Sew Much More – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Ella Hall is the founder of Stitchroom, a Brooklyn-based upholstery shop that specializes in creating custom pillows, cushions, curtains, and other upholstery products. With a degree in fashion design from Parsons and a background in interior design, Ella quickly recognized the pain points that designers often faced in the traditional upholstery industry. Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit, she saw an opportunity to revolutionize a field that had remained stagnant for decades.   Ella’s approach has been to infuse technology into the upholstery process. She developed a custom platform that makes ordering and tracking easier for interior designers and the trade than ever before. This platform enables a seamless experience for designers and customers alike. Ella's innovative approach has not only modernized Stitchroom but has also set a new standard for the upholstery industry, making her a true pioneer in blending craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology.   Stitchroom is on Facebook and Instagram   Links and Resources:   Clickup

Mary Phillips is the owner of Phillips Window Workroom, a custom drapery and soft home furnishings workroom in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Mary has been in the industry for over 40 years, first starting with upholstery with her Sister-In-Law, creating relationships with clients and vendors and then going off on her own out of the house. In 2003, Mary found a location in Chadds Ford and moved out of the house and the rest has been history! Mary has three children with her husband, Mike, a sweet dog Ruby and a huge loving family that loves spending time together and going on vacations to the beach or hanging by the pool.    Callye is 26 years old and is Mary’s daughter. She grew up in and out of the workroom. When Callye was 6, Mary moved out of the house. Through the years, Callye always appreciated that her Mom was able to come to all her sporting events, and could be there when she needed her since her Mom was her own boss. After going to West Chester University, and finishing right in the pandemic in May 2020, Callye didn’t quite have a game plan. She spent a year and a half nannying before deciding to join the PWW team, and just celebrated three years with them. Callye enjoys the creative process, working with customers and designers and seeing their beautiful custom work come to life. Outside of the workroom, Callye coaches volleyball and still plays, (has a boyfriend), and loves spending time with family & friends and her three beautiful nephews! (Soon to be 4).    You can find Phillips Workroom on Instagram and Facebook.   Links and Resources;    

Jonathan Camp is from Canton, Ohio and for 21 years has worked at Ohio Workroom where he now manages nine employees.  While he can confidently rework any piece of furniture, his specialty is tufting.  A bench of his can be found in the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens historic house museum in Akron, OH.  Other work has appeared in marketing materials for St. Frank Fabric and Wallpaper.  In his spare time he owns and manages a 300 acre lamb and purebred sheep farm. 

 

Ohio Workoom is on Instagram 

Laubacher Upholstery is on Facebook and Instagram

 

The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;     Klimaka Studios   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   Workroom Tech  

 

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 chapter of the
WCAA.
Cathy lives with her husband of nearly 40 years. She has two grown sons, and one grandson.
She and Terry enjoy traveling (when they can) and taking rides in their little convertible when the weather is nice.

 

Links and Resources;

Michele Williams - Profit First and Pricing without Emotion

The Workroom Endgame by Jeanelle Dech

Pricing Your Work With Confidence by Kitty Stein

AirTable

Chickadee rotary cutter

Amy Burton's Cornice Board Video

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. 

Born and raised in Marietta Ohio. Enjoyed making and creating as a kid and did a lot of cross stitch with her mom. Sewed a pair of shorts as a class project in 4th grade and didn’t pick up sewing again until after college. As a social worker, in Cincinnati, creating became a great outlet so she took an upholstery class and learned the basics. Life had plans and her first daughter was born, a month early and only 4lbs. So most creative ventures took a back seat. 2 more daughters came along and then her mother-in-law decided as a break from mom life a sewing basics class could be fun. Once a week for 6 weeks Elizabeth got out and realized how much she loved sewing! Over the years she has made costumes for plays, altered prom dresses, wedding dresses, and dance costumes! For a brief stint even had a storefront for her alterations business. Life again threw a curveball and her husband got a job in Asheville North Carolina and they needed to move. In Asheville, she found out about workroom tech through a grandmother at her daughter's school and during covid, she took several online classes and found enjoyment in creating soft furnishings. She has taken on jobs in the past year and is now looking to build and grow her business in the home decor space.   Links and Resources; Price Your Work with Confidence by Kitty Stein     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

Angie Wewel is the owner of Grandview Drapery Studio, a wholesale workroom located in Arvada, Colorado, just northwest of Denver. From a young age, Angie has had the desire to start her own business in a creative industry. After attending the Custom Workroom Conference in 2018, she decided it was finally time to turn her life-long passion and pursuit of sewing into a career. Angie values ongoing education and has attended classes at Workroom Tech in Tryon, North Carolina, studied upholstery at a technical college in Denver, and has taken many additional online and in-person training courses and seminars to hone her skills. She is a member of the Workroom Accountability and Mentoring group (WAM), and a member of the WCAA, and WCAA Virtual Chapter. Angie is on Facebook and Instagram     Links and Resources; M'Fay Workroom Manual Deborah Cronin's Blog Curtains & Soft Furnishings Resource Library Price Your Work with Confidence - Kitty Stein SCORE   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

Lisa LaChance started Something Sew Unique nearly 20 years ago in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. While there she had the opportunity to create unique window treatments and bedding in every style, texture, and fabric imaginable – from rustic country to shabby chic to sleek contemporary style. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. As a professional member of the Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA), she is active in the promotion of window treatment design and fabrication as a business. In 2007 she completed certification to become a Certified Workroom Professional and was also featured in the prestigious Window Covering Association of America (WCAA) 2007 Elegance Showcase. Her solid educational background and experience, coupled with her love for sewing and design, have given Lisa a unique view into the window of interior fashions. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, spending time with her grandchildren, and caving in her backyard.

 

Links and Resources;

Dream Draper

Instagram

Claudia Couto, owner and founder of Claudia Couture Homes LLC, has been in the design business for over 17 years. Born and raised in Brazil, Claudia’s passion for unique luxury design began at a young age, when she learned to sew at just 8 years old. With great grandparents who were Italian designers, the industry has been in her family for decades. After studying Chemical Engineering in Brazil, Claudia came to America to pursue her dreams of design. She graduated from New York Institute of Art with a degree in Interior Design and went on to begin her career in Connecticut, specializing in luxury textiles, high-end custom window treatments, upholstery, bespoke furniture design and beyond. Over the years, Claudia’s work has been installed in hundreds of homes curated by top interior designers. She has worked in Connecticut, the Hamptons, Westchester, New York City, Newport, Watch Hill and abroad in Dubai and areas of Japan. Her expert craftsmanship, along with her creativity, reliability and unmatched quality of work make her creations exceptional, unique and highly sought after. Along with her skilled team of craftsmen, Claudia consistently aims to exceed the expectations of her clients. She describes her style as clean, refined and elevated, with the insight and experience to work in homes with a range of aesthetics from modern and contemporary to traditional. Claudia lives in Fairfield with her two children, who are her biggest inspiration of all. 

Claudia is on Instagram. 

Links and Resources;

Claudia's Digital Tape measure

A Well Designed Business by LuAnn Nigara

Sewing Custom Curtains, Shades, and Top Treatments: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Making and Installing Window Decor by Susan Woodcock