On a sofa in the basement apartment of Cheryl Strickland's home, and a few days later on a flight to Tampa, FL, for the 2005 International Window Coverings Expo, Jeanelle and Anita Boetsma chatted about their work in the custom home furnishings industry. Anita shared her idea of having a printed work table grid to replace the difficult process of hand-marking table canvas with indelible markers.

"Can your company print on canvas that is 72" wide? Can that print be as simple as a numbered grid?"

…and the PRINTED TABLE CANVAS was born!

The PRINTED TABLE CANVAS has been an essential tool for professional drapery workrooms ever since. Listen to this podcast to hear more about the development of the Printed Table Canvas and the challenges along the way.

Grid Installation video:

Several sizes and styles of the Printed Table Canvas can be purchased thru The Workroom Marketplace

Anita Boetsma has been in the window treatment and design industry for over 25 years. She has been a workroom owner, designer, and instructor. She has worked in hardware sales and customer service for many years. Anita is currently a Regional Sales Manager for Forest Drapery Hardware.

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.

Resources and Links;

Custom Workroom Conference

The OPPORTUNITY THINKING Episodes of the Sew Much More Podcast are sponsored by The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library.

The Curtains & Soft Furnishings Resource Library hosts the industry's largest curated collection of educational resources for Custom Home Décor professionals. Membership to the library gives you access to a wealth of downloadable reference materials, videos, live events, and a community of support to help you develop your design, sales, and fabrication skills, and to grow or start a business.