Sew Much More

Jean Lawes is the owner of HomeStyle Workroom, LLC, a Custom Workroom to the Trade, located in Jarrettsville, Maryland. With an extensive background in Sewing and Design, Jean is thrilled to be working with outstanding Interior Designers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Thanks to Jeanelle Dech’s marvelous “Real Workroom” series, she met her “partner in crime,” Cindi Gray, owner of Manor Decorative Services. Fabricating, and collaborating together (two business ventures working in a cooperative), they truly make a Dynamic Duo!     Cindi Gray learned to love sewing as a small child and eventually leveraged that love into a business when she established Manor Decorative Services in 1999 in her home in Monkton MD.     This allowed her a flexible schedule to be available to her family, as well as allowing her to earn a degree in Interior Design from Harford Community College.   She has recently joined forces with Jean Lawes of Homestyle Workroom LLC, working together to create beautiful window treatment

Polly Waite is a classically trained and qualified upholsterer and furniture restorer. She is a member of the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishing and has been working professionally in the industry for over 12 years in her business, Pollyander. Polly comes from a background in design and a family history in antiques. Since the training, she has been using her trained eye to turn tired old chairs into one-of-a-kind, coveted pieces. There have been many creative and challenging commissions over the years; from double-decker buses, hand-made cloud sofas for a festival, and countless treasured antique restoration projects. Nothing has been too big, small, or strange to be taken on with passion and skill.   When Polly isn’t busy sharing her skill, passion, and knowledge with others, she’s putting her creativity and skills into practice. You can normally find her in her studio creating beautiful, one-of-a-kind chairs. She truly believes that chairs are not just functional pieces of furniture but

Harmony Maraldo is an upholsterer, a pricing strategist, and the current president of the National Upholstery Association. By day, she works as the Head of Pricing & Packaging for a tech company in Boston. On nights and weekends, she runs a small traditional upholstery business, Tack & Tuft while also juggling the demanding needs of directing a non-profit. Harmony believes that demand for reupholstery services will continue to rise as consumers increasingly choose sustainability over convenience. She seeks to build awareness of the craft and to develop training and career paths for those interested in entering the trade. Harmony is on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest   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! National Upholstery Association - the NUA is on Faceb

Kelli Vitari is an award-winning owner of the window treatment store and drapery and upholstery workroom, Wild Fern Window Furnishings, in Olympia, WA. She has been fabricating for the industry for the past 18 years in various workrooms across the country and has been sewing since the age of 8. Her educational background ranges from architectural engineering and interior and commercial design to biology and medicine. She lives in Olympia, WA with her husband and business partner, Willie, 3 yr old daughter, Tezra, 2 dogs, and a snake.   You can find Kelli on Instagram and Facebook   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  

Denise Korynta, of Smith Mountain Lake, VA, created her slipcover business, Details by Denise when the need arose to find a job that would give her the flexibility to work around her husband’s schedule, spend more time at their lake house, and with their 6 grandchildren.  It was the perfect option that combined her love of decorating, sewing, fabric, working with people, and problem-solving. It quickly evolved into cushions, pillows, and other home decorating accents.  It’s taken 40 years, 8 duty stations, and 22 homes to get here, but having her own creative business has always been on her vision board.   Denise believes strongly in learning as much as she can, taking on new challenges and also sharing her knowledge and completed projects on her blog, Detailsbydenise.com as well as her Instagram and Facebook page.     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

Audrey Campbell is the owner of Boxwood & Ivy, a drapery workroom located in Cincinnati, OH, servicing both retail and to-the-trade clients.  She credits her start in the industry to her creative mother who loved to redecorate and was never afraid of a good DIY project. In 2015 Audrey purchased a used industrial straight stitch machine on a whim while making items for her own home and a seed was planted in her mind. She began researching the custom workroom industry and spent the next 2 years slowly learning the craft. She is also a busy mother and is grateful to have the opportunity to work from home while having the flexibility to be available for her children’s sports and activities.   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! Links and Resources; Finding your Why by Simon Sinek Profit F

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