Sew Much More

Anthony Del Rey  is the owner of MotorParts4Shades.com . He grew up in the family window treatment business and began installing shades in South Florida at 18, taking on his first motorized projects soon after. Anthony opened his first Somfy account in 1986 and spent the '80s and '90s combining installation and fabrication, manufacturing roller and Roman shades until 2006. After moving to Bowling...

  Devin Ryan is the heart and hands behind Redeemed Relic Upholstery , where she transforms well-loved furniture into beautiful, meaningful pieces with new life. After earning a degree in communication and a master's in education, Devin spent years teaching — a career she loved — until multiple sclerosis forced her to step away from the classroom. What began as a creative outlet during that transi...

  KerryLynn and her husband Waldemar started their business One Space at a Time Ltd in October of 2001 just 2 weeks before their wedding…   They live just outside of Calgary Alberta Canada (for now) with their son Daniel, their 2 dogs, 3 cats and a turtle – named Myrtle!   As life has a tendency to do, things with life and business have changed over the years and in May of 2024 KerryLynn decided i...

Mandy Szigethy discovered upholstery while completing her Theater Technology degree at Indiana University and decided to forsake the stage in favor of the workshop.  She has had the unique opportunity to work in both furniture manufacturing at Beachley Furniture and now custom upholstery as the owner of Rose City Upholstery in Portland.  She has received training in both modern materials and tradi...

Kristin Speyer started Red Head Sewing LLC ten years ago in the Texas Hillcountry. She works to the trade, and has a core group of designers that keep the sewing machines running furiously. There is currently a small team of two other workers, and plans for expansion are underway. Kristin and her husband have been married for 22 years and spend their downtime mountain biking, traveling, and trying...

  Links and Resources;   Episode 477 - Stacy McAleer from the Cavanaugh House National Upholstery Association      

Kristin Speyer started Red Head Sewing LLC ten years ago in the Texas Hillcountry. She works to the trade, and has a core group of designers that keep the sewing machines running furiously. There is currently a small team of two other workers, and plans for expansion are underway. Kristin and her husband have been married for 22 years and spend their downtime mountain biking, traveling, and trying...

Susan Fortucci began sewing at home on her grandmother's treadle sewing machine and made most of her own clothes throughout high school. In her early twenties, she met her future husband, who owned a sailboat, and she soon learned to make canvas projects and sails. This experience led her to work in canvas shops and sail lofts as the couple sailed from Boston to Florida and the Bahamas. After sett...

LInks and Resources;   Ann Johnson's Three Strikes Article     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   National Upholstery Association   Workroom Tech    

    With over 30 years in the interior design industry, Bob Gallic has founded and led multiple successful firms specializing in custom upholstery, window treatments, and automated shading. His work spans major markets from New York and Miami to Chicago and Vail. Bob maintains close collaborations with clients and interior designers, working discreetly and efficiently to bring design visions to li...

Rhonda Shanahan, owner of The Whimsical Chair , learned to sew growing up in Iowa from her grandmother and mother. They taught her their passion for sewing and creating with beautiful fabrics. Rhonda received her degree in fashion merchandising. After college she moved to Kansas and worked in retail sales and display. When Rhonda got married and started her family she was able to stay home with th...

Stacy McAleer is the founder and executive director of The Cavanagh House , a vital resource to Baltimore and its surrounding areas, dedicated to helping individuals gain financial stability through the trade of upholstery and sewing. With a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and over 35 years as a self-taught sewer, Stacy brings both clinical insight and hands-on expertise to her leadership. Committe...

Skye Livingston fell in love with fabrics and sewing at a young age and earned her BFA in Fiber Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute. Her journey to the soft furnishings world came by happenstance after a decade of navigating through fine arts, non-profit administration, education, and production dyeing and sewing.    While her first business ( Hello Hue Studio ) has been relegated to the back...

Links and Resources; Brendan Burchard Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port 12 Months to $1 Million: How to Pick a Winning Product, Build a Real Business, and Become a Seven-Figure Entrepreneur by Ryan Daniel Moran   (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...

Donna Redmond is the owner of  Undercover Sewing .  She has been a member of WCAA since 2016 and participates in ongoing professional education.  Donna loves to work with both to the trade interior designers and local homeowners.  Donna is always striving to provide high-quality window treatments, cushions, and/or pillows that transform a house into a special place for special people.  You are spe...

  Jan Marie Larson is a silversmith. She makes sterling silver thimbles and sewing tools one-at-a-time by hand.  Her journey from Iowa farmer's daughter to Fashion Designer/custom tailor to missionary in Africa to Organic Crop Inspector (while being a mother of 4) all culminated with an older neighbor calling up and saying: "I need help, you can learn this".  Jan Agreed.  She learned silversmithin...

        Links and Resources;   The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins IWCE Noteability One Drive Minutes Matter Amazon Sewing Kit (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...

Running a custom workroom means wearing all the hats—fabricator, business owner, problem-solver, and sometimes… Google detective. But what if you didn't have to figure it all out on your own? In this episode, Ceil DiGuglielmo (your friendly industry Librarian) shares the real value of having a trusted place to turn for answers. You'll hear stories from Library members, learn what kind of support a...

Annette Faber is the owner of  Kaylee's Creations, LLC  which provides custom window treatments, bedding, and other soft furnishings to interior designers. Kaylee's Creations exists to support interior designers by providing exceptionally crafted soft furnishings. They strive to be part of the design team and to make their part of the process both enjoyable and stress-free for their client. They w...

  Selina Scott is the owner of Blueprint Custom Furnishings , a custom workroom and upholstery studio in Beaverton, Oregon. While her business is only three years old, she has 19 years of custom fabrication experience from her employment at a workroom in Portland and then working on the side while being a stay-at-home parent. She enjoys sewing all kinds of things for herself and family, gardening,...

Bree Bacon  is a dynamic business leader, speaker, and author with over two decades of experience at leading organizations. She holds an MBA from Duke University and a BA in Business/Economics and Music from Wheaton College. A survivor of stage three, triple-negative breast cancer, Bree brings grit, grace, and deep gratitude to her mission: helping people rise above burnout and tap into their pers...

  When Madison Stauffer graduated from Kent State in 2021 with an architecture degree, she decided to combine her sense of design and love of vintage furniture with her fledgling upholstering skills. Enter Ohio Workroom in Canton, Ohio, where she's worked for three years. Among her other duties, she helps customers find the perfect fabric for their specific pieces, with considerations given for du...

Today's episode is dedicated to our mental health as we work so hard on our businesses.   Resources and Links;   Episode 435 - Setting Boundaries Method Share on the Curtains & Soft Furnishings Resource Library - Calendar Blocking   Mental Health Resources; National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 (Free 24/7 support) Meditation apps; Calm, Happier, Headspace...