Sew Much More

Elaine Parry is English, born in London and brought up in Bath. Elaine studied retail design in Paris and worked in haute couture boutiques and soft furnishings for over 20 years before moving to the countryside in Touraine. She has two grown-up children who have gone back to England to work and study. Elaine is surrounded by chateaux, vineyards, and forests and has two miniature donkeys, three miniature sheep, two cats, and a little cairn terrier who keep me busy when not sewing. Elaine owns Pretty Petite Choses and she can be found on Instagram. Links and Resources; Houles Declercq

Podcast 240 - Resources for Your Business

Laura Nelson's Artice in the Drapery & Design Digital Digest

Sarah O'Neil's Podcast

Custom Workroom Conference

Jill Robson's Policies & Procedures Webinars (Available to PRO Access and PRO Plus members of the Curtains & Soft Furnishings Resource Library)

Seamless Workroom

A Wild Plan

Donna Skufis's Calendar Blocking

Laurel Studio Planner

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

What a thrill is was for me to interview Laurie Medford on today's podcast! Laurie joined the window treatment industry in 1983. Her workroom Centsible Creations specialized in window treatments, bedding, and upholstery. Laurie was an upholstery instructor at the Custom Home Furnishings Academy in Charlotte, N.C., and has written how-to articles for multiple magazines. From 2009 to 2018, Laurie worked for Rowley Company as an educator. In addition to her workroom experience, Laurie is an expert at crochet and shares her ideas and talents by teaching beginning through advanced classes both in the U.S. and internationally at conferences and seminars. In her spare time, Laurie enjoys testing patterns for international designers of yarn art. In 2021 Laurie joined Workroom Tech in Tryon, N.C. as an instructor for professional workroom courses. Laurie is on Facebook

Jennifer Csanyi is the owner of Jennifer's Sewing Studio located in Cocoa, Fl. Jennifer has been sewing most of her life and learned from her grandmother, a wonderful and patient teacher. Jennifer started her business as a single mother, needing to create more income for her family. She is focused on educating herself to increase her skills and confidence.

When Jennifer attended the Custom Workroom Conference for the first time it was a life-changing event for her and her business and she had the pleasure of meeting Ceil and Susan while there and many other wonderful workroom owners and workers. Jennifer has also been taking virtual classes with Susan. The classes have been fantastic and she has learned so much from them! She is also a member of the WCAA virtual group and has recently been elected President.

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!

The Slip Cover Network Facebook Page The Custom Workroom Conference Kim Chagnon/Kim's Upholstery Fit-Like-A-Glove Slipcovers with Jeanelle Dech Slipcovers by Shelly Workroom Tech- check the WRT Website for upcoming slipcover classes (and lots of others!) with Emily Petit Kitty Stein's Book Singer(R) Sewing Custom Curtains, Shades, and Top Treatments: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Making and Installing Window Decor by Susan Woodcock 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

With unwavering conviction, Jessica Harling can break down complex decisions to simplify an action plan. Her dynamic problem-solving can confront potential obstacles proactively and energize any team, making others feel valued to achieve their ambitious company goals. She is the founder of Behind the Design, a People Operations company that enthusiastically collaborates with leadership to build dream teams! From recruiting to training and process development, their intuition for creating strong emotional connections discovers and nurtures rockstar talent with established streamlined processes that impact the company's bottom line.

You can find Jessica on Facebook and Instagram.

I wonder if any of you were as impressed with the idea of Excellence rather than Perfectionism as I was. Please let me know what you thought about Jeanne Swartz's conversation on her podcast.

Links and Resources;

Growth Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carole Dweck

Jean Lawes has been a guest on the podcast a few times, and on this episode, she shares what winning the Jill Robson Scholarship meant to her.

You have until April 30th, 2023 to apply for the Scholarship.

Visit WCAA's Scholarship webpage to find out more.

Ann K. Johnson's Swag Books

Ann K. Johnson's Workroom Skills Class

The Complete Book of Curtains and Drapes Lady Carolyn Wrey

Bluprint is back to Craftsy - Cynthia Blescakchek's class - Getting Started with Upholstery

The Workroom Channel

Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library

Jeanne Henzel is a creative artist with the mind of an engineer. She practices the kind of visionary magic that comes from a degree in fine art and a background in theatre design and theatrical costume crafts. Theatre requires couture-level quality with bomb-proof design — costumes that can be used over and over and modified from frog to princess and back again. It is wonderful training for a creative problem solver. Her work has appeared in the theatre, in museums, and in beautiful homes throughout California and the United States. You can see Jeanne's work here on her website. She is also on Instagram. Links and Resources; Kim Buckminster - YouTube channel Louise Turner - Gareth R. - Upholstery Education PUN group on Facebook NUA Kitty Stein's Book - Price Your Work with Confidence Michele Williams Pricing without Emotion Splashtop - anywhere access for multiple people VA in Montana Seemless admin Amber Robertson Zoho desk Turboscan document scanning app

Michele Fugazy is the owner of a to the trade soft furnishings and hard treatment window coverings company in Fairfield County CT since 2000. Prior to this, Michele worked for 12 years as a fashion industry executive designing & selling accessories in NYC, making biannual trips to Europe, India, & Japan working on product development and fabrication. Her garment center experience provided the foundation for owning her own business.

Michele Fugazy Designs for the Home

Michele is on Instagram

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!

Working with Soft Furnishings by Charlotte Dunkerley

Episode 64 - Adding Hard Treatments to Your Workroom Business with Freddie Graves

Michele Williams

LuAnn Nigara

IWCE

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey

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 Workrooms" 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 treatments for local designers. Links and Resources; I've attached a pdf in the show notes, if you want Jean and Cindi's Excel spreadsheet, just send me an email; [email protected] You can see the Real Workroom Tours on The Workroom Channel's YouTube site. Ann Johnson's Workroom Skills Class If you would like the sheets Jean mentioned, please email me at [email protected] and I will send them to you. 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