Sew Much More

Rosemarie Garner comes by her sewing passion naturally. Her maternal grandparents were a seamstress and a tailor, and her mother taught her how to sew when she was in junior high school. Fast forward many years later, R Garner Custom Designs was born on the third floor of her Montclair, NJ home, where she worked for 12 years.  Five years ago, she moved to a glorious 900-square-foot industrial space in Butler, NJ where there is finally space to have two tables, all four of her industrial sewing machines, a state-of-the-art industrial iron, a professional clamping system for panel fabrication, and a motorized track to test Roman shades before they leave the workroom. Today we are talking about that move, how she made the decision  ​  

Michelle Minner is the owner of Blue Roof Cabin Upholstery, located in Washington state. She’s a solopreneur, specializing in residential furniture reupholstery. Michelle fell into the upholstery trade by accident. As a DIY blogger looking for a project she decided to try her hand at reupholstering an old chair and fell in love with the transformation process. Self-taught, Michelle is passionate about sharing knowledge and supporting fellow upholsterers. She loves to share upholstery tips on her YouTube channel and Instagram stories. She is currently a Virtual Instructor for FLC training systems.  You can find Michelle on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Links and Resources; Michelle's article in the Drapery & Design Digital Digest You can find classes from the Funky Little Chair on The Workroom Channel You're A Bad Ass by Jen Sincero   Atomic Habits by James Clear   Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design  by Amanda Brown, Grace Bonney    Singer book by Steve Cone   Podcasts Brene Brown Jen

Lisa Jones, is the owner, designer, and fabricator of Lisa Jones Interiors. She has been sewing all of her life. Her mother, LuAnn, taught her to sew when she was a little girl, and Lisa made a lot of her clothes, prom dresses, and her wedding gown. Lisa started her first sewing business a few years after high school and made clothes, prom dresses, a lot of cheerleading outfits, and even costumes for the drama department at the local college. After a few years of doing that, she decided to focus strictly on custom interiors, and she's still going strong 25 years later doing what she loves. Working from home has given her the flexibility to grow her business while still being very involved in both her girls’ lives, whether it was ballet or piano lessons, gymnastics, or four years of hauling horses to barrel racing competitions. Lisa is on Facebook and Instagram, and LinkedIn    Links and Resources; Some of the links I provide, specifically to Amazon and a few others, require me to let you know that if you use

Links and Resources; Some of the links I provide, specifically to Amazon and a few others, require me to let you know that if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you! Atomic Habits by James Clear Gretchen Rubin's Tendencies Quiz

I was so happy to continue the tradition of a year-end wrap-up with Michele Williams.       Links and Resources; (Some of the links I provide are affiliate links and if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you!)   Custom Workroom Conference Learn To Choose Window Coverings Metrique Solutions 30 Minutes with Workroom Tech - 69 - Getting Back to Work After CWC Books; The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals - Chris McChesney , Sean Covey , Jim Huling , Scott Thele , Beverly Walker  Think Again by Adam Grant The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, Charles Stransky Scale or Fail by Allison Maslan and Gildan Media

Sheri has been in the workroom business for the past 28 years, full-time. She had started it before retiring from her nursing career, by working on it nights and weekends. The business has evolved through many iterations. This business began making children's appliquéd clothing and has changed a lot! The present business model is now a mobile slipcover business, called Sassy Slipcovers. This was dreamt up years ago when Sheri would carry so many machines to beach and lake homes. When she lost her lease a year ago this month, it became a reality! It has been a fun transition but also a learning curve. Sheri has had to learn to be more flexible and move jobs around to make them all work. This might be the most fun she has had in her business. Sheri loves the flexibility and let's just say driving Sasy1 Is always a fun time! Sheri is on Facebook and  Instagram   Links and Resources; Sheri's first podcast 189 -  You've Got to Figure Out A Way to Evolve Michele Williams Scarlet Thread Consulting   The Sew Much Mo

Gabriela McCormick, owner of Great Oak Interiors. A full-service custom window treatment workroom, offering fabrication, installation, and design service to retail customers as well as to the trade. Located in Peru, NY in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY. Started very slowly while raising a 4-year-old and twins then one day everything started to fall into place very very quickly!   You can find Gabriela on Facebook and Instagram.   Links and Resources;   The Custom Workroom Conference Ann Johnson's Workroom Skills Class   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library   Merril Y Landis, LTD   Angel's Distributing, LLC   National Upholstery Association

Carrie Duso is the owner of CMD Interiors, a one-person retail drapery, and design studio in Mason, Michigan. She began sewing window treatments in 1997 at the Window Design Studio in Ann Arbor MI where she worked before returning to the Lansing area to study interior design at MSU.  In 2000, she established her own part-time workroom, M.Atelier. Carrie is currently re-establishing her part-time workroom into a full-time business where her life-long love of sewing, making, and interior design are finding perfect harmony.     Links and Resouces; Some of the links I provide, specifically to Amazon and a few others, require me to let you know that if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you!   Price your Work with Confidence by Kitty Stein The War of Art by Steven Pressfield Profit First by Mike  Michaelowicz Dave Ramsey Susan Woodcock - Workroom Tech   Tool Belt instructions from the Library

The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library   Merril Y Landis, LTD   Angel's Distributing, LLC   National Upholstery Association

Riana LeJeune-Copeland is the owner and creative Mastermind of Repinned LLC. Riana was born in 1982 and was raised by an emergency medical pilot father and a historic restoration expert mother. Having grown up in historic homes, she had a deep appreciation for antiques and great craftsmanship.  Riana moved to Des Moines with her family in 1996, attending Callanan and then Graduating from Roosevelt in 2000. After high school, Riana studied Psychology with minors in Criminal justice and anthropology. During her time at Iowa State University, she volunteered at a local women's shelter and headed up the Student Officer Program at ISU PD. After graduating with her BA in Psychology she pursued a career in law enforcement. However, destiny had different plans for Riana. Injury at the age of 24 would take her in a different direction.  After leaving law enforcement she took several office jobs but it just wasn't a good fit. She longed for something more. After her daughter was born in 2011, Riana took a part-time wit

Shasta Breitkopf has been part of the Window coverings industry for quite some time and I was so happy to be able to hear more about her story! Shasta has worked for various companies and also as an independent representative of some of those companies.  Her company, Unique Expressions was developed to assist workrooms with products that help with productivity as well as fabrication. Links and Resources; ( I do occasionally use affiliate links for Amazon and can earn some money if you choose to use them) Workroom Tech Custom Workroom Conference Joy Wilbur's YouTube Method Share on The Workroom Channel Becoming by Michelle Obama Hell and Other Destinations an Autobiography of Madeline Albright Books by Wayne Dyer   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library   Merril Y Landis, LTD   Angel's Distributing, LLC   National Upholstery Association

Heather McGrew is the owner of Drapery Décor.  She started her business in 2010 after working and gaining knowledge/experience of this industry in a workroom in Chicago.  Heather is a workroom dedicated to providing custom window treatments.    Links and Resources;     Snapseed Whitagram Pinterest Fiver Tiktok Inshot   Books; (I do use some affiliate links here, so if you choose to use them, I appreciate it!)   E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki What Your CPA Isn't Telling You: Life-Changing Tax Strategies by Mark J. Kohler Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library   Merril Y Landis, LTD   Angel's Distributing, LLC   National Upholstery Association

    (Some of the links I provide, specifically to Amazon and a few others, require me to let you know that if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you!) Simon Sinek's Podcast - A Little Optimism - Unreasonable Hospitality with Will Guidara Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hildenbrand 

Lisa Brock is the owner of Brock Custom Interiors in the Birmingham AL area. Born and raised in the south, married her college sweetheart and best friend. They raised 5 children on a pastor’s salary learning to make a dollar stretch. We were often gifted hand-me-down furniture that I would turn into usable goods in our home with a bucket of paint and a nematic staple gun.  Fast forward, kids are all grown and moved out with grandkids coming along at a rapid pace, she wanted to have some way to contribute to the “wants” of the family while doing something with her hands that gave her flexibility to be with her growing family. She began Brock Custom Interiors in 2020 after listening to just a few of the Sew Much More Podcasts that gave her the encouragement and realization that she knew enough to make a go at this industry and she’s not regretted it once!!  You can find Lisa on Instagram. Links and Resources;   Webinar on Returns on the Library - https://csfrl.org/project/returns-the-finishing-touch/ 30 Minutes

Kevin Kise owns a workroom and is a designer for Kise Interiors. Coming from humble beginnings in Rural Franklin County, Ohio, his passion for fabrics began when at 8 his Grandmother showed him how to sew, and cook. Her beliefs were that every man should know how to fix a hole in his jeans and cook for himself. Kevin took both of those tasks to heart by going to culinary school out of high school. His dossier includes working in a Michelin 3 star restaurant, managing a fabric store and working in a commercial drapery workroom. He credits his talents to a myriad of mentors including an elderly Japanese woman who taught him the art of Japanese tailoring and fabric draping and the much loved Cheryl Strickland for whom his questions would have never been answered without the direction of her amazing forum and workroom conferences. Kevin is married to his husband, Josh, they have a chocolate lab named Teagan and live in Columbus, OH.   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thr

Lisa O'Brien is the owner of All Things Material. Raised in Northern Kentucky, as a child Lisa O’Brien was always creating something. No wonder she became an artist! Custom window treatments add an artistic element to every home. Creativity, education, and detail are necessary to provide customers with the right look to fit their home design goals. Hiring a professional is how this is done. In 2004, after attending a Custom Home Furnishings Conference with Donna Skufis, Lisa returned and gave a one-month notice to her corporate office and opened All Things Material! With the education provided by this unique school and continuous ongoing education to remain current on fabrication methods, trends, fabrics, and safety, All Things Material has become a well-known and respected business. Lisa is the President of the Kentucky Workroom Association, meeting quarterly to learn from others in the industry and share experiences. During her free time, she enjoys catching up with family. Walking her 2-year-old Lab Summe

Where is the problem in your workflow?  I would love to hear from you about it.  Let me know on the Sew Much More Facebook page.     Links and Resources; (some of these are affiliate links and I will earn a few cents if you choose to purchase through the link.) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman The Ten Percent Happier Podcast with Oliver Burkeman

Adam Brand is the 4th generation co-owner of M&S Schmalberg. Their artificial flowers have complemented the apparel, wedding, accessory, millinery and home furnishing industries for over 100 years. M&S Schmalberg’s custom fabric flowers are still hand-made in New York City. They have been featured in The NY Times, Women’s Wear Daily, Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and on the runway all over the world. Adam generously offered a discount to listeners of the Sew Much More Podcast.  Use this direct link to order or go to the M&S Schmalberg Etsy sight and use code SEWMUCH to get 20%off. Links and Resources; M&S Schmalberg Bernadette Banner Article in The Hat Magazine  

Cathy Cuddington is the owner of Dogwood Designs, a wholesale workroom located in Apex, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Her earliest sewing memory is making clothes for her Barbie dolls. She moved on to sewing her clothes through high school, even learning some tailoring techniques. Cathy spent her first career in the IT industry, during its infancy (i.e. card punch machines). During those 26 years, she would occasionally help out her friends with various window treatment requests, usually following a pattern in the pattern books. One personal project (a slipcover) took her onto the internet to find a how-to video. That one event opened her eyes to the possibilities of owning her own business in the custom soft furnishings marketplace. Dogwood Designs was born as a 50th birthday gift to herself. She has attended available trade schools and conferences, eventually gaining enough experience and confidence to offer her services exclusively to interior designers. She’s an active member of the Triangle chapte

Michele Williams is a serial entrepreneur and speaker on a mission to close the financial literacy gap for small businesses.  Through her two companies, Scarlet Thread Consulting, a client-facing coaching program, and Metrique Solutions, a robust financial software platform, she supports entrepreneurs to understand their numbers confidently.  Michele is a champion for creative entrepreneurs, serving as a change agent to facilitate building scalable and profitable businesses. Michele’s empowering work has been applauded by The Business of Home, My Doma Studios, and The American Society of Interior Designers.