Sew Much More

Vitalia (Vita) Vygovska is the award-winning author, speaker, business coach, and window treatment specialist.  Her company, Vitalia, Inc.- Fine Window Treatments & Interiors, is an all-encompassing fabrication, measurement, and installation service, servicing exclusively interior designers and architects.  In business for almost 12 years, Vita and her team are proud to be experts in their niche field, providing their clients with superb quality product and excellent communication. You can find Vita on Facebook.

  Jann Newton is the owner of Newton Custom Interiors, which opened in 2000 and is located in Bloomington, IL. Newton Custom Interiors is an award-winning drapery workroom that offers custom window treatments, pillows and bedding. Jann is a former student of the Custom Home Furnishings Academy and has written articles for the Drapery & Design Magazine. In 2013, Jann started a blog where she shares home décor DIY tutorials with her readers. She has taught an online class for Craftsy (Custom Bedding: Decorative Shams & Bolsters), and also a class for Kim’s Upholstery (How To Make Drapery Panels).

Tammy Paradoski is the owner of Daisy Chain, a full-service retail drapery and slipcover studio created in 2000. She specializes in the high-quality craftsmanship of window treatments, bedding, and slipcovers with attention to detail. She is also the owner of Bespoke Soft Furnishings Magazine, the only multimedia publication in the industry. Her passions include teaching others and sharing the knowledge she has gained over the years. Tammy is a member of the WFCP Advisory Board and WCAA.  You can also find Tammy on Facebook for Daisy Chain, LLC and Bespoke Soft Furnishings Magazine.

Karen Barnes is the owner of The Elegant Window, a to-the-trade custom drapery and soft goods workroom located in Gilbert Arizona.  She is thrilled to be celebrating 20 years in business this year! Karen entered the custom drapery and soft furnishings business in 1997 working with both retail and with the design trade. Five years into the business, Karen realized that what she truly loved was working with talented interior designers and bringing their ideas and vision to fruition. Her reputation for her attention to detail and high standards in workmanship quickly spread within the design community. In 2003, Karen switched to wholesale only and she, along with her great team of employees, have been creating exquisite, high-quality soft furnishings to the design trade ever since.     In 2009, Karen entered the IWCE Ingenuity Workroom Competition and was awarded Workroom of the Year, the most prestigious award for drapery workrooms. She also was awarded First Place in Specialty Treatments and 2nd place in Top T

 Robin Matthews transformed her passion to create into her business "Seams Sew Right" in 2000.  She offers high-end custom window treatments, bedding and slip covers to designers and retail clients.  Robin is a member of the WCAA, WCAA Virtual Chapter and WCAA NJ Chapter where she served as secretary from 2011 to 2015.  She has participated on the planning committee for Windows to Success the WCAA NJ Chapter's vendor show, volunteered her time to sew window treatments and install for Lin's Linens, and sewn for "Little Dresses for Africa" and "Heal the Children".  Robin lives in Kinnelon, NJ with her husband Paul and their dog Debbie.  She has two grown sons and three beautiful grandchildren.  You can find Robin on Facebook.

Rose Mary LeBlanc is the owner of RML Custom Home Creations LLC . Rose Mary began her business in 1992 fabricating pillows for a local fabric store in Mandeville, Louisiana. Finding that she both enjoyed fabrication and had exceptional skills, she quickly added slipcovers, window treatments, and bedding to her repertoire. Rose Mary worked for designers fabricating high-end custom window treatments and home furnishings for homes in Uptown New Orleans and on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. While working in Louisiana, she also did her own window treatment installations and has firsthand knowledge of that part of the business. In 2006 she moved to the Charlotte, North Carolina area and quickly established her business working for designers across the metropolitan area. Joining WCAA in 2007 she took leadership positions in the Charlotte Regional Chapter as, first, Vice President for 2 years, and then President for 4 years. She presented a Power Point presentations on using spreadsheets in the workroom in 20

In preparing for the Anniversary Podcasts, I realized just how much incredible advice all of my guests have generously offered the podcast listeners.  I thought it might be fun to put it all together in one episode, but it would have been too long, so here is The Best Advice Episode 1 and sometime in the future, I'll add more!  I hope you enjoy listening! Thanks again, to my incredible guests for their generosity! Sandra VanSickle Kim Chagnon Julie Wood Jeanelle Dech Terri Booser Minda Fernish Margie Nance Sarah Devany O'Neil Elki Horn Monique Becker Beth Hodges Ann K. Johnson Tracy Windley Susan Gillen

Welcome to Part 2 of the Anniversary Podcast!  Today I ask Donna Cash the questions I didn't ask the first time I interviewed her! Donna Cash owns Designs by Donna, a custom home goods design and fabrication studio, opened in 1989.   The studio is located in Flowery Branch, Ga., and serves the Atlanta metro and surrounding area.In addition to working with wholesale and retail clients, Donna conducts private training on workroom fabrication techniques in her workroom or yours.  She also presents group workshops on many workroom, design, and business topics for the home décor industry.Donna has contributed step-by-step articles for Drapery & Design Professional magazine and conducts webinars for WCAA, D&D Pro, and Rowley Company.  She was a pillow and bedding instructor for Custom Home Furnishings Academy.  Donna is also teaching on-demand courses through TheWorkroomChannel.com.She is a member of the Designers Workroom Council and the Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA).   Donna is currently

  I am so excited to share this episode with all of you!  I have now been producing this podcast for one year!  And 54 episodes and 52,000 downloads later, I'm still excited and happy to be bringing it to you every week. To celebrate, I asked my first three guests to come back on and answer some of the questions I added after I had interviewed them.  To do this, I had to relisten to the first three episodes, and I enjoyed hearing from Susan Woodcock, Michele Williams, and Donna Cash.   So listen in as I ask them the questions my newer guests have been tortured with! I made the podcast into two separate podcasts because aparently, I have added more questions than I realized! You can find Susan Woodcock at Home Dec Gal and on Facebook and her find out more about her newest venture; Workroom Tech!   Susan Woodcock owns Home Dec Gal a how-to sewing and decorating resource and custom workroom in western North Carolina, and is a Craftsy.com instructor and international speaker. She’s also worked in marketing and br

Elizabeth Gerdes is the owner of Stitch Above The Rest, LLC, a full-service retail drapery fabrication studio, in Woodstock, GA, established in 2003. Elizabeth specializes in helping clients create their vision by offering high-quality craftsmanship and attention to detail in every area, from design to fabrication, to installation. Her work has been noticed and published in numerous trade and local magazines. Elizabeth has won eight VISION awards, including Workroom of the Year 2017, multiple trade competitions, and several local “Best of” votes.  Elizabeth loves a good drapery challenge and doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. You can also find Elizabeth on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Houzz

Nancy Letts started Pine House Drapery, an award-winning full-service workroom serving interior designers in the lakeside resort communities of northwestern lower Michigan, in 2001, with her husband Rob joining the business as an upholsterer in 2008. Nancy is a CHFA Career Professional in Slipcovers, a CHFA Alumni Showcase winner in 2012, has written how-to articles for Drapery & Design Professional magazine, is a member of Drapery & Design Pro Network and has taught at the Custom Workroom Conference in 2016 & 2017. You can connect with them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.   Nancy will be teaching at Workroom Tech.  You can go to their website to sign up for classes now.  

Frances Pusch has worked with textiles in some form her entire professional career. Her training includes art school and a bachelor’s degree in textile design from Boston University. She also studied tailoring and fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). During twelve years in New York, Frances worked for two leading textile companies, had a custom tailor shop, was a pattern-maker for outerwear companies, including London Fog, and taught tailoring and pattern-making at FIT. As a business owner, she has made men’s and women’s custom suits, designed and produced a collection of women’s clothing, and later a line of gift items for dog lovers. Her sole focus, starting in 2002, has been creating fine products for home interiors. Frances keeps her business up-to-date by actively participating in online discussion groups and webinars, as well as traveling to conferences and workshops around the country. She is always searching for better techniques, resources and technology—all the while keeping

Today's podcast is a little different!  Michele Williams and I tackle the question, Why? Why is it important in our businesses and in our lives?  Why do we need to ask that before we do almost anything else? I hope you enjoy this week's podcast.  It's a little different, but different is good, right? You can find Michele at Scarlet Thread Consulting and you can join Michele's Facebook group, Build a Profitable Business for Interior Designers and Workrooms. You can order Simon Sinek's book, Start With Why from Amazon. We also mentioned Jack Canfield's The Success Principles(TM) - 10th Anniversary Edition: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be I have also mentioned, more than once or twice, Gretchen Rubin's book Better Than Before.  I loved this book and learned so much about myself (and the people I love!). And if you would like to hear more about Simon Sinek's book, Start With Why, join Sandra VanSickle's Wednesday morning book club on her Facebook page, New Tech-Style

Anna Welsh is the Founder and CEO of littlebags.BIGIMPACT, a company that hand makes clutch bags from resourced, vintage materials. littlebags.BIGIMPACT is a social impact business, with 15% of the proceeds donated to Treehouse Books, a giving library and literacy center in Philadelphia. Anna is the 2017 recipient of the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Philadelphia Center for Advancing Entrepreneurs and the National Association of Women Business Owners Philadelphia Chapter. She was accepted into the 2017 Young Entrepreneurs Academy, an entrepreneurship program for middle and high school students. Anna is the youngest recipient from the YEA Philadelphia chapter to win the “Shark Tank” investor competition and her company received the largest investment in the chapter’s history. Anna went on to complete at the YEA national competition in Rochester, NY.   Anna just completed 6th grade at Welsh Valley Middle School in Gladwyne, PA. This past year, she was selected to participate in the Lower Merion Sc

For Beuancha Jeffries, it was a natural progression from many years of hand crafts, knitting, needlepoint and cross-stitch to creating her business, Soft Furnishings and Home Décor. A combined 30-year career in the Corporate manufacturing process using assembly equipment, and working in an office environment interpreting blue prints, schematics, following government standards prepared Beuancha for her passion, creating beautiful Home Decor for the home furnishings industry following professional standards and specifications and also managing a workroom.    Sew Cozy Interiors (SCI) opened its doors in June 2003 as a part time home based workroom offering pillows, bedding and draperies. Beuancha worked in her workroom at night after working her day job. In 2009, she received a retirement package from my company and she began working in her drapery workroom, Sew Cozy Interiors full time, and has never looked back.     Beuancha is a Certified Career Professional in Window Treatments, Advanced Window Treatments, P

On this podcast, we talk with some of the first time instructors who applied for and had their classes accepted for the Custom Workroom Conference.   I interviewed them both before the Conference and after.  I wanted to hear what they were excited about, what, if anything they were nervous about and then how they felt after they taught.   Pamela Lin The Sophisticated Touch Bianca Henry Impressions Decorating and Design Ken VanSickle Install What's New Liz Hawkes Windows by Liz

Jana Platina Phipps is an embellishment expert known for her refined vision in the use of trimmings in home furnishings and fashion. She is a designer and an agent for Classical Elements, which supplies trimmings and drapery hardware to the home furnishings industry, customizes private label programs for interior design distributors, and sells to retail stores nationally.  She develops custom trimmings for NYC-based fashion companies, and also designs bespoke home and fashion accessories herself, using trimmings and vintage jewelry.  She teaches others her technique of Trim Alchemy, the concept of turning something ordinary into extraordinary using trimmings, to express their personal creativity. Affectionately called “Trim Queen” by her clients, she started her blog in 2013 and uses her social media channels to chronicle how the design community uses trimmings creatively. With her knowledge of the history of passementerie and hands-on experience with fabrication, she lectures at The New York School of Interi

We have an upholstery theme going on again this week!  I visited Kim Chagnon while she was teaching a three day, hands on class in Lancaster, PA.  I already knew a few of her students but there were some new people there and they all shared why hands on is important to them and what they brought with them to learn! Many thanks to Kim and to the women in the class who spent their dinner time with me and shared their experiences with me. The Air BnB that the class was held in was just adorable, lots of space and had beautiful window treatments!!!  Mary Jo Huyard is the owner and it was just lovely! You can find Kim Chagnon at; Kim's Upholstery Facebook Page Kim's Upholstery Mary Jo Huyard at; MH Designs Adrienne Lucas at; Adrienne's Luxury Interiors Facebook Adrienne's Luxury Interiors   Annette Brandt at; Annetti's Custom Window Treatments Facebook Annetti's Custom Window Treatments   Diana Hershey at; DBH Designs DBH Designs Facebook page

Cynthia Bleskachek has been working as a professional upholsterer since 2001 and teaching since 2010. In 2008 she won a first place craftsmanship award through The Upholstery Journal for a tufted chair. She was a featured presenter at the 2015 Minneapolis Junk Bonanza, with appearances on Kare 11 and Fox 9.  She's also presented at numerous events for the PUAM (Professional Upholstery Association of Minnesota) in 2014, she was contacted by Craftsy to help create their first online upholstery class, Getting Started with Upholstery, a class which now has a 5 star rating and over 6,000 enrolled students from all over the world. Cynthia currently works and teaches at her shop, "The Funky Little Chair" in St. Paul, Minnesota. She continues to look for new ways to share her love of upholstery with clients and students.  Here is a link to Cynthia's class on Craftsy that includes 50% off!

Recorded at the Custom Workroom Conference, this podcast is a roundtable discussion with workrooms from the US and the UK, headed by Penny Bruce from Denton Drapes and Nancy Letts from Pine House Drapery. Also featured in this podcast are; Jennifer DeRosa of Beyond Windows, LLC Theda Hadden of Springwood Upholstery Jane Crawford of Jane Crawford Interiors Diana Heinen of Two Sisters Drapery Laurel McGee  The Instagram accounts  we mentioned during the recording are uniquefurnitureuk and workshopdesigns.