Sew Much More

Continuing our series of products brought to the market in our industry, Ann k. Johnson and Susan Woodcock share the stories of how they wrote and published their books.   Ann K. Johnson owns Sew Easy Windows LLC, a wholesale workroom in Ohio, established in 1992. She is the author of The Professional Workroom Handbook of Swags I & II, and publisher for Kitty Stein's Price Your Work With Confidence! Ann offers private workroom training, seminars, and hands-on classes in workroom fabrication, pattern drafting, efficiency, and pricing. Her topics are always fully packed with time-saving tips and techniques, delivered in a relaxed and light-hearted style. Ann has been a popular industry instructor since 2004. She teaches at Window Fashions IWCE and Custom Workroom Conference. She is a webinar instructor for WCAA & D&D Pro, and a representative for DreamDraper. She is a member of the Greater Cleveland Drapery Professionals and WCAA.   website: https://seweasywindows.com/ Facebook: https://m.facebook.c

      Louise Cornick is the owner of Upholstery Education which formally started in 2018 but was in the making for 2years prior to that . Louise started her upholstery journey when she first arrived in the US from her homeland of England 7 years ago. She took an Upholstery course through adult education as a way of making new friends and getting out of the house. Little did she know what a major impact that choice of class would have of her life.   From offering upholstery services to customers from her home in Southern California to suddenly running a National business was not something she would have envisaged when she started that leisure class 7 years ago.     Links; www.upholsteryeducation.com www.facebook.com/upholsteryeducation/ www.instagram.com/upholsteryeducation/   The British School of Upholstered Furniture   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA

Mary Jo Huyard is the proud owner of Savannah House, a boutique window treatment shop and showroom in downtown Lancaster PA. Mary Jo works directly with clients in residential and commercial settings as well as working with designers, architect, and builders in a collaborative approach. She worked primarily out of her home until fall of 2017 when she rebranded and founded Savannah House and opened the boutique showroom and workroom that she operates out of today.    You can find Mary Jo on; Facebook Instagram

  Beautiful Spaces opened it’s doors in 2006. Owned and operated by Cynthia LeBlanc. Beautiful Spaces is a full-service Interior Decorating Studio located in Vermilion Ohio. Which is often referred to as “ Little New England” due to its lovely waterfront communities. At Beautiful Spaces our goal is to inspire, educate, problem solve, and finally to design spaces for our client that they will love, and create memories in for years to come. We bring a unique, often overlooked perspective to the design process, through our 13 years of experience and expertise, specifying, designing, and fabricating custom luxury window treatments. Rooted in a lifelong love and study of art, design, textiles, and human nature. Cindy holds the belief that your home should be a sanctuary. Your artwork should strike an emotional cord, and that beautiful window treatments and textiles are so much more than just decoration. This unique combination elevates the design experience for our clients, and, brings functional clarity, visual b

Amanda Smith and Rose Mary LeBlanc are the owners and developers of Seamless Workroom, a system that helps you keep track of job specifications with fillable measuring forms, resource documents and fabrication workbooks that will calculate yardage as well as quote labor, hardware, and fabrics. Amanda is the owner of      Resources; Amanda mentioned Meetedgar and Canva   The OPPORTUNITY THINKING Series of the Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by; The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library

Laura Hawley is a co-owner of AD Window Treatments, a Custom Window Treatment and Hunter Douglas Showroom in Blue Bell, PA. Ambiance is on Facebook, Pinterest and Houzz.   Resources; Dave Ramsey's Every Dollar App Disto Measuring Device Profit First   The Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA

Jill Stanbro Plummer Hughes was born, raised and has spent her entire life in Canton, Oh. She has imported two husbands from out of state. At separate times, of course! Married for 7 ½ years to Michael Hughes with three grown children, Eric, Julie and Sean, 7 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter, who are all the loves of her life, along with her son-in-law and two daughters-in-law.   Since 1979 Jill has worked strictly in the window coverings business.    After working for another company, Jill started her own business,  in January 1984. In the 35 years that Stanbro’s Draperies has existed, Jill's business has come full circle from working by herself in her basement workroom, to moving the business three times and employing as many as 10 people, to being back in a basement workroom in her home working mainly on her own, with some much needed assistance from her family.   Jill had the privilege of working for both Cheryl Strickland and Margie Nance. Jill loved teaching and it enabled her to travel all ove

Regina Allen is retired from the military and a native Arkansan. She has had a life-long passion for interior design, window coverings, and fabric. Regina is the owner of Beau Embellishments. While moving from place to place for over 20 years she designed her own draperies and soft furnishings. Ever the perfectionist, Regina, wanted to fabricate with professional techniques and quality craftsmanship. She invested in professional equipment and is a graduate of the Custom Home Furnishings Academy and the Custom Workroom Technical Center. She has established relationships around the country, with other workrooms, designer's and suppliers so she can provide exceptional value and service. Regina is passionate about pursuing education and training opportunities in the window coverings industry to bring you the best in window fashions. Regina is on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.   Resources; Regina mentioned the CHF Academy and while the academy is no longer in existence, the courses they offered on video are a

Dean Fountain is the owner of a wholesale workroom providing draperies, bedding, slipcovers, upholstery, and installation in and around Jacksonville, FL. Dean opened his workroom in 2001, and he added Workroom Racks to his business in 2018. Dean Fountain tells us about the design and manufacturing of his new Workroom Rack.  It was introduced at the Custom Workroom Conference in 2018. You can contact Dean by calling him at (904) 334-3694.    

Rita Boland and her daughter Auret deGasperi are the owners of Island Drapes and Upholstery on St. Simon Island in Georgia.  It was truly my pleasure to get to know them better during the interview. You can find them on Facebook.   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   Resources; The Workroom Channel Kitty Stein's Book 

I'm talking with Donna Skufis of Dondar Designs. Donna shares the story of her business, how education is important to her - both learning herself and sharing her knowledge and why she made some of her choices.   Donna is on Facebook.  Resources; You can watch some of Donna's videos on The Workroom Channel's YouTube Channel   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA

Heather Taylor owns and is the sole operator of Custom Textiles, a workroom located by her farmhouse in the Northwest Hills of Connecticut. She has been producing residential and business window dressings since 2003. Heather is on Facebook. Speaking with Heather was truly an honor.  I admire her strength and resilience as well as her creativity.  Resources; The Custom Workroom Conference Kim's Upholstery A Monster to Love Dean Fountain's Workroom Racks or call Dean at (904) 334-3694  

 Michele Williams and I talk about how we like to finish up our year and what we do to start the new year.  I love my conversations with Michele!  With our personalities being so different, I really enjoy talking with her about how we do things. Resources;  Gretchen Rubin's 4 Tendencies Quiz Brene Brown's Dare To Lead   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA

Donna Skufis’s passion for creating beautiful and unique window treatments and soft home furnishing has propelled her talents into a thriving 33-year-old business. At the start she was retail; selling, fabricating and installing; but is now strictly a wholesale fabricator.   Her love of challenges has encouraged her to take on more difficult even almost impossible projects. These projects showcase her engineering abilities.   Teaching others how to fabricate window treatments and soft home furnishing is a large part of her business. She started teaching in 2000 with Cheryl Strickland, then with CHF Academy, in her own studio and with The Workroom Channel. To continue her educational offerings she now has a collection of full color, step-by-step instruction binders covering soft and hard cornices, using Tableaux and building arched and shape top valances. You can find these binders along with her favorite double face tapes and other valuable workroom supplies on her website www.donnaskufis.com Watch Donna's Me

While many workrooms and designers started out in our homes and because we had a skill, Sarah O'Neil started her business,  Storibook Designs out of a need to make a life change and to find joy every day.  She no longer wanted a job, she wanted to feed her soul! Sarah talks openly and honestly about the challenges of anxiety and the tools she uses to get through the difficult times.   Thank you to my sponsors who make it possible for me to continue to bring the podcast to my listeners. Scarlet Thread Consulting The Window Covering Association of America The Workroom Channel   If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at ceilwdi@gmail.com.  

Deborah M. Williamson, owner of Treatments For Your Panes, a Shop at Home retail business servicing the Greater Rochester Area and beyond. She has been sewing for 50 yrs. beginning her career in the Dressmaking/Alterations segment. Deborah’s journey began to change when they moved to Rochester from Buffalo, NY due to her husband’s job transfer. As one of the pioneers of a Planned Community of new homes east of Rochester, what better opportunity to learn how to make window treatments and accessories with 120 homes built each year. An added retail fabric outlet was close by allowing many of her customers and Deborah to buy very reasonable decorator fabrics! Pursuing a college degree was always on her mind so 17 yrs. after high school she watched her son get on the bus for kindergarten and began her educational journey culminating in an Associate’s Degree in Interior Design and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. Deborah offers custom/couture soft window coverings, light upholstery/cushions, slipcovers,

  Judy Soccio is a storyteller. But instead of using words, she weaves her tales with fabric and trim. I listen to clues from my clients – and from their homes – to create inspired window treatment designs that honor the home’s history while acknowledging the 21st-century lifestyles of the current homeowner. Her theatre training and fascination with history give her broad latitude to find the right details for each project. Her pursuit of continuing professional education and certification ensures her ability to bring these details to life in her clients’ homes. Judy has an affinity for vintage houses. Their quirky bay window configurations, their over-the-top window moldings, even their occasionally intrusive hot water radiators in front of those tall windows – vintage homes are characters!   Judy wants to know -what story does your house want to tell? Judy Soccio Designs Judy's Facebook Page Judy mentioned Scot Robbin's Parkhill System   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Sc

In this episode, Jeanelle Dech coaches Ceil as she takes a hard look at the time, effort, and costs associated with producing a weekly podcast. Ceil started the podcast because of her passion for the industry and her desire to give back, and now must face the reality of the podcast’s sustainability. With Jeanelle’s help, Ceil is able to identify opportunities for improved efficiency in producing the podcast to lessen the impact on her profitable business activities. Jeanelle and Ceil also define a path forward to generate additional revenue for the podcast through the support of listeners, and together they introduce the new Sew Much More Podcast Website.   Resources: Kitty Stein's book - Price Your Work With Confidence Neil Sattin's podcast - Relationship Alive   The OPPORTUNITY THINKING Series is sponsored by  The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library.  

The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA Kelly Wilson, a lifelong autodidact, has always had a passion for living "outside the box". A combination of varied job experiences from NYC to LA and an eclectic higher education has created the rich foundation for Kelly’s life. As a result of the economic downturn, in 2005 after 17 years of exploring the world “unschooling” her two daughters, Kelly found herself in the job market. Without a professional career to resume, she found a minimum wage, $5-an-hour job, at a local fabric store. Noticing the numerous requests for sewing referrals she identified the need to start a sewing business. Weave Gotcha Covered! was born in the basement with a sewing machine, a friend, and the commission of a “While You Were Out” make-over. Kelly's hard work and dedication to "doing right" by the customer, by the employee, and by society, provided the blueprint for WGC’s mission-driven social enterprise business model. Wit

The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   Hallie Meschter is the owner of Sew Hallie, LLC, a custom window treatment workroom serving interior designers in the Washington DC metro area.  What started as a passionate, self-taught hobby two decades ago when her children were young, turned into a side hustle when Sew Hallie was launched in 2007. To help offset college costs for those children, Hallie felt she had to “get serious” and return to full-time work in other fields, thinking there wouldn’t be enough profit in making custom window treatments. But after five years with a local design center, a trip to CWC, and drawing from the support of this community, she finally found the resources and the confidence to go full-time with Sew Hallie.    Hallie is on Facebook and Instagram   We mentioned the following podcasts; Michele Williams - Profit Is A Choice LuAnn Nigara - A Well Designed Business Kate Gruenke - The Kate Show Natalie Eckdahl - The Bi