September/October 2019
PODCAST community at CWC supportive SHOES in the workroom the CROWNING TOUCHES to feather /down managing a SLOW-REVENUE month CWC & NUA symposium recap quick tips at #CSFRL M'Fay INSPIRED
Scroll to read full article On September 15th, 2019, the National Upholstery Association (NUA) held it's inaugural Symposium in Concord, North Carolina. It was the pre-event to the annual Custom Workroom Conference. The turnout was outstanding, with nearly 100 upholstery and soft furnishing professionals in attendance. Take Your Skills to the Next Level- Aspire to Inspire Bruno Paulin-Lopez, Cynthia Blesckachek, Rachel Fletcher & Grant Trick We were honored to have the chance to interview four talented upholsterers, all well-known and respected in the field. The panelist had a lively discussion answering questions about what inspires them and sharing insight into their businesses. After the discussion attendees had a chance to meet and mingle. Most had only ever met through social media so it was fun to finally meet in person. Our mission at the NUA is working together to advance the field of professional upholstery. Creating events where upholsterers can network, share knowledge, ideas and inspiration is part of that mission. Our goal is to support a strong industry for everyone to thrive in. For more information about the NUA go to nationalupholsteryassociation.org. Michelle Minner is a DIY enthusiast and owner of Blue Roof Cabin Upholstery. She fell into the trade of Upholstery by accident. As a DIY Blogger in need of a project she decided to try her hand at reupholstering an old chair and fell in love with the process. She never looked back.
NUA Symposium by Michelle Minner
scroll to read more The Custom Workroom Conference took place September 16-18, 2019, at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center in Concord, NC. Hundreds of workroom professionals gathered together for learning, networking and fun. The conference featured 24 classes taught by talented workroom professionals. Classes included window treatments, bedding, upholstery, slipcovers, and business topics. The keynote speaker, Susan Kostelecky, shared her experience of teaching sewing skills to children. Susan’s message was inspiring and memorable, and had the audience laughing and crying. An important part of Custom Workroom Conference is the exhibitor marketplace. This year’s marketplace featured many new companies, and was bustling with excitement as attendees met their favorite vendors, sampled products, and learned about tools and services to support their workroom businesses. The demo-station, an always busy part of the show floor, and hosted by The Workroom Channel, featured industrial sewing machines and sewing tips. The Window Coverings Association of America hosted the annual social event at CWC. The WCAA cocktail party was sponsored by Rowley Company. Attendees enjoyed the delicious food, drinks, and meeting together to share their experiences from the day. Custom Workroom Conference is produced by Susan Woodcock and Rodger Walker, and is the only educational event and trade show specifically for the custom workroom professional. It is sponsored by Hanes Fabrics. “This year’s conference was so exciting. From new business owners to seasoned professionals, everyone came together as one industry to grow and support each other”, Susan said. The dates and location for the 2020 Custom Workroom Conference will be announced soon. Stay updated by following Custom Workroom Conference on Facebook and Instagram.
Scroll to read full message from Ceil DiGuglielmo Words are the basis of a podcast. When you listen to one, you hear someone speak words. I have been creating podcasts for three years now and have produced over 180 episodes. I talk with people and am able to think of questions to ask as we talk. Yet, when I looked around at all of the people gathered in this photo, words completely escaped me! Every one of the people in this photo took the time to talk with me and to answer my questions, some more than once! I am in awe of the gifts they have shared with me and the listeners of the Sew Much More Podcast. “Thank you” seems inadequate, yet it embraces everything I want to say to my guests and listeners and supporters. Thank you for saying yes when I asked you to be a guest on the podcast! Thank you for answering difficult questions! Thank you for listening every week! Thank you for jumping on to the website and supporting me! Thank you for commenting and telling me what you liked about different episodes! Thank you for suggesting great guests! Thank you for leaving reviews! Thank you for taking a few moments to email me and tell me how much the podcast means to you! Thank you for picking up the phone and telling me how much you enjoy the podcast! Thank you for stopping me at CWC and telling me what it means to have the podcast keep you company when you are alone in your workroom! Producing the Podcast has been an adventure that I could not have anticipated. I have had days where I wanted to quit – yes!!! I asked myself that question! – but the kind words and incredible support I have received from all of you has made it possible to keep going! Thank you!!!! I hope you all know how much you have helped me in this journey! Ceil DiGuglielmo listen to CWC recap episode
Shaped-Top Window Treatments a series of three online courses with instructor, Ann K. Johnson scroll down for video series introduction Dress arched and angled windows, dance around beams and architectural molding, or simply convert a plain window to a work of art. This series of anytime -access courses is the ticket to creating exceptional custom treatments for your clients. Beginning with a measurement check-list, Ann demonstrates how to measure shaped windows, create architectural templates, build mounting frames and draft precise patterns. Each of these three courses targets a specific header style and provides detailed step-by-step processes to create a shaped-top finish. The Variations and Considerations segments of each course features real-world jobs done by professional workrooms. You will be inspired by their work and find interest in some discussion as to how the jobs were quoted and installed. FLAT AND FLAT-PLEATED TREATMENTS The top line of flat components (flags,roman shades, inverted pleats, and cascades, etc.) can be adapted to any arched, cutout or angled shape. This course includes the following video lessons: Introduction Architectural templates and measuring Mounting Options (Frames and decorative hardware) Flat components (no fullness in the treatment) Flat-Pleated Components (inverted pleats, knife pleats, flat-pleated horns, etc). Variations and Considerations Click HERE to start learning now! DIMENSIONALLY-PLEATED AND GATHERERED TREATMENTS The process of slicing and spreading the pattern is a timeless and precise technique that has many applications. In this course, you will learn how to shape the top of pinch-pleated, goblet-pleat,ed cone-pleated, and other dimensionally-pleated components, as well as gathered headers. This course includes the following video lessons: Introduction Architectural templates and measuring Mounting options (frames and decorative hardware) Dimensionally pleated components Gathered components Variations and Considerations Click HERE to start learning now! LIFTED TREATMENTS Lifted treatments are those that do not follow a structure or a frame, but the fabric ‘lifts’ from one point to the next. Some examples include: panels and valances mounted on decorative posts, and treatment components attached to the face of a cornice board. The fabric drapes between each post, but the posts are not on a straight plain. These must also be cut to shape. The straight grain cut of the fabric cannot be lifted higher to the next post, it must be cut to drape and lift. Ann makes a complicated process seam easy as she demonstrates creating the desired shape with beaded weight chain, taking careful measures, and using those measures to pattern and cut the top of the treatment component(s). This course includes the following video lessons: Introduction Architectural templates and Measuring Mounting options (decorative hardware only) Lifted components Variations and Considerations Click HERE to start learning now! Watch detailed demonstration videos, download companion materials, and participate in private course discussion boards. Click here to view full course catalog.
Anytime-access education at its best. . .
QUICK TIP from pinehousedrapery #CSFRL This is my technique for holding those tiny little orbs open to string the shade cord through... tiny little clamps. They're the perfect size. It's like they made them specifically for this task. Nancy Letts started Pine House Drapery in 2001 and brings 50 years of sewing experience to provide window treatments, bedding, upholstery and slipcovers to interior designers in northern lower Michigan. Nancy has taught at CWC since 2016, and at Workroom Tech since 2018. She has written articles for Drapery & Design Professional magazine and the Drapery & Design Digital Digest, is a contributing partner at the Curtains & Soft Furnishings Resource Library, and is a WCAA member.
Want to be featured in the next Digital Digest? Use #csfrl to get noticed! scroll down to see all posts SEPT/OCT 2019 Instagram Photo credits: Stevenson Vestal - @stevensonvestal Donna Hovis Interiors - @dbhovis Whitney White - @whitneywhitedraperydesign Windows Dressed Up - @windowsdressedup AZ Draperies and Pillows - @azdraperies Amanda Smith - @sewunordinarydrapery Island Drapes and Upholstery - @islanddrapesand Alejandra Canales - @ac_designstudio Jenny Lilly - @jennylilly_gracebydesign on the cover: Windows Dressed Up, Denver, CO Note: using #csfrl implies permission to use your image in the Drapery & Design Digital Digest with photo credit and Instagram link.
This article first appeared in Michele's blog which you can read here. Scroll to read full article Bouncing back from a revenue dip is hard. The worst part is feeling like a failure. Too many entrepreneurs place their value in context of their success—a great month means you’re a success, and a bad month means you’re the worst. This is a very dangerous cycle that could ultimately sink you, heart and soul. There will be highs and lows, and if you let these dictate your emotional state of mind, then you will experience a roller coaster of emotions that will influence your ability to make decisions, act, and react. You can manage through them; you’ve got to. If you want to succeed, be aware of your emotions when it comes to your finances. And when you have a bad month, or even string of bad months, fail fabulously—allow yourself to harness the mistakes instead of let them hinder you. Don’t let a Low Sales Month Contribute to a Scarcity Mindset Why is money such an emotionally loaded thing? It’s about survival, and that triggers strong primal emotions that rise to the surface. The world revolves around those who have and can do anything with money versus those who have not and struggle without money. So, too often, fear drives a business owner to see low numbers as impending disaster, and the feelings of fear make it difficult to deal with the reality. To counteract the feelings, some will run away, make rash decisions, or ignore the problem which all result in mistakes that worsen instead of mitigating the situation. Now as an entrepreneur, you don’t have the luxury to dwell in fear. You must face the numbers realistically. Financial problems are a symptom. They are not the status but rather an indicator of your business’s welfare. The sooner you can learn their messages and allow them to guide you, the sooner you can manage your interior design financial statements better. Financial Setbacks can Cause Feelings Of Shame And Failure When faced with low revenue numbers, or not hitting your monthly income goals, it's so easy to judge and get stuck feeling badly about your finances instead of fixing them. If you’re feeling badly, then you’re making a mistake that ties your self-worth to your business’s success. This is dangerous. Your self-worth comes from a sum of previous experiences that led you to start an interior design business. You don’t define yourself by just one moment, so why let failure define you entirely? Repairing your interior design financial statements takes patience, so you sort of have to sit with the failure for a while before you can see results of the changes you implement. This is hard! Again, the key is to feel the emotion and move through it. Don’t squash or avoid it. Experience the emotion, fix the problems, then bless and release. Fail fabulously and then avoid more failure by coming up with a plan to make more money next month, and eventually get out of the “feast/famine” cycle of entrepreneurship. Don’t Forget To Celebrate your Business Successes Not all emotions related to finances are cause for concern. There’s one that you should feel every single day: Pride. Every day, you are accomplishing your dream to start an interior design business. A well-run business will impact every facet of your life. You will feel the highs and lows, so celebrate the accomplishments. The fact is that for every dollar, it's affirmation that your dream job is happening and you're making it happen. Don’t forget to celebrate, and then, get back to work! I am happy to offer support to you along the way. Reach out and let us talk to you about The Designers’ Inner Circle. Michele Williams is the owner of Scarlet Thread Consulting. Using her software development and interior design business background, she empowers her clients to charge what they are worth and to have confidence in their financials. Michele is a Profit First certified coach focused on the interior design industry, and she hosts the popular Profit is a Choice podcast. You can learn more at www.scarletthreadconsulting.com.
Having a slow revenue month?, Don't feel like a failure!
Supportive Shoes in the workroom by Laura Nelson Scroll to read full article There have been many discussions among home-based workoom owners about flooring and what types of shoes to wear (or not). Standing on your feet for most of the day can take its toll on your feet and body. What you wear, what you stand on, and how you stand can make a difference. Your posture and how you stand can affect many other parts of your body. Being barefoot, there is no support for your arches, unless you make a conscious effort to not roll your foot in. Once your feet roll in, or pronate, your knee and hip alignment changes, which can then affect your back and cause fatigue or pain. Working on a padded, carpeted area you may not notice the pronation. It may be a year or longer before you notice any problems. (If you’re not sure if you pronate, look at the heels of your shoes to see if they are even or not) Working on a hard surface for long periods of time can wear down the body, shoes or no shoes. Hard wood floors with an underlayment have more give than poured concrete (common for basements), but anti-fatique mats are recommended for both. Place anti-fatigue mats in places you stand the most. This could be all around the work table, or maybe just one end or side you work the most. There are a wide range of mats available from factory-quality mats which are the most expensive, to interlocking children’s play mats. Choosing a good, supportive shoe depends on what you need. Plantar Fasciitis (PF), also known as fallen arches, is the most common foot problem. For this, choose a shoe with good arch and heel support. If you are not sure about the shoe, hold it at the heel and toe and twist your hands. A supportive shoe won’t twist or bend. See if you can take the insert out to replace it with an orthopedic insert for extra support. Merrill, Keene, and Munro brand shoes are all high quality shoes which help with PF and, while not inexpensive, last a long time. Changing shoes halfway through the day can help prevent fatigue as well. Wearing shoes while you work can not only help prevent injury to your feet from falling pins, scissors and other objects, but help support your knees, hips and back. Your body will thank you! Laura Nelson has over 20 years of experience as a professional workroom owner, specializing in soft and hard window treatments and slipcovers. She is a member of WCAA and is currently the Vice President of the Indiana Chapter. Sew Nice is a Certified Window Treatment Workroom and Woman Owned Business Entity with the State of Indiana.
Blast from the Past
click here for FREE DOWNLOAD from The CROWNING touches to Feathers and Down SewWhat? Newsletter May, 1999
Join the LIBRARY! search and read every issue of the ORIGINAL SewWhat? Newsletter View more than 100 hours of educational webinars
Circle Time at the Library Deb Cronin - Set Yourself Apart Recorded October 15, 2019. Set your workroom apart with practices that will take your work to a higher level while maintaining efficient production. Nancy Letts - Business Social Participate LIVE on November 19, 2019. Content creation, photography tips, etc. Darla DeMorrow - Organizing Your Photos Participate LIVE on December 17, 2019. Business and Personal Photo organization. Join the Library today as a PRO Plus Member to view past and future CIRCLE TIME events, on demand. www.curtainsandsoftfurnishingspro.org
SHOP M'Fay Patterns HERE
scroll down to read more Here's an adaptation for a medallian- mount valance that will keep your installer happy. The medallians are board mounted instead of individually attached to the wall. Click thru the photos below to see how it was constructed. The valance shape was inspired by the M'Fay Carolina Valance Pattern. Jeanelle Dech is president and co-founder of Adaptive Textiles, an innovative textile printing company in West Chester, PA. She is a friendly and engaging speaker, known for her entrepreneurial spirit, love of natural linen fabric, Fit-Like-a-Glove slipcovers, and workroom profitability training. In 2015, she acquired the M’Fay Pattern collection and launched The Workroom Marketplace and The Workroom Channel, which hosts a series of online training programs for sewing professionals. She is the creative energy behind The Workroom Channel’s METHOD SHARE, REAL WORKROOMS, and FLY ON THE WALL series.
Have something to share? GET PUBLISHED Scroll to read full article The Drapery & Design Digital Digest is the result of the collaborative efforts of The Workroom Channel and the Curtains & Soft Furnishings Resource Library. Our mission is to showcase the outstanding work of custom home furnishings professionals, spotlight quality products, and share educational resources. Submission Deadlines NOV/DEC Issue: Monday, November 25th, 2019 JAN/FEB Issue: Monday , January 27th, 2020 Guidelines: Previously published content is welcome as long as the topic is relevant and you are the author and copyright owner. By submitting and signing below, you certify that you own or have acquired permission to reproduce the submitted work, including text, photographs, and video content. We reserve the right to edit article submissions for accuracy, grammar, style, length, and format, without approval. Publish dates and methods of distribution are at the discretion of the Drapery & Design Network. We reserve the right to decline to publish for any reason. Submission Procedure: Please send the completed form to the editor, Jeanelle@jeanelledech.com. Subject: DD Article – Your Title. Include your article text, title, author biography, and related links in the body of your email or as a separate Word document. Attach photographs, logos, and illustrations (including your headshot) as separate files - NOT within the body of the written text. For image files that are too large to send as email attachments, please provide a download link from Dropbox or other file transfer service. CLICK HERE for article submission form.
Content Coordinators
Jeanelle Dech The Workroom Channel The Workroom Marketplace Jeanelle@jeanelledech.com
Ceil DiGuglielmo Curtains & Soft Furnishings Resource Library Sew Much More Podcast Ceilwdi@gmail.com
Love this e-pub? Don't miss a single issue!
September/October 2019 photo credits: Liz Kelly, The Workroom Channel Nancy B. Letts Pine House Drapery Louise Cornick, Upholstery Education Susan Woodcock, Home Dec Ga Emily Moore, CWC Sales and Event Managerl
FREE SUBSCRIPTION
The Drapery & Design Digital Digest is the result of the collaborative efforts of The Workroom Channel and the Curtains & Soft Furnishings Resource Library. Our mission is to showcase the outstanding work of custom home furnishings professionals, spotlight quality products, and share educational resources.