their house truly unique. Through her active involvement in workroom networking groups, including the Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA)  she is able to keep up to date on the latest trends and methods of fabrication. She strongly believes in education and improving her techniques. She regularly attends industry conferences and events to keep up to date on the newest trends, fabrics, and fabrication methods.   Kendra is on Facebook and Instagram. Resources and Links; The Drapery and Design Network

Sue Sifakis started SUESEWN in 1995. She attended Cheryl Stricklands's week-long class on how to run a drapery business in 1994.  She also attended CHF classes and was on an advisory committee for the CHF magazine a few years. She was part of the Alumni showcase in 2010. She has also attended Slipcover Networking Workshops as well as numerous conferences to learn more. Sue has been a member of the Eastern Massachusetts WCAA Chapter since 2006 and she has held officer positions such as Secretary, Vice President, and President.     Links and Resources; Deb Barrett Custom Workroom Conference Qigong 

After earning her BFA in Costume Design, Nancy Bramwell opened Bramwell Designs, a special event décor business. Using fabric as her primary material, she created fantastical environments that wowed guests and lead a typical client to exclaim: “It’s one of the pleasures of my job to have an idea, turn it over to someone as talented and creative as you are, and get such a spectacular return product.”   In the mid-90s, one of her special event clients asked Nancy to create window treatments for her daughter’s room, and Nancy’s window coverings career was launched.  She hasn’t looked back.  Window coverings proved to be the ideal outlet for Nancy’s pursuits of perfection, creativity, and innovation.   Links and Resources; The Custom Workroom Conference Pentel Twist Erase Pencil.09   Thanks to my Corporate Sponsors; The Window Covering Association of America Scarlet Thread Consulting The Workroom Channel  

On a sofa in the basement apartment of Cheryl Strickland’s home, and a few days later on a flight to Tampa, FL, for the 2005 International Window Coverings Expo, Jeanelle and Anita Boetsma chatted about their work in the custom home furnishings industry.  Anita shared her idea of having a printed work table grid to replace the difficult process of hand-marking table canvas with indelible markers. "Can your company print on canvas that is 72" wide? Can that print be as simple as a numbered grid?" …and the PRINTED TABLE CANVAS was born! The PRINTED TABLE CANVAS has been an essential tool for professional drapery workrooms ever since. Listen to this podcast to hear more about the development of the Printed Table Canvas and the challenges along the way.   Grid Installation video: Several sizes and styles of the Printed Table Canvas can be purchased thru The Workroom Marketplace  Denton Drapes (Metric)   Anita Boetsma has been in the window treatment and design industry for over 25 years. She has been a workroom o

Thanks to my Corporate Sponsors; The Window Covering Association of America Scarlet Thread Consulting The Workroom Channel   Callie is the owner of Draped and Tailored, a new fabrication studio in Little Rock, AR. Working mostly with the Trade, she creates everything from draperies and pillows, to bedding and Roman shades. By the age of 30, she had several upscale projects in her portfolio, including the Arkansas Governor's Mansion and country music star, Justin Moore.    Callie has an Interior Design degree from the University of Central Arkansas. While earning her degree, she was required to take a sewing class in 2008. This is where her soft-goods fabrication journey began. Sewing draperies and pillows was a mere “side hustle” for the first 5 years. It wasn’t until she started working at a fabric showroom that she realized it could be an actual business.    She is still navigating the ins and outs of running a business and is currently in the process of finding commercial space. In just the past year, h

Jessie Lee Miller owns a custom workroom in Winston-Salem, North Carolina aptly named “Winston’s Workroom.” The one-person workroom was established in 2017 and serves both trade and retail clients. The workroom operates as a part-time business so that she can care for her three small children.   Jessie Lee has lived in Winston-Salem since 2001 when she moved to attend college at Wake Forest University. She met and married her husband there and also worked at the university until her “retirement” when her first child was born. Jessie Lee has always had a deep love of sewing and was thrilled to find a way to channel her talents and interests into a business. Jessie Lee is on Instagram Resources; Custom Workroom Conference Unique Expressions Table Clamp Terko Thread in The Workroom Marketplace Gridded Table Cover in The Workroom Marketplace Susan Woodcock Workroom Tech The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library WCAA

There is a new group in town!  The National Upholstery Association is looking to gather the professionals in the Upholstery Industry and support and encourage them. Rachel Fletcher and Audrey Lonsway are the new President and Vice President of the NUA. Rachel Fletcher owns Knox Upholstery in Knoxville, Tennessee. With a bachelor's degree in communications from Millikin University, her career before upholstery included marketing, advertising and promotional events. Rachel learned how to upholster while working as a theatrical Props Assistant at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville.  After falling in love with the trade she began her upholstery business out of her home in 2010.    Rachel is a very active participant in the upholstery world.  She is the President of the National Upholstery Association and a co-moderator of the Professional Upholsterer's Network on Facebook, which boasts over 2,100 upholsterers globally.   Audrey Lonsway owns Sewing Den LLC in Ashburn, Virginia. Providing both upholstery and w

An interior designer's best friend! Julie began her career as an Art Educator. An avid interest in interior design led her to enroll in the Interior Design program at New Hampshire Institute of Art. While at NHIA, her love of fabric and sewing translated perfectly into a career creating window treatments. Since she launched her business in 2006, she has specified her services largely to the interior designer. Julie enjoys assisting designers in creating spaces for clients that far exceed both client and designer expectations. Julie understands the importance of fresh and unique treatments and continues to enhance her knowledge through webinars, workshops, and classes. She is constantly learning new methods and techniques to incorporate into products, and she often passes along those tips to her interior designers.  Renee Rucci Design serves residential and commercial clients throughout the northeast. Renee’s love for design reflects in her diverse style that she brings to her clients home. After being an art

 Linda started sewing Home Decor because there wasn't anyone else in her community doing it. Shortly after starting to sew home decor, she took the New York Institute of Art and Design course and was then able to offer design, construction and installation services which she continues to offer today. In the last few years, she has added color specialist to her portfolio.  She also writes a home-decor related newspaper column, has written 3 decorating made simpler books, over 700 How-to shorts,  and is currently at work on the 'big  course;' Learn to Choose Window Coverings.'    Resources; Your Business Right From the Start by Michele Williams The Library Susan Woodcock's Roman Blind Method with Iron on Buckram     The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA    

Joining me today on the Podcast today are Renee Williamson, Executive Director of the Window Covering Association of America and Susie Tanner, Marketing and Membership Director. Whether you are a member of WCAA or not, I loved learning more about how our association is run.   Renee Williamson is a native of Augusta, Georgia and now lives in beautiful Wilmington, NC.  With over 20 years of leadership experience in the non-profit and for-profit sector, Renee brings a wealth of knowledge to the WCAA. Previously she was the Executive Director of a community organization in Murrells Inlet, SC, where she lead the organization in a new Strategic Plan that they continue to use today.   After becoming the Executive Director of the WCAA, Renee began working with the Board of Directors on a new Strategic Plan as well as rebranding the organization.    Susie Tanner brings more than 17 years experience working for non-profit organizations at the state, national and international levels to WCAA. Her past work in the areas

Christine McLean, Owner, The Red Pincushion- An interior Design workroom, Christine never imagined, in a million years, that she would own a workroom. A graduate of Michigan State University, with a degree in Biology, she spent 14 years between Pharmaceutical Sales and Medical Software, even starting her own electronic claims processing company. A native of Detroit, she has lived in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas before being transferred to Birmingham, AL in 2002. She met her husband in 2003 when she opened a Franchise of the Dating Service, It’s Just Lunch, in the same building as his practice, when she feigned a foot injury to try and recruit him as a client. After their first child, she sold the business. As a full-time mom she took up sewing again, a skill she learned from her mom, making clothes and elaborate Halloween costumes for her kids. She decided to tackle her bedroom drapes after a meeting with a decorator. A year later she took a class from a local workroom on how to make a bench cushion. The

Will Lynch - President and Owner of Safe T Shade, and Jacquelyn Weber - Vice President of Sales and Marketing visit us on this OPPORTUNITY THINKING Series to talk about the products that Safe T Shade provide for our industry. We talk about the steps necessary to get a product to market, what do they do with prototypes and how long does all of this take??   Meet Jacquelyn and Will at The Custom Workroom Conference in September.     Resources; Sandra Van Sickle's Live With Sandra V Facebook Page Patent Trademark Office

  Camile Moore's first love was fine art and oil painting. She looks at a client's home through the eye of an artist, as a work of art .. and window treatments are an artistic element. Camile attended Harris School Of Art and Watkins Art Institute as a young adult. In 1989, she took Advanced Custom Curtain, Drapery & Roman Shade Fabrication classes at Watkins Art Institute in Nashville TN, and business started blossoming soon after she completed the courses. Since then, Camile has taken hundreds of hours of custom and couture window treatment, drapery, curtain, pillow, bedding & slipcover workshops. She enjoys meeting designers and clients, creating custom designs, fabricating beautiful window treatments and bedding, and helping to install the finished work. Camile believes that God has truly blessed her with wonderful clients and a strong, talented, happy team. 2019 marks her 30th year in business! Camile Moore Window Treatments and Custom Bedding   Resources; Minutes Matter

    Patti is the owner of Pillows & Pleats, LLC, a drapery design and fabrication business located in Loudoun County, Virginia. Patti’s journey began when she studied Interior Design in college some 33 years ago graduating at the top of her class. Two weeks after receiving her bachelor’s degree, she married her high school sweetheart and supported his career path which involved several moves across the country. As a stay at home mom, she raised four children, spent years volunteering in the school systems and sewed countless costumes for community theater. It wasn’t until her youngest child reached middle school that Patti decided to marry her love of sewing with her degree in Interior Design and launched Pillows & Pleats, LLC in 2016. Patti specializes in fine custom window treatments and soft furnishings with a focus on quality and outstanding customer service. She has grown Pillows & Pleats organically with referrals from satisfied clients and serves Northern Virginia, DC and Suburban Maryland.

        Diana Hershey, the owner of DBH Designs, provides custom furnishings for the home, office, or business. The services offered to clients include draperies, valances, cornice boards, bedding, pillows, roman shades, blinds, slipcovers, and re-upholstery, just to name a few! Diana takes the time to thoroughly guide her clients through the process of uncovering their style and selecting the optimal fine decorator fabrics and hardware for the space to pull their room together and showcase their exceptional style to all those who enter the room! Diana is on Facebook and Instagram. Resources; Kim's Upholstery Scarlet Thread Consulting   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by; The WCAA The Workroom Channel Scarlet Thread Consulting  

Having a sewing business had been Doshie Witcher's dream since her mother taught her to hold a needle and thread. While in elementary school, she was sewing clothing for herself and others. In 1990 she opened Doshie's Custom Sewing and began specializing in alterations, custom work, and bridal designs. After making her first window valance, she decided that making window treatments were her passion and she spent the next 15 years working with interior designers to create custom window treatments. This led her to want to create her own line of valances so she designed Hidden Pocket Rod valances, which allow intricate curtain designs to be hung using a basic continental curtain rod. With these designs, Doshie expanded into Etsy in 2012, and now sells her Hidden Pocket Rod valances on her Etsy shop nationwide and internationally under the business name Black Belt Home Decor. Doshie is a second-degree black belt in Shorin Ryu Karate and spends her spare time training others in karate, singing in her local church

Nicole Nomer is the owner of Fabrication Studio, a drapery workroom that has been servicing the interior design industry since 1985. She is a self-taught fabricator starting her sewing journey at the age of 7. She graduated from Dean College with a degree in Art Therapy. Although she never entered that field she feels that her degree has aided her in helping her clients navigate the sometimes difficult decision-making process. Attention to detail, a positive attitude and a willingness to think "outside of the box" has helped her develop long-lasting and fulfilling relationships with the designers and clients she works with. Nicole is on Instagram

Cleo Marthel owns and is the sole operator of Complimentary Designs, a custom soft furnishings workroom located in Murfreesboro, TN. She has been in business for 15 years working with both wholesale and retail clients. Cleo is a member of a local trade group, Professional Drapery Workrooms of Middle TN. She is also a national member of WCAA. For a period of time, she lived in Birmingham, AL and served 1 term as Vice President and 1 term as President of the Alabama chapter of WCAA.   Cleo believes that walking into a beautifully decorated home or workspace renders a warm and inviting feeling and it’s the customized finishing details which make the spaces even more special. Those customized details are what she strives to produce for her clients. Cleo is on Facebook and Instagram Resources;  WCAA Dave Ramsey Sam Sloane Custom Workroom Conference The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA

Marge Jones is the owner of Marge's Custom Slipcovers.  Her mom taught her to sew at 5 and by high school, she was making tailored suits.  Marge taught herself to reupholster in the 70's and two years later to make slipcovers.  She has been in business for 44 years and at 74 doesn't seem to be slowing down much!! Marge is on Facebook and Pinterest Resources; Kim's Upholstery   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA

Freddie Graves is the owner of The Recovery Room in Vermont.  She started the business in 1989 in her basement and has moved into a barn on her rural property.  I love Freddie's sense of humor and her outlook.   Resources; Wild Chairy  The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA