Sew Much More

Tammi LeNair of L'Intérieur LeNair has been fabricating couture window fashions for the past 26 years.  Both a workroom to the trade as well as a retail business, her emphasis is on couture and hand detailing.  In addition to being ont he Advisory Board for WFCP, she speaks to area WCAA Chapters and will be teaching an upcoming webinar for the Virtual Chapter of the WCAA.  Her work has been published in various trade journals.  While her business is based in Lancaster County, PA, she travels all over the country.  When not in the workroom, she can usually be found eating delicious cuisine and enjoying a glass or two of wine on her backyard patio with her cats!

Teresa Paul, Executive Director of WCAA, studied communications at George Mason University and began her career working in restaurant publicity, first with a Fortune 100 company, and then as an account executive with one of the top restaurant PR firms in the DC area. With encouragement from friends and colleagues, Teresa launched her own public relations agency in 1998 and became the go-to firm for both profit and non-profit companies specializing in the interiors industry. Her firm represented several interior designers, as well as the NSO Decorators’ Show House, C2 Paints and Mastercraft Interiors. Teresa moved with her family to Raleigh, NC in 2006 and was a stay at home mom and active volunteer until she came out of retirement in 2014 to be the Executive Director of WCAA. Teresa is an avid country music fan, has an admitted addiction to all things pumpkin spice and loves spending time at the beach. She has been married to her husband, Michael, for almost 18 years and is mom to their son Justin, who is 13

Teal Major is the owner of Slips, an interior sewing/design studio in Berkeley, California. After spending years as a pattern maker in the garment industry, she transitioned to home furnishings. Using her knowledge of patterns, fabric and design, Teal fabricates custom slipcovers, curtains, shades, cushions/pillows and bedding. With a focus on customer service and high-quality work, she helps people create a living space they want to come home to.

Rachel Barrera has been in the custom soft furnishings industry, encompassing design fabrication and installation for more than 14 years. From 2000 to 2016 she owned Shorty’s Window, designing and fabricating window treatments primarily for retail clients.   Her passion for her craft and industry can be witnessed through the offices she serves: president of The Houston Area Custom Drapery Association (HACDA) since 2012 and President of the Houston Chapter of The Window Coverings Association of America since June of 2016.     Her talent can not only be viewed through her extensive client portfolio, but is also obvious with her ensuing the three-time winner (2014,2015 and 2016) of the Window Fashions Artisan Project (WFAP), a national annual design competition,  where she designed and fabricated an innovative themed treatment to be displayed  at the International Window Coverings Expo, Vision.

Rosemarie Garner started out in the theater, getting her BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She spent 15 years after graduating working in theater and TV until she decided to put it all on hold to have a family. While raising kids was challenging and fun, she still needed to get her "creative jollies" out so she began using the sewing skills she learned as a young girl from her mother and grandparents. And, so, a business was born. R Garner Custom Designs, LLC is a a to the trade custom drapery workroom servicing Northern NJ and the NYC area. Rose offers custom window treatments, pillows, bedding, accessories, shades and blinds.

I had such a great time helping out in Houston for the Artisan Project Weekend, helping to fabricate the vignettes for IWCE. I did short interviews with the following talented people; Terri Booser  Sande Ober Dori of Doriginals Kevin Kise of Kise Interiors Rachel Barrera of Sugar & Spice Draperies and Shades Julie Wood of the Leading Edge Drapery Julia Tamer of Golden Valley Slipcovers Tish Harmon of EC Interiors

Cathy Tucker has more than  21 years experience as a custom workroom owner and manager. She has been a featured speaker at Detroit Workroom Association meetings, WCAA events, and has been the lead instructor for the Career Professional program at the CHF Academy for over eight years. Cathy is a master at fabricating draperies, upholstered cornices, soft cornices, and headboards. She offers private and group training through the Workroom Channel and travels the country offering her Professional Traveling Workroom Service, where she provides hourly expert labor to help other workrooms manage large jobs, and clear back logs. You can reach Cathy at 419-349-7983.

Interiors by Kelli is a full service interior design studio with a specialty in custom window treatments and soft furnishings for the home.   Kelli established Interiors by Kelli in 1995 as a custom window treatment design studio & workroom and expanded the business to include residential and small-scale commercial design services in 2012.   She is involved and active in several design, window treatment and workroom associations and her work and expertise has been featured in Design NJ magazine.   Kelli’s work has also been featured at “Inspire”, the WCAA national conference in 2011 and 2012. In both cases she worked collaboratively with other WCAA NJ Chapter members to design and fabricate window treatment vignettes. Kelli and Pam DeCuir’s vignette was selected for first place finish at Inspire 2012. Most recently Kelli collaborated with Evelyn LaLicata to design and fabricate the winning vignette entry at Windows to Success, VIII – the WCAA NJ Chapter regional conference.   Kelli is a member of the Inte

Linda Principe is the owner of Linda Principe Interiors in Monroe Township, NJ. Linda provides full service residential interior design services with a specialty in window treatments in the central New Jersey area.  Linda is active in the Window Coverings Association of America and is a past President of the National Board. She is also past President of the Central New Jersey Chapter and is currently an active member of the Central NJ chapter and the Virtual chapter.  Recently, Linda was an instructor for the “Window Treatments” class in the Interior Design program at Mercer County Community College for five years.  Linda’s work has been included in Window Fashions trade magazine and she is a past Editorial Board member and featured writer. She has also been published numerous times in Design New Jersey magazine as well as local NJ newspapers. This year is Linda’s 29th year in business.

Colleen Mook is the owner and CEO of Baby Be Hip, launched in 2002 after leaving her corporate career to start her family.  Baby Be Hip has been featured in national parenting magazines and on Good Morning America, and Colleen has appeared on various media, including The TODAY Show, for her accomplishments in building a successful brand while raising a family. She also won several small business awards, including Make Mine a Million Dollar Business award, Lifetime Moms Spark& Hustle award, and SCORE/Sam’s Club National Giving Award.  is She active in the Philadelphia business community; a few years ago completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, and and is a regular host of the American Express CEO Bootcamp.   Interestingly enough, these are not the most important thing to Colleen, she is a small business enthusiast and a passionate supporter of women entrepreneurs and young women in general, she loves speaking with large and small groups about a range of issues, from starting small busines

Leatherwood Design Co is a custom window treatment fabrication studio, located in Ossining, New York, in the breathtaking Hudson River Valley. We work to the trade and delight in fine fabrics and workmanship. It's an understatement to say we love what we do! Begun as a part-time pillow and cushion workroom in 1987, in 1999 we became a full-time workroom creating window treatments. Fabric and sewing has been my life-long obsession and I consider it a privilege to be able to make a living doing what I love. This journal is dedicated to documenting what we do every day: we enjoy showing off the gorgeous fabrics we work with, and the window treatments we make from them; discuss the design and fabrication process; and share information about some of our resources, colleagues, and inspiration.

For many of us, our first M'Fay Pattern was our introduction to professional drapery making.  It's amazing that such an extensive collection of instructional manuals and patterns all started because of one woman's thought that someone ought to be making them!   In this podcast, Marylan Borchardt and family talk about her initial interest in sewing, the early days working within her sister's business, the development of her first pattern (The Empire) and the growth of the M'Fay Pattern Company.  They are joined by Jeanelle Dech of Adaptive Textiles who recently acquired the patterns, and shares with us her vision of the future. I hope all of  you have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukah and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!  I look forward to hosting more podcasts in 2017! The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by Scarlet Thread Consulting The WCAA The Workroom Channel

The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by; Scarlet Thread Consulting WCAA The Workroom Channel   In 1987, successful window treatment designer Carlette Cormier started the business to help support her family. With a small toddler at home and her husband recently laid off Carlette needed employment that would not only allow her to contribute income, but to be at home to care for her family. Deciding to rely on the skills taught to her by her mother since the age of five, she began CC’s Designs. At a young age she learned to sew doll clothes and over the years Carlette has continued to develop her skills alongside her mother. After moving to Savannah, Georgia to look for employment, a friend who worked in a wallpaper store recommended Carlette to a local designer who came into the store inquiring about help with some window treatments. After seeing the work Carlette had done in her own home, the designer was sold and thus began CC’s Designs and a new career for Carlette was born. Despite the fact that Carlette

The podcast is sponsored by; Scarlet Thread Consulting The Workroom Channel WCAA Caterina Meadows, of Pate Meadows Designs will make you laugh! Before the label “strong willed child” was so widely used, there was “hardhead”. Caterina wears the label hardhead proudly but sometimes considers “passionate” to be a more politically correct description. She lovingly accuses her parent’s of creating a monster for telling her from the time she could sit up “there’s nothing you can’t do”. If you’re told something long enough – it’s embedded forever! Sometimes, however, that tends to make life miserable for people around you. Caterina is most known as the Meadows of the dynamic duo Pate Meadows Designs and ShowHome Patterns. Way before PMD, Caterina knew she never wanted to go to college. Her goals were always: 1) Marry her high school sweetheart, Danny – which she did – two weeks after graduating high school, 2) Get a job in a big office - did that - her typing skills were way above average so as soon as she graduated

This week I have the honor of interviewing Sue Gillen, owner of Window Fashion Designs & More.  Sue is a dear friend of mine and is a Certified Window Treatment Consultant and Fabricator who works with homeowners and designers to create beautiful and functional window treatments that are truly works of art. She also offers shades, shutters, custom upholstery and accessories to finish the look. An expert craftsperson who keeps up with current trends, Susan has a strong background in traditional design.This wide scope of experience ensures that her clients get the best of both worlds... a treatment that perfectly fits their tastes now and one that will continue to “work” well into the future. I often ask my guests if they ever thought about quitting, and my answer would have to be YES!!!  But Sue talked me out of it.  More than once!    

Hearing Tracy's story was so inspiring!  Most of us at least knew how to sew when we started this journey, but Tracy had to learn that before she learned how to fabricate. And she hasn't stopped learning!  Hear how Tracy decided, "If I was going to do it, I was going to do it right!"   Tracy Windley is the owner of Sew Elegant Fine Window Designs, established in 1994 and located in Searcy, Arkansas. Sew Elegant is a retail/wholesale fabrication studio which offers custom window coverings, slipcovers, and light upholstery. The studio specializes in detailed fabrication and couture finishes. Tracy is a former student of the Custom Home Furnishings Academy, a contributor to Drapery & Design Magazine, and a webinar presenter for the Drapery & Design Professional Network and WCAA Virtual Chapter. She will also be an instructor for the WF Vision IWCE and the Custom Workroom Conference in 2017. Tracy is a member of the Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA) and Co-President of the WCAA Virtual Chapte

I had such fun talking with Ann K. Johnson of Sew Easy Windows!   Ann owns a wholesale workroom in Ohio, established in 1992. She is an author and publisher and 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. I have learned a great deal from Ann over the years, and I was surprised by how much we had in common.  You won't want to miss her story, or miss her teasing me about my choice of words!!!

Beth Hodges, owner of Beth Hodges Soft Furnishings, has been in business for almost thirty years! Beth reminisces about starting her business at a time when there was little education and almost no connection between workrooms. She raised 5 children, "in the middle of nowhere" and grew her business which employs several people - her second family! Like lots of us, Beth has had her ups and downs and she shares with us that she, too gets side tracked by procrastination and doubt.     The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by; Scarlet Thread Consulting The WCAA The Workroom Channel  

Monique Becker, CWTC and Allied ASID owner of Becker Home, started her journey in this business by googling, "how to earn a living sewing curtains" because she enjoyed making her own so much and she was ready for a change from her corporate job. Monique tells us about her journey and about how she serves her clients today.

Elki Horn is a friend and mentor to many in the custom home furnishings industry! Elki is a commercial workroom owner with a wonderful sense of humor and a mission to share with everyone in the industry!  Like many of us, Elki started her business, Interior Elegance by Elki in her home.  Elki shares with us how and why she moved out of her home and how she makes time to be creative.