nov dec issue FINAL.indd - Custom Home Furnishings Academy

Cover Story 

O Christmas Tree, 

O Christmas Tree! 

Step-By-Step 

Flat Roman Shades 

Kicked Up A Notch 

CHF Success Story 

Lorie Albitz—Above The Fray 

www.CHFmagazine.com November/December 2006 1

2 The Custom Home Furnishings Magazine November/December 2006

Contents November/December 2006 

Instructors’ Corner 

5 Holiday Cut Off 

Industry News 

14 D&WC Presents CHF Conference & Trade Show 

Cover Story 

8 O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree! 

A Sneak Peek Into a Workroom 

10 Working By Design—Meg Lilja 

Upholstery 

12 The Arte and the ‘Misterie’ 

Design Ideas 

27 Pull Out Section of Design Ideas 

Industry Association Group 

17 WCAA—Central Florida Chapter 

14 D&WC Presents 

Down to Business 

34 Time Management in the 21st Century 

16 Advertising—–Ensure That Your Ad Gets Results 

45 Mass Mailings To Prospective Clients 

Product Profile 

33 Ultra-Pro Seam Ripper 

Special Features 

7 Tablecloth Magic 

15 One Year Later—Cheryl Strickland 

47 Great Use For Those Leftovers 

Book Review 

40 Eat That Frog! 

Step-by-Step 

42 Mitered Flange Pillow Sham 

8 

15 

Step-by-Step Window 

48 Flat Roman Shades—Kicked Up A Notch 

Form of the Month 

52 Calculating Yardage 

The CHF Academy 

37 Above The Fray—Academy Success Story 

54 The Latest Career Professional Graduates 

55 The CHF Academy Schedule 

the custom home furnishings magazine 

13900-F South Lakes Drive • Charlotte, NC 28273 

Margie Nance, Publisher 

Mary Zellers, Editor 

Connie Sikora, Associate Editor 

Ross Terry, Graphics Artist 

SUBSCRIPTIONS 

800-222-1415 • 704-333-4636 • 704-333-4639 FAX 

www.CHFmagazine.com 

$36 per year, including the CHF Forum 

editor@chfmagazine.com 

The CHF Magazine Advisory Board 

Jill Stanbro, Chairperson 

Karen Barnes • Carlette Cormier • Amanda Endress 

Dean Fountain • Kelly Geraghty • Suzanne Cox-Hudson 

Susan Kindel • Rebecca Mack • Linda Noakes 

Mary Ann Quinn • Marilee Smock • Judy Soccio 

ON THE COVER… 

Happy Holidays from everyone at CHF Magazine. 

Photo provided by Connie Sikora from the home of 

Paula Lempart-Stanfa, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

28 


Editors’ Journal November/December 2006 

from the associate editor 

Happy Holidays 

It’s hard to believe, but the holiday season is already 

upon us. It’s time for food, family and possibly even 

traveling. But before we can enjoy these things, we 

have deadlines to meet. 

The Instructors’ Corner in this issue relates to holiday 

deadlines. I hope that this will help others to set 

realistic deadlines and then not waiver. After all, it is 

your business and you should run it the way that you 

want to, not the way someone else thinks it should be 

run. 

I would like to welcome Mary Zellers back to the CHF 

Magazine. We are very lucky to have her and I truly 

appreciate her hard work. I look forward to spending a 

lot of time with her, even if it is through cyber-space! 

In my Window Treatment 100 class I tell my students 

that there is one very important rule to follow in your 

workroom. “Do what you say you will do.” If you 

tell someone that they will have their treatments in a 

certain amount of time, then you should do whatever 

it takes to make it happen. I personally was thrilled to 

see Zona Tiller’s book report this month. Believe me, it 

already holds a prominent place on my wall! 

We at CHF Magazine cannot thank you enough for 

your patience while we worked out the kinks this year 

and we promise you that we will do everything within 

our power to stay on schedule next year. This remains 

the premier publication for workroom professionals 

and you can look forward to more fantastic columns 

and articles in coming issues. 

A special holiday wish for all of the wonderful people 

involved in the Custom Home Furnishings Family. May 

you all be blessed as much as you have blessed others. 

Enjoy this issue and I’ll see you on the forum. 

Connie Sikora 

I'm Back 

from the editor 

Some of you may remember me. 

I was the Managing Editor of the 

SewWhat Magazine three years ago. 

It is great to be back. 

I was only back a few days when I was reminded of 

how great it is to work with everyone in this industry. 

From my experience, it seems that a requirement for 

working in the Custom Home Furnishings industry is 

that you are nice and that you go out of your way to 

help everyone achieve their goals (sometimes at the 

sacrifice of your own goals). Thank you to everyone 

who has helped me put this issue together. I really 

could not have done it without you. 

Be sure and check out the letter from Cheryl 

Strickland on page 15 to see what she has been up 

to since retiring from the business. It looks like she is 

having more fun than we are! 

It is always a pleasure to listen when someone has 

an inspiring and exciting success story. That was 

definitely the case when I was talking with Lori Albitz 

(page 35) about what she has been doing with her 

business and how the Custom Home Furnishings 

Academy has helped her achieve her goals. Lori 

believes that her amazing success is a combination 

of hard work and blessings handed down from God, 

allowing her to be in the right place at the right 

time to seize the opportunities that are given to her. 

Lori’s high energy level and optimism has inspired 

me to continue to accomplish all the things I would 

like to accomplish in my own life. I, too, have been 

especially blessed by God and I am aware of all that 

has happened in my life that are His special gifts to 

me. 

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas 

and a Happy New Year. I look forward to working 

with Connie and all of you this year to produce the 

best magazine in the industry. 

Mary Zellers 


Instructors’ Corner November/December 2006 

For this issue we asked the Academy Instructors 

to tell us about their workroom’s cut-off date for 

projects to be done for the holidays. Here they 

are, complete with nightmare stories and other 

events that might have contributed to making 

them believers of insisting on a cut-off date. 

Mary Zellers 

Jill Stanbro — Swags, Top Treatments, and Embellishments 

Instructor: My deadlines have changed over 

the years. When I was new to this business 

and trying to please everyone, I worked 

90 hour weeks in October, November, and 

December. As I became more experienced 

and had employees to count on, my deadlines 

were early October for Thanksgiving and 

early November for Christmas. I haven't seen nearly the rush 

for Christmas orders the last few years as in the past. I am 

a better judge now of what I can accomplish in a given time 

span, so I plan accordingly to what I know is coming in. 

I do still occasionally have decorators who try to push the 

envelope and show up in early December with something 

they have promised their customer for Christmas. Now my 

answer is, “You really shouldn't have done that.” The worst 

thing you can say is “maybe.” That is always interpreted as 

“yes”. 

I think everyone has a story of an order that just “has” to be 

done for an upcoming party and when the installer arrives, 

the homeowner has put their tree up right in front of the 

window. 

Susan Schurz — High-End Fabrication Methods Instructor: 

I can't think of any nightmares, thank 

goodness. I am sure there have been 

Christmas deadline nightmares in 18 years of 

business but I have forgotten them. 

My holiday cut-off is October 1st. This 

means all fabrics and a completed purchase 

order must be in house by October 1st - not 

just “asked for” by October 1st. I will still take work but 

will not promise Christmas delivery. I usually can fit in small 

projects such as pillows after the cut-off date. But it is better 

Holiday Cut-Off 

to say it is not possible and surprise the customer with an 

early delivery than to not be able to finish the work on time. 

(This is true all year, not just at Christmas.) 

One funny story. My wedding date was purposely set to be 

after Christmas (December 28th) so that all my work would 

be done and I could enjoy it! 

Terri Booser — Advanced top treatments and 

Embellishments: My holiday cut off date 

seems to vary year to year depending on the 

workload. I tell my customers that I will not 

guarantee anything for Thanksgiving after 

October 1st and I will not guarantee anything 

for Christmas after November 1st. But if I do 

run ahead of schedule, they may get it. 

The holiday nightmare that comes to mind is when I was 

given 80 yds of voile sheer to do not only 6x fullness for top 

and bottom rod pockets for 12 doors, but also pinch pleated 

draperies for 2 windows. It was not a terribly difficult job, 

just monotonous. Well . . . we finally go to install everything 

before Christmas and when I went to hang the pinch pleated 

draperies I had them 10" too short!!!! The customer was 

having a New Year’s Eve party so I had to order new fabric 

and re-make them before then. Needless to say, that year I 

found myself working between Christmas and New Year’s to 

accommodate her, since it was totally my error. 

Mary Dwan - Workroom Shortcuts, Draperies, and Shades 

Instructor: The story that I have to tell about 

a “nightmare” holiday installation is the one 

that I did a few years ago on Thanksgiving 

Eve. I arrived at the home with gorgeous silk 

draperies for a living room and dining room. 

The out-of-town family had started to arrive, 

and their entertainment for the evening was 

apparently to drink wine and watch me install the window 

treatments. They really got toasted! There was a brother or 

brother-in-law that talked to me the whole time: “So, you 

got your own tools…” “How did you learn to do this” 

“How do you know where to hang the things” “Are you 


Instructors’ Corner November/December 2006 

Holiday Cut Off 

(cont'd from page 5) 

sure that one is level with the other ones” Blah, blah, blah. 

I tried to remain calm, and it all turned out okay. But it 

was very nerve wracking and my stomach was all tied up in 

knots when I got out of there. 

From that day forward I have never scheduled an 

installation the day before a holiday or the day before a 

client’s party. It’s much better to have at least one buffer day. 

Jeanelle Dech — Slipcovers and Business 

Plan Start To Finish Instructor: Back when I 

managed the workroom at Crab Apple Farm 

Interiors, the most joyous holiday season 

occurred when we created a cut-off date of 

November 10th, and gave firm installation 

dates at the time of order. December 20-23 

was always a busy install week. We also 

informed our customers that the workroom and showroom 

would be closed from December 24th thru January 7th 

- giving everyone a much needed break. That first week of 

January was a wonderful time to settle the books from the 

previous year and begin planning for the new. 

Donna Skufus — Basic Cornices, Cornices and Headboards, 

and Advanced Top Treatments and Embellishments 

Instructor: My workroom is strictly wholesale. 

I don't really have cut-off deadlines. I 

assign dates to my designers. For example 

if a designer says they have a living room 

to do before Christmas. They need 4 pairs 

of panels, 3 large swags, and 6 cascades. 

From experience I know how many days that will take to 

complete. So I go to my calendar and see if I have that many 

days empty to work on the project. Then I put that person's 

job on the calendar and assign them those days. Everybody's 

work is done on the days assigned to them. If their project 

changes and requires more time, they only get that time if it 

is open. If not, they must tell their customer they will have 

to wait for the rest until after Christmas. 

I have also learned from experience to take care of myself 

and take time for the things that are most important to me. 

I always take the month of January off and visit my family. 

I plan for this and I stick to the plan. I don't allow anything 

to stop me. When I come back I am ready to go again. 

Connie Sikora — Starting and Operating a Workroom & 

Workroom Shortcuts, Draperies and Shades: When I first 

started in the industry, I would do whatever my customers 

wanted me to do. I worked 24 hours a day right up until 

the holiday, even doing installations on Christmas Eve day 

or Thanksgiving morning. I thought that I had to do these 

things in order to stay in business and keep jobs coming in. 

About 6 years ago I was doing a project for a wellknown 

newscaster in Chicago. He called two days 

before Thanksgiving and asked if there was any chance 

that he could have his cornices before the holiday. I had 

not planned on it, as a matter of fact I thought that I 

was done working until a few days after Thanksgiving. 

Instead of standing firm, I agreed to install the project on 

Thanksgiving morning. I worked long hours for the next 

two days in order to finish the project. I was at the client’s 

home at 8:30 am and just wanted to get it done and get 

home to my family. 

I installed the brackets above the patio door, perched the 

cornice on them, turned to pick up my drill and when I 

turned back to look at the cornice, it slipped off of the 

brackets and landed square on the bridge of my nose. I fell 

to the floor with my face in my hands. There was blood 

everywhere. To my horror, I had broken my nose. After a 

second or two of shocked silence, the customer gave me an 

ice pack and a wash cloth. What happened next solidified 

my decision to NEVER kill myself for another job. The 

customer asked if I was going to be able to finish the job 

because he didn’t want me to leave the brackets up if I 

wasn’t going to put up the treatment. I installed the cornice 

and cried the whole hour drive home. 

I have learned to set deadlines for holiday jobs and stick to 

them. I try to get all Thanksgiving jobs installed two days 

before the holiday and an entire week before Christmas. 

I also do not commit to any deliveries between Christmas 

and New Years. I take this time to clean my workroom and 

tune up and clean my sewing machines. 


Tablecloth Magic 

Lorie Leslie 

Tablecloth Magic 

This colorful and dramatic window treatment was designed using two tablecloths that the customer had purchased 

for the purpose of having the window treatment made. 

To achieve balance, each 

triangular panel is centered over 

a window break accentuating the natural 

breaks in the window. Wide bands of red 

antique satin on the valance under-curtain 

and the leading edge of the side panels create 

harmony with the vertical and horizontal 

bands of the window trim. The valance is 

board mounted with a curved return to 

soften the angular lines of the treatment and 

smoothly transition it to the wall. Banded 

trim with tassels accent the under-curtain, 

connecting the printed edge of the triangular 

panels to one another horizontally. A gold 

cord suspending two color-coordinated “puff 

balls” hangs at the point of each panel. This 

hanging cord visually extends the triangular 

panel even deeper into the window. 

The window treatment is the focal point of the living room 

creating a beautiful frame for the outside view. 

Lorie Leslie is the owner of Sew by Design. With a degree in Clothing Design she has owned and operated 

her alterations and custom sewing business for many years. Expanding her business to include window 

treatments has been a welcome opportunity to use her design knowledge and creativity. Currently, both 

parts of her business thrive and bring the satisfaction of constant variety. 


Cover Story 

Mary Zellers 

O Christmas Tree, 

O Christmas Tree! 

Christmas Trees. Almost every one decorates one. 

Nothing is more beautiful and the possibilities 

for decorating are endless. Some people like 

to decorate with a theme. Others prefer a 

hodgepodge of decorations, collected over the years, that 

have sentimental value as well as beauty. No matter what the 

choice, everywhere you go at this time of year you hear “Did 

you get your house decorated” or “Have you decorated 

your tree yet” 

Since we are the Custom Home Furnishings industry I 

expected nothing less than interesting, one-of-a-kind, 

innovative Christmas decorations from our talented work 

rooms and designers. I was not disappointed. 

Zona Tiller, owner of Zona’s Drapery & Upholstery 

House, Johnston, LA, has been in the window coverings 

business for 25 years. She has four sons ranging in age from 

14 to 33. She always decorates her Christmas tree for “little” 

eyes. She uses bright colored lights and shiny ornaments. 

Her decorations are prized possessions with tremendous 

sentimental value. 

A friend made an antique Santa from Zona's drapery and 

upholstery fabric scraps. Before Zona’s Mom passed away, 

she gave each of the grandchildren an ornament from their 

first Christmas tree. When Zona’s first two children grew 

up and started their own home, she gave them their special 

ornament to decorate the tree in their home. Two of the 

special ornaments that decorate Zona’s tree belong to her 

two children who still live at home. 

Karen Barnes, owner 

of Elegant Windows 

in Gilbert, AZ, has a 

tradition in her family to 

give the children a new 

ornament every year on 

Christmas Eve. When 

they get married and 

leave home, they take 

their ornaments with 

them. Two of Karen’s 

four children are married 

now and were able 

to take more than 20 

ornaments with them to 

decorate their Christmas tree. Karen and her husband started 

the tradition 26 years ago when they found a cute toy soldier 

ornament while on their honeymoon. 

Kathie Faletra, owner of HD Interior Design, 

Hopkinton, MA, made this sentimental theme 

Christmas tree just for her husband. He is an executive in a 

publishing company and doesn’t have a lot of time for extracurricular 

activities. But he loves fly fishing. 

While on vacation, Kathie came across her first fly fishing 

tree decoration and thought it would be fun to surprise her 

husband with his own Christmas tree. She 

bought a small artificial tree with a trunklooking 

stand and 

began her search for 

ornaments. She found 

many of them in small 

boutiques and shops 

in Maine and over the 

next several months, 

put it all together. Each year, she finds an 

ornament or two and puts them in her 

husband's stocking. 


Cover Story 

Mary Zellers 

He really enjoys the tree, and they keep it up all year in 

their vacation home in Maine. It has actually set the theme 

for the house and Kathie thinks it is much more pleasant 

than moose and bear. 

Turn to page 45 for 

details about these 

great ornaments. 

Susan Kindel, owner of SK Fabric 

Interiors, Gainesville, VA, went 

with a “Citrus Christmas” theme 

this year. Her “new” Christmas 

colors are copper and lime-green. 

It all started when she fell in 

love with the entire Citrus-Lime- 

Melon book from Greenhouse Fabrics. She grew up in 

Florida and the fresh, trendy (and slightly shocking) color 

scheme from the book fell right in line with her energy level 

and casual “Florida Girl” personality. 

With just a few days to spare in early December and prior 

to hosting a party, she pulled together a complete new 

look using a little new fabric and a can of copper spray 

paint. She created four lime-green stockings with ticking 

cuffs, one tree skirt with mitered banding, purchased new 

copper and green ball ornaments and found some remnant 

tangerine colored ticking for the garland. 

Susan stumbled upon a great client gift when she created 

a mock-up stocking using leftover napped sateen lining 

The “fuzzy” side made a great face fabric for the base of 

the stocking and the cuff needed only an 8" x 14" scrap of 

leftover material. The resourceful use of leftover lining paired 

with such a small scrap of any client’s leftover material 

helped her clear out the workroom and create an adorable 

gift to be filled with decorating magazines, CDs, chocolates, 

wine bottles, kitchen towels, or gingerbread mix and cookie 

cutters. 

I think we will all agree that Susan has created an 

updated, casual, and fun new “Citrus Christmas” look. 

My friend, Nancy Matthews’ mom was a Home 

Economics teacher for 37 years. Nancy got 

her first sewing machine when she was nine years old. 

She has been sewing literally all her life. She makes 

unbelievable award winning quilts with amazing detail 

and all sorts of other wonderful “crafty” works of art. 

Nancy has been collecting flamingos since her college 

days. She says its’s just “something about pink and long 

legs.” She found several stores in Charlotte, NC (where 

we both live) that offered flamingo ornaments. But she 

got most of 

them at a 

Christmas 

shop in 

Myrtle Beach, 

SC. 

Nancy is a 

self-proclaimed 

“free spirit” who 

doesn't always 

like to conform 

to the rules. She applied 

this trait when she 

decorated her flamingo 

tree and made the 4-ft 

stocking and the tree 

skirt. 

am sure that we can all 

I relate to these stories 

and have stories of our 

own. 

The next time you see a 

particularly interesting Christmas tree, ask the owner. She 

will be happy to tell you what inspired her and you will be as 

pleasantly surprised as I was to learn the details. 


A Sneak Peak Into A Workroom 

Working By Design 

Meg Lilja, Owner 

For just under two years, Meg Lilja has owned 

and operated her home based wholesale/retail 

workroom, Working By Design, in Hudson, Ohio. 

Meg says, “If ‘Necessity’ is the mother of invention, 

then ‘Budget’ just may be the father.” She loves to go into 

a store, a garage sale, or even her own attic looking to 

repurpose items for use in her workroom. “Once you start 

seeing things through the lens of how it can serve you in 

your business, it’s hard to stop.” An over-the-door towel 

rack accommodates some of her rolled goods, an ice tray 

holds her presser feet, and nothing beats a 99¢ shower 

caddie to hold board mounts. “I especially 

like to use things that are meaningful to me. 

Years ago, a friend made us a 

beautiful spice rack for our kitchen. 

It now holds my thread.” 

Meg’s workroom. She blew out the back of a bedroom 

closet and made two rooms into one. 

Meg admits that it can easily get out 

of hand. “Unfortunately for my son, 

I looked at his room and thought of 

a wonderful way to repurpose that 

too! We blew out the back of his 

closet and my workroom grew from 

150 square feet to over 500 square 

feet in an afternoon. It took me a 

Meg especially likes the strip fluorescent lighting. 

while to stop walking around the long way through the 

hall.” 

Workroom machines include: Juki Straight stitch DDL-8700, 

US BlindStitch 718-9, Industrial 5-thread serger, 

Bernina serger and Husqvarna/Viking Designer 2. 

This repurposing doesn't always work, however. 

Meg tried to make a home-made iron track. She tried 

everything...cables then curtain rods, etc. The plastic 

carriers just weren’t up to the task of carrying the 

weight. After the whole iron system crashed down a 

couple times, she gave in, called döfix and ordered 

their track. She is all for saving a few bucks when 

possible but this is one area she wasted a lot of money 

and time monkeying around. 

The tool Meg couldn’t live without A small digital 

voice recorder. “It’s with me at all times. I used to 


A Sneak Peak Into A Workroom 

is more), the cheery color (inspiring and noninstitutional), 

and her extra high work table. “I’m 

almost 5’11” and I love my 43.5" tall worktable. 

No more stooping.” She also adds, “I try to put 

everything on wheels, so as needs arise I can move 

machines around and 

reconfigure my room 

easily.” 

Storage for books, manuals, 

videos, and files. 

keep it in my apron, but now I wear 

it around my neck on a breakaway 

lanyard. No more sticky notes and 

little scraps of paper. I don’t have to 

interrupt myself in the middle of a 

seam anymore to write something 

down that just popped in my head.” 

When asked what are her favorite 

things about her workroom, Meg 

is quick to say the lighting (more 

Cheapo cord holder. 

Digital Voice Recorder 

The thing she loves 

most about her job 

“When I’ve finished 

making something 

it’s DONE. I can 

“. . . a beautiful spice rack 

for our kitchen . . . now 

holds my thread.” 

actually see it, touch it, and take a picture of it.” 

Everything else she does – like laundry, dishes, and cleaning – she has to do 

again. It’s nice to look at something and say “Here it is...voila...fini.” 

Meg’s favorite treatments to fabricate are panels. She especially loves using her 

blind hemmer (U.S. Blind Stitch 718-9) when making them. It is difficult, though, 

to find a way to make enough money producing panels. 

Meg’s most challenging but rewarding project was a long distance one with a 

client in London. Despite the distance and different time zones, they were able 

to pull it off using email and digital photos. Freight to London is very expensive. 

So Meg shipped the drapes to her client when she was stateside. Then when she 

flew home to London she carried them with her. 

Meg loved the fabrics, silks and tapestries that 

her client chose. She 

fabricated stripes for 

the living room panels 

by alternating chocolate 

brown and dotted 

robin-egg blue silks. The 

project made her “feel so 

very inter-continental!” 

Over-the-door towel rack = 

rolled goods holder. 

Panels alternating 

chocolate brown 

and dotted 

robin-egg blue 

silks. 

Meg started sewing 

Meg in her workroom. 

when she was in the 

sixth grade. She has been 

married to her husband, George, for 25 years and 

enjoys raising their four fabulous kids. 

You can view more pictures of Working By Design at 

www.picturetrail.com/workingbydesign. 


Upholstery 

Craig Wienand 

The Arte and the ‘Misterie’ 

The term upholstery in its basic context evokes 

something comfortable and attractive to sit on. 

The application of various skilled techniques, 

myriad support stuffings, paddings, and fabric 

secured to a frame, can result in a piece of upholstered 

furniture of functional 

utility. Or through the 

creativity of a craftsman 

and some embellishment it 

can become a very lavish 

and ornate work of art. 

Queen Mary's Chair, 1554. 

With original upholstery.* 

The trade of the 

upholsterer can be traced 

to England back in the late 

13th Century. Trades were 

then known as misteries 

due to their initiations 

and secrecy of rites to 

outsiders. Upholstery was 

known as the Company of 

Upholders, governed by 

the Misterie of Upholders. 

The company served as a sort of labor union to 

the upholsterer, maintaining standards within 

the misterie and deciding by whom it could be 

practiced. Apprenticeship programs had been 

established. A typical term for an apprentice 

upholsterer assigned to a master was at least seven 

years, often extending to ten. Parents paid the 

upholsterer a substantial yearly fee to teach their 

child the craft. In turn, the child worked, ate, slept 

and breathed with the master craftsman who acted 

‘in loco parentis’. 

The Upholsterer’s Guild (misterie) was granted a royal 

charter by King Charles I in 1626, incorporating it as a 

proper guild. The records of this company were destroyed in 

the Great Fire of London in 1666. Whatever remained was 

destroyed in another fire in 1812. Hence very little is known 

about the early days and few pieces of original upholstered 

furniture exist from before the 17th Century. The common 

thought however is that the work, with some exceptions, 

was rudimentary and relatively crude. Before 1600, to make 

a chair more comfortable, one would simply put a pillow 

on it. Some chairs with fixed padding were made during the 

1500’s but these were for grand and ceremonial purposes. 

The 17th Century showed much progress in the craft. 

When King James I was on the throne, from 1603-1625, 

he slept on a bed made of canvas stuffed with straw. 

However, by the time King George II (1727-1760) came 

along he had a bed made of white leather stuffed with 

horsehair. The use of horsehair as a stuffing became 

commonplace from 1660 and by 1700 the true craft of 

upholstery was in place. Techniques for stitched edge 

horsehair seating were refined and did not change much 

for the next 150 years. This was a flourishing time for the 

upholsterer in Europe. 

Meanwhile, across the 

Atlantic in the ‘Colony of 

America’, there were already 

at least forty individuals 

practising upholstery in 

Boston alone! A famous 

American we are all familiar 

with, Betsy Ross (with her 

husband John), opened 

their upholstery shop in 

Philadelphia in 1775. Betsy 

had apprenticed in sewing 

at another upholsterer’s 

when she was younger. It is 

English Armchair, 1750. 

interesting to note that in 

Upholstered in wool 

regards to sewing, the iron 

‘gros-point’ needlework.* 

needle was invented in the 

14th Century, a needle with an eye in it was invented in the 

15th Century and prior to 1851 everything was sewn by 

hand (including flags). 

Opulence would define the 18th and 19th Centuries with 

the aristocracy clambering to outdo one another with their 

interior décor. The upholsterer was truly in his (or her) 

element during this period, creating incredibly lavish and 

ornate furnishings. These would include bedding, draperies 

*Photos used by permission: Upholsterers & Interior Furnishings in England 1530-1840. By Geoffrey Beard. Yale University Press, New Haven and London 1997. 


Upholstery 

Craig Wienand 

and flooring – even coffins. In those days it was the custom 

for the upholsterer to be responsible for everything involved 

in the interior decoration of a home or palace or funeral. 

The upholsterer was in effect the interior designer of the 

day! 

During this period the upholstery trade was considered the 

most lucrative and prestigious of the craft guilds. In 1747 

Robert Campbell, author of “The London Tradesman” 

ranked the upholsterer, “above all other furniture making 

artisans.” Their shops were teeming with velvets and silks 

from Italy and France and they employed many crafts 

people, from curtain-makers to woodcarvers. 

In 1828, Mr. Samuel Pratt of New Bond Street, London, 

obtained a patent for a coiled spring. The introduction 

of the coiled spring to upholstery had quite an impact on 

the furniture making industry. Springs had been in use in 

furniture to some degree during the late 18th century but 

with their increased availability their use became much 

more widespread in the 1830’s. A much higher degree of 

comfort was attained through their use in the arms, seats 

and backs of chairs and sofas. Seats became much deeper 

allowing furniture legs to be shorter. Styles and techniques 

of upholstery began to change. These developments were 

instrumental for the upholsterer to neatly segue into the 

mass production, industrial age from the 1850’s onward. 

The craft of upholstery is at the beginning of a renaissance. 

A quick survey of upholstery workrooms across America 

might produce a mixed reaction as to the validity or merits 

of this statement, but for the seasoned artisan of this craft, 

the times they are a-changing. Although ‘official statistics’ 

may point to a decline in the need for upholsterers, this 

refers to factory production positions which are being 

usurped by the flood of inexpensive foreign imports. 

However, this is precisely one of the reasons why the 

future is so bright for upholstery workshops and the ‘lone’ 

artisan. A quick perusal of just a few websites shows many 

workshops across the country looking to employ even basic 

or trainee upholsterers. 

There exists a certain mass production fatigue, with people 

wanting to put their own stamp on their interior décor. 

Individuality and customization are the new battle-cry. 

This has opened up the floodgates for an increased demand 

for quality upholstery and quality upholsterers to meet 

this demand. There had been a gradual thinning-out of 

upholstery shops during the last twenty years, mostly due 

to older craftsmen retiring and having no-one to pass their 

skills on to. This leaves the upholstery workshops which 

have survived, weathering many storms and financial ups 

and downs, to take advantage of the resurgence in the 

marketplace. The days are quietly passing when a person will 

buy ten yards of $100 a yard fabric and shop around for the 

least expensive tradesperson to do the work, because their 

options are becoming more limited. The catchword now is 

‘quality’. 

It is refreshing to see people who may have dabbled in 

upholstery in the past, as a hobby or professionally, realizing 

what is happening in this field and wanting to learn more 

about it. Whether they want to upholster their own furniture, 

start a business, or improve their existing skills perhaps to 

target niche markets, the sky is the limit once armed with the 

necessary skills. 

Through the conduit of information at the Academy, one 

has access to advice and support from experts around the 

country, relating to any aspect of the soft furnishing industry. 

As any upholsterer will tell you, there are many aspects to 

upholstery, a lot of work and quite a lot to learn. If you 

want to learn, you have to start somewhere and I personally 

can think of no better place to start than the Academy. 

In the coming months, more classes will be added to the 

curriculum to increase the selection for students wanting 

to learn more about the various aspects of upholstery. We 

will be addressing deep-buttoned tufting and “old world” 

upholstering techniques, in general. 

Re-upholstering a wonderful old chair from the frame up, 

creating shapes and contours with your hands and finally 

admiring your craftsmanship in the finished piece, can be 

almost therapeutic. The skills necessary to do this need not 

be a “misterie”. 

See you at the Academy! 

Craig Wienand is the upholstery instructor at 

the Custom Home Furnishings Academy. He 

began his career working a family business in 

Pittsburgh, PA, with his father. He has just 

returned to the US from England, where he 

spent 13 years developing skills in traditional 

British upholstery techniques. He currently resides in 

Connecticut. 


Industry News 

D&WC 

D&WC PRESENTS 

CHF CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW 

FEBRUARY 2007 

Charlotte Convention Center, 

Charlotte, NC 

Draperies & Window Coverings 

magazine presents the 15th Custom 

Home Furnishings Conference & 

Trade Show February 15 to 18, 2007, 

at the Charlotte Convention Center, 

Charlotte, NC. D&WC purchased the 

Custom Home Furnishings Educational 

event in October. An official 

announcement was made at the CHF 

conference in Valley Forge, PA. 

The 2007 event will continue and 

build upon the solid foundation Cheryl 

Strickland created in her former 

workroom show and bring to life 

new seminars and events to attract 

additional retailers and designers, 

making this show an even more 

comprehensive and valuable experience. 

Cheryl’s foresight in bringing 

workrooms together as the primary 

focus of this event will remain the same. 

The 15th CHF Conference & Trade 

Show will feature a faculty of the 

industry’s most knowledgeable 

speakers, presenting 48 sessions 

on fabrication, design, installation, 

upholstery and slipcovers, and general 

business knowledge. More than 60 

leading suppliers will preview products 

and services at their exhibit booths and 

present live demonstrations throughout 

the show. 

KEYNOTE AND SPECIAL 

EVENTS 

The event’s keynote speaker will 

be Wolfgang H. Schaber, host of 

the Food TV Network’s “Kitchen 

Accomplished!” Schaber will present 

his keynote address during lunch on 

Thursday, February 15th. He shares 

his passion for design through his 

design studio, Wolfgang Interiors, 

which provides designer furniture 

and accessories and custom draperies 

(with an in-house drapery workroom 

to fabricate his custom draperies 

and bedding). He won “Designer’s 

Challenge” as a featured designer 

on HGTV and has aired on HGTV’s 

design trends show “I Want That . . . 

Baths.” He is host of numerous design 

seminars and speaking engagements 

across the country! 

Besides the exhibit hall, unlimited 

networking opportunities and handson 

classes, the CHF Conference & 

Trade Show will feature the Working 

Workroom, a functioning drapery 

workroom inside the exhibit all set 

up by the Custom Home Furnishings 

Academy. Attendees will have the ideal 

opportunity to learn the layout and 

details of an efficient workroom and 

to work with exhibitors’ supplies and 

equipment before purchasing. 

Other feature events include The Great 

American Slipcover Race, a dinner 

gala hosted by the Window Coverings 

Association of American (WCAA) and 

D&WC, and a tour of the Custom 

For more information on the 15th Custom Home Furnishing Conference 

& Trade show, visit www.chfconference.com. 

Home Furnishings Academy. Each fourday 

conference attendee will receive 

exhibitor coupons valued at more than 

$2,000 and one lucky winner will 

receive a free five-day course at the 

CHF Academy, valued at $995. 

ABOUT D&WC 

Draperies & Window Coverings 

magazine is the premier monthly 

business-to-business multi-media 

publication dedicated to interior 

fashions professionals specializing 

in window treatments and to the 

continued growth and success of 

their businesses. For more than 25 

years we have presented design ideas, 

new product information, advice, 

industry news, and management ideas 

to all aspects of the custom window 

coverings industry—fabricators, 

workrooms, decorators, dealers, 

installers and suppliers. 

Since 1995, Draperies & Window 

Coverings has been accessible on the 

Web. With the most comprehensible 

site for the window coverings trade, 

www.DWConline.com presents 

current articles, a year-by-year and 

month-by-month archive of articles 

and a searchable Directory & Buyer’s 

Guide. Each month, the magazine also 

circulates an e-mail Newsletter with 

latest news and timely features. 

Since the very first industry trade show 

and conference, The World of Window 

Coverings in 1983, Draperies & 

Window Coverings has produced 

more than 70 events, both large and 

small, accumulating the knowledge and 

experience in designing, organizing and 

operating successful shows. 


One Year Later 

Cheryl Strickland 

Cheryl Strickland—One Year Later 

Hello Everyone! 

Wow! I am really honored that Margie 

asked for an update on my activities a 

year after selling the school. It’s nice to 

be remembered. I do miss you all! 

This past October I sold the rest of 

the company to the D&WC Magazine 

and completely 

retired. Before that I was still busy 

getting a show ready in South 

Carolina in January, Phoenix 

in March, and Philadelphia in 

October. I loved every minute I had 

the business, but have been really 

enjoying semi-retirement and now 

full retirement for the past eight 

weeks. 

Life certainly is different from when 

I still had the company. I now have 

time to enjoy my grandchildren. 

My daughter used to call and say, 

“Mom, your granddaughters would 

like to see you.” They practically had 

to make an appointment! Now those 

two granddaughters get off the bus 

Panning for gold. I'll let you know 

every day at my house and the other 

if we strike it rich! 

three grandchildren live just four 

doors down from me in the same 

development. I used to live on the side of the mountain, but 

now I’m in a terrific area with great neighbors and a flat 

yard where the kids and I can play! 

This past spring there was enough time to watch three 

of the kids play T-ball and little league. On and off over 

the summer we all spent time at my camper on a river, 

swimming, panning for gold, riding bikes, playing games, 

and building campfires. We also went horse-back riding. 

(I know I look as big as the horse in the photo!) All of my 

brothers and sisters, and many other family members and 

friends, came to the camper for my 55th birthday in May. 

My daughter and I now attend water 

aerobics three times a week and I’ve 

lost 15 pounds. 

All five grandchildren (ages 4 through 

11) are learning to sew and we 

have been busy making Christmas 

projects and decorative pillows for 

my new house. There are no window 

treatments yet, except for blinds, 

and I’m looking forward to creating 

them. I really miss the sergers (all of 

them went to the school) so I just 

ordered myself one from Bill’s Sewing 

Machines. Hey, what can I say, once 

it’s in your blood… I love sewing for 

fun again and not under deadlines. 

I received great satisfaction from 

my work, but when you get to a 

place where you can 

retire, I recommend 

it highly! 

Meanwhile, I wish 

you all a very 

successful new year 

and happy sewing! 

Lots of Love, 

Cheryl 

Celebrating my 55th! 

Horseback riding with my 

wonderful grandkids. 


Down To Business 

Judy May 

Advertising 

Ensure That Your Ad Gets Results! 

If you’re like many design professionals, you feel 

compelled to advertise. I mean, everyone else is doing 

it, right In fact, here is a question my clients pose 

regularly: “I’ve been in business for several months and 

things are moving in the right direction. However, I want 

more business. I’ve thought about advertising but it seems 

so expensive. Do you have any advice on where to advertise 

and how much to spend” 

Many design professionals 

equate advertising with 

marketing. This is not, in fact, 

the case. While advertising may 

be a component of an effective 

marketing strategy, the terms “advertising” and “marketing” 

are NOT synonymous. 

Advertising is, in most cases, expensive and without repeated 

ad appearances, fails to provide the new business you 

hoped for. But if your budget is large enough to support an 

advertising campaign (not a haphazard occasional placement 

of “an ad here and another ad there,” which is NOT at all 

effective) I have a few things you should keep in mind. 

Advertising budget. The Small Business Administration 

suggests that 5% of your gross sales should be budgeted for 

advertising. For example, if your business produces $50,000 

in gross revenue, the SBA recommends an annual advertising 

budget of $2,500, or just over $200 per month. While you 

can use this as a rule of thumb, don’t fret if your available 

funds do not support this kind of expenditure. Instead 

spend your time and efforts seeking to “get in front of” your 

target market as much as possible by speaking, writing or 

networking. 

Before placing an ad, do your homework. Contact the 

publication to ascertain demographics related to their 

subscribers and readers. Indeed, you need to confirm 

that your target market reads the publication you seek to 

advertise in. 

There is no correlation between the amount of money spent 

and business gained. This conclusion was confirmed in a 

recent study at the Wharton School of Business, University 

of Pennsylvania. So if the money spent does not necessarily 

indicate the success of an ad, what does 

Instead of saying, 

“Specializing in One Day Room Makeovers,” 

try, “Come home to a beautiful like-new space . . . 

completed in just one day.” 

The message is the most important aspect of an ad. Often 

the message is in the headline, the first (and sometimes 

the only) part of the ad readers see. The headline needs to 

be simple, compelling and should appeal to the reader’s 

emotions. If the headline delivers, the reader will likely be 

drawn in to read the rest of the ad. 

Think out-of-the-box when creating your ad. If you want 

the ad to be read, strive to make it unique. Ensure that it 

“stands out” from the rest. Use your local Yellow Pages as 

an example. Peruse your Yellow Pages and I’m confident 

you will see that most of the 

ads are of the same format. An 

“institutional” ad where the 

logo and/or company name are 

“front and center,” along with 

their contact information. Rather than leaping off the page 

with an attention-grabbing headline, many ads look like all 

the rest. This often results in a less-than-expected return on 

investment. Instead of creating a “cookie cutter” ad, take 

the time to focus on your target market. Choose a problem 

they struggle with (e.g., putting a space together to look 

cohesive and attractive) and try to come up with a headline 

that promises a solution to that problem. Instead of saying, 

“Specializing in One Day Room Makeovers,” try “Come 

home to a beautiful like-new space . . . completed in just one 

day.” Do you see the difference 

Repetition is key. You cannot expect to get results from one 

ad, placed one time, in one publication. Likewise, placing an 

ad in one publication one month, then placing that same ad 

in another publication the following month, will not get you 

the response you seek. To the contrary, the key to success in 

advertising is multiple appearances in the same publication 

so that readers begin to recognize you, get to know you, 

and trust you. The average reader will NOT contact you 

after seeing your ad once. In fact, most people will contact a 

business only after seeing the ad eight or more times. Before 

investing in advertising, realize that your investment will pay 

for itself only if you engage in a true advertising campaign. 

Judy May is the President of Show House 

Marketing, a business development and 

marketing firm catering exclusively to design 

industry professionals. For free resources, visit 

them online at www.ShowHouseMarketing.com. 

Or you may contact Judy at 610.324.5240. 


WCAA Central Florida Chapter 

Patty Indrunas 

WCAA 

Central Florida Chapter 

In the spring of 2005, I opened my own window 

treatment design firm, sewing and selling window 

treatments. There are many risks involved when 

starting your own business. You need the help of an 

experienced partner who knows the industry, can provide 

training and education, and can support you in your sales 

and marketing efforts. I chose WCAA as my industry 

partner. With the help of two other women, Sharon 

Baughman and Angela Whiteman, we started the WCAA 

Central Florida chapter. 

WCAA is a national organization with leadership and 

support from other individuals and chapters all over the 

country. I had doubts that I could actually get the chapter 

off the ground and have 

a viable, thriving, and 

cohesive group with 

interesting and compelling 

topics each month. But all I 

had to do was send an email 

or make a phone call to 

WCAA leaders. 

WCAA is the only national 

trade association dedicated 

to the retail window 

coverings industry. Members 

include dealers, designers, 

decorators, workrooms and 

installers. WCAA Local 

Chapter members meet 

regularly to network and share industry information with 

each other in a non-competitive atmosphere. As WCAA 

members we receive industry discounts, affordable health, 

life and disability insurance, merchant credit services, and 

group buying power. Continuing education is available to 

members through two certification programs, bimonthly 

newsletters and monthly networking through local chapters. 

All members are listed free of charge in the Member 

Directory section of the WCAA website. 

In the Central Florida area, the first thing we did was solicit 

membership from over 150 workrooms and designers. 

Rowley Company provided the names and addresses of 

these businesses using zip codes in our area. Thirty-five 

people attended the first meeting and five people became 

Front Row: L-R. Lucy Medford, Mary Beth Damon, Patty 

Indrunas (president). Back Row: L-R. Pat Johnson, Jan 

Bennett, Angela Whiteman (Secretary), Sharon Baughman 

(Treasurer), Teresa Grysikiewicz (President, Jacksonville 

WCAA), and Susan Schurz (Member of WCAA in VA. Guest 

presenter invited by the Jacksonville chapter). Not pictured: 

Tammy Hall, Gail Vannier-Coton (Membership Chair), and 

Dale Veazey. 

members. We now have ten members: Sharon Baughman, 

Jan Bennett, Gail Vannier-Coton, Mary Beth Damon, 

Tammy Hall, Pat Johnson, Lucy Medford, Dale Veazey, 

Angela Whiteman, and me. We have a strong commitment to 

the growth of our own business through industry knowledge. 

We meet monthly, on the 2 nd Tuesday, at 10:00 a.m. 

Meetings usually last until noon. We plan meeting agendas 

around three basic topics: workroom construction 

techniques, business information, and window treatment 

design. 20% of our members specialize in design services, 

40% own wholesale workrooms, and 50% own retail 

workrooms. Our most requested meeting topic is pricing, 

which we share openly with each other. (Only WCAA 

members are allowed to attend this meeting.) 

We enjoyed attending the Jacksonville WCAA meeting last 

month to hear Susan Schurz, owner of Tavern Hill, and CHF 

Academy instructor. Susan 

presented “Extraordinary 

Panels” and “High-end 

Workroom Details.” Other 

meeting topics included 

Window Illusions by Gulf 

Coast American Fabricators; 

Dream Draper Quickbooks 

Solutions presented by 

Teresa Grysikiewicz, 

WCAA Jacksonville chapter 

president; construction tips 

offered by members; website 

design for the window 

treatment business by Bill 

Reese, WCAA Website 

Administrator; and a WCAA 

presentation by Mark Nortman, WCAA Executive Director. 

Our biggest challenge is to grow our group. We opened some 

of our meetings this year to the group of 35 who attended 

the first meeting in October 2004. We are working on details 

for another direct mail campaign in early 2007 using the 

customer list from a local fabric and workroom supplier. 

Also, Greenhouse Designs has agreed to share their regional 

customer list with us. We will have more meetings next year 

in the evening hours to provide opportunities to business 

owners who cannot leave their jobs during the day. 

We are hopeful that events such as the Weekend Academy 

sponsored by Custom Home Furnishings Academy and 

WCAA in the Orlando area will allow us opportunities to 

market our group in 2007. 




CHF Tips & Tricks 

Leslie Fehling 

Leslie Fehling Designs 

Prosperity, PA 

As posted on the CHF Forum. 

When making an unlined tablecloth with 

welt on the lower edge, draw the circle (on 

the right side of the face fabric) the finished 

diameter +1" seam allowance. 

Sew on the welt, then trim away excess 

fabric. Now here comes the hint... 

Serge the edges of the welt and face fabric 

together the whole way around the lower 

edge. Press the welt to the back side, then 

blind hem the serged edge to the inside of the 

tablecloth. It gives such a nice finish without 

any glue, tape, or top stitching. And it’s 

really fast. 



Deb's Drapery Designs 

Foothill, Ontario, Canada 

As posted on the CHF Forum. 

Before making custom place mats, go to a department store and buy 

cheap place mats, one of each shape (oval, rectangular and with 

angled corners). Show them to the customer and ask them to pick 

which shape they like best. Use their choice as the template for making 

their place mats. 

Another trick when making place mats is to buy the stiffest interfacing 

you can find. It usually comes as an iron on but I sew it in. If you 

iron it in, it will pucker the first time the place mats are washed or 

sponged. The interfacing gives the place mats a nice, crisp/stiff look. 

My customers have all been happy and I even saw some recently that I 

made five years ago. They still looked great! 



What would you do 

A designer sends you a picture and asks you 

to quote a free form scarf swag, lined and 

interlined, with bead trim on the leading 

edge. You quote, she sells. She calls a week 

later. Says she wants it to be two widths 

wide instead of one. You agree. You make 

the treatment. BUT you never requoted it 

with two widths! It was YOUR lining and 

interlining. Would you: 

A) drop it and let it go, 

B) send her a revised estimate with 

explanation (even though the job 

is gone now), 

C) bill her for additional materials only. 

Submit your answer to Connie@chfmagazine. 

com. We will print the results in the next issue! 


Help Others While Helping Yourself 

Lynn Haddad (LynnMA) posted the following information on the forum. This is a great way to 

help others and clean out your workroom at the same time. 

The Caleb Group is a non-profit organization that provides service coordination to 

low income residents in the New England area who live in communities of affordable 

rental housing provided by The Caleb Foundation and other non-profit partners. Each 

community has a community center, including a kitchen, computer learning center and 

comfortable space to gather for classes, games and recreation. At the elderly and family 

sites many residents gather to share meals and craft ideas and to learn skills. 

Donated materials are made available to families, the elderly, and people with special 

needs. At some sites quilts are especially exciting for youth who gain a skill as well as 

a great deal of pride in their work. Residents make all kinds of crafts—some of which 

are sold at the Caleb Craft Shoppe on consignment. This gives the crafter a little extra 

spending money and a tremendous amount of pride and satisfaction. Some active elderly 

residents gather to knit. They use donated yarn to make sweaters, hats and blankets that 

are then given to hospitals for premature babies. 

Please let us know if you have materials that you could donate or if would be willing to 

volunteer teaching a skill. 

The Caleb Group – Swampscott, MA 01907 – www.thecalebfoundation.org 

Heidi Sawyer, Director of Development – 781.595.4665 

Email: hsawyer@thecalebfoundation.org 



Susan Kindel 

SK Fabric Interiors 

Gainesville, VA 

Instead of 

store bought 

gift bags, 

wrap gifts in 

serged fabric 

remnants 

and tie them 

with nice 

gift tags. 



Design Ideas November/December 2006 





By Susan Schurz 





CHF Magazine 

Oops! 

The following errors were made in the May/June issue 

of our magazine: 

Nancy Ketchum was our 2nd Place Window Treatment 

Workmanship Contest winner (page 48). Her company 

name was inadvertently listed as Southern Charms. Her 

company name is Southern Customs, LLC. Also, 

on page 7, her treatment was listed as an example for 

a use of Sealah Shaper. Sealah Shaper was not used in 

the construction of Nancy’s award winning treatment. 

She did say, however, that it could be used as another 

method of achieving the desired effect. 

In the instructions for the Versatile Shawl Valance, page 

43, step 2. - the cut length should be 19" and not 10". 

We apologize for these errors and any inconvenience 

they might have caused. 

Also, we would like to take this opportunity to formally 

thank Lisabeth Martin for generously sharing all of the 

wonderful tips from her Decorate Now Patterns website 

that we published in our July/Aug and Sept/Oct issues. 


CHF Classifieds 

For Sale: Singer 20U. Great machine, runs perfectly! Asking $900. Contact: Connie Sikora, 219.961.6905. 

For Sale: One current D’Kei trim book. Contact Sissy on the forum, SD0045A. $10. Buyer pay shipping/postage. 

For Sale: Partial roll of Rowley WC60/S 5/32" welt cording. I have not used much of it but I cannot say for sure how 

much I did use. Maybe 20 yards. Asking $12 plus shipping. If you are interested, I can send you a photo so you can see 

how full the roll is. Contact: Julie E. Jones, JJones1120@aol.com. 

For Sale: Partial roll of Conso #3 10/32" cord. I have used approximately half. Make me an offer. I am trying to clean 

out my workroom. I like to use a stiffer cording than this. Contact: Julie Jones, JJones1120@aol.com. 

For Sale: 6 current D’Kei trim sample books. Asking $5 less per book than D’Kei charges, and I’ll pay shipping. You can 

buy one book, several or the whole lot. Contact me for pricing. All books are still listed on D’Kei’s website. Contact: 

Amanda Endress on the forum. 

Job Opportunity in Florida: Robb and Stucky Interiors in Boca Raton, Florida is currently looking for a special person 

to fill the position in their Cut Goods Department. We need an individual who is drapery and bedding savvy and 

understands trade terminology in this particular industry. Must be computer literate and have a pleasant personality to 

deal with our customers and workrooms. Hourly wage and great benefits, 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday. 

Contact: Shelley Story at (561)-347-1717, ext 2076, e-mail Shelley.Story@RobbStucky.net, or fax (561)-347-6030. 

Position needed to be filled ASAP!! 

Job Opportunity: High-end drapery workroom seeking Workroom Manager. Experience in all aspects of drapery and 

top treatment fabrication required, including yardage calculations. Must have 5 years previous workroom management 

experience and know industrial equipment. Must be able to communicate well with others. Workroom is approximately 

10,000 square feet, with 28 employees. Salary and benefits. San Francisco Bay Area. Please fax cover letter and resume 

to (415) 865 8122). 

Business For Sale: Carolina Upholstery Shop and Showroom.Well established in Charlotte/Concord/Harrisburg, NC area 

-18 years. Providing fine furniture, restaurant, marine, auto, recreational vehicle, hospital, athletic equipment and misc. 

upholstering needs - both residential and commercial. Serious inquires only please. Contact owner Lynn Davis 

704-455-2004. 

Product Profile 

Ultra-Pro Seam Ripper 

This is the prefect seam ripper for serged seams. 

It has easy to replace blades in a specially 

designed handle. Curved blade ends won’t poke 

through or tear fabric. Comes complete with five 

replacement blades and a safety cover. 

Order yours today by calling 

800-222-1415 (704-644-7730) 

or by visiting the website at 

www.CHFschool.com. 

Item No. S-320 

$9.95 

Surgically sharp 

blades 

glide through 

stitches! 


Time Management 

Wilmoed Sisson 


In The 21st Century 

It’s a familiar dilemma: you have so much to do that 

it’s hard to keep up with everything. You don’t know 

what you should work on next, or how much time it’s 

going to take. You feel overwhelmed, and to top it off 

you’re sure there’s something important you’ve forgotten. 

How can you make time for everything 

Outlook 

The programs in Outlook are vital to staying organized. I use 

the calendar to keep track of my appointments, my husband’s 

work schedule, the kids’ activities and more. Everything is 

color-coded so I can tell at a glance what category an activity 

falls into. It serves as the central information station for 

my day. Everything I need to know is in one place. Another 

The simple answer is, you can’t. It’s impossible to 

make time! Every one of us is allotted the same 24 

hours in the day. The hours will go equally fast no 

matter what you are doing, and the universe does not 

care that you have too much to do. The real question 

is, how can I make the best use of my time 

It really doesn’t matter why you have problems with 

time management. What helps is letting go of your 

past time management methods—after all, they 

haven’t worked for you, have they—and being open 

to change. 

A quick disclaimer here. I am not an organizing 

expert. It continually amazes me when people tell me 

“You’re so organized!” and privately I feel like I am 

just one step ahead of chaos! But I am learning to 

take a “big picture” approach to a lot of life. It really won’t 

matter in ten years if I got this paperwork done, but it will 

matter if I chose instead to do something fun with my kids. 

It’s all a matter of choices. 

I’m also an avowed technophile. If it uses batteries or a 

cord, I’m all for it. My technology keeps me going in the 

right direction and helps me make the best use of the 24 

hours I have every day. So I apologize in advance for those 

of you who aren’t comfortable with technology and also to 

those of you with Macs. I’m a Windows gal. (Hey, it’s my 

line of work, right) 

There are several programs I rely on to keep me on track, 

both for work and for my personal life. They are: 

1) Outlook (Microsoft), which includes calendar, task 

list, contacts and email 

2) Taskline (ResultsWare) 

3) Post-It Pro (3M) 

4) ListPro (Ilium) 

advantage, if you have more than one computer in the house 

running Outlook and they are networked, you can send 

appointments to the other users so they can keep up with 

your activities as well. (My husband and I do this so I know 

when he has work appointments and isn’t available to take 

the kids to an activity.) 

The Tasks list helps me keep a running list of everything 

going on in my life that requires time. Entering it on the 

computer helps me unclutter my head. It really helps that 

I don’t have to remember everything. It’s on the computer. 

The contacts list has every phone number I’ve ever needed 

(no more slips of paper). I can also scan a contact’s business 

card and save the image with their information. And I use 

Outlook to manage my email. 

Taskline 

This program is a plug-in for Outlook. It has become a 

crucial element to helping me make good choices for using 

my time. It is very simple. For every task in your Outlook 




writing it on a scrap of losable paper. You can program a 

note to pop up at a certain time as a reminder. 

ListPro 

I’m an inveterate list maker. Shopping lists, project lists, 

errand lists, gift lists, whatever. ListPro helps me keep 

them organized. 

You Can Take It With You 

All this is great if you always stay within reach of your 

desktop computer. What do you do if that’s not the case 

For me, I take my technology with me. My constant 

companion is my Pocket PC, a Hewlett-Packard iPaq 

2215. It’s now about two years old so it’s considered 

a quaintly obsolete model. I synchronize it with my 

desktop PC every day. So I have my calendar, contacts 

and task list from Outlook, and my ListPro lists with me 

at all times. Having “my life at my fingertips” has helped 

me be more effective in the most surprising ways. 

Tasks list, you can set multiple parameters: deadline, 

duration, priority, etc. Then you run the program. It sorts 

the tasks according to those parameters and inserts the tasks 

into your calendar as appointments, fitting them in among 

your scheduled appointments and pre-defined break times. 

You can quickly see exactly how much time is required to 

complete all the tasks on your list. 

What always surprises me is that 

getting it all done will take a lot less 

time than I imagine it will, even if the 

task list is long and I am generous 

with my time estimates. I print out my 

calendar listing for the day and know 

that if I follow the plan, I am making 

good choices for using my time and 

will get everything done when it needs 

to be done. 

Post-It Pro 

These are Post-It Notes for your 

computer. I use this program when I 

want to have a temporary reminder 

about something but don’t want to risk 

For example, I can use “waiting time”—waiting in line 

at the bank or grocery store, or at the doctor’s office—to 

go over schedules or project lists. Since I have all my 

contacts with me, I can call clients or vendors without taking 

up office time. 

Can You Hear Me Now 

This brings up another technology item that has gone from 

luxury to necessity in just a few years, 

the cell phone. Being able to place 

or receive calls no matter where you 

are can make out-of-office time just 

as productive as in-office-time. For 

example, I was driving to a conference 

with another local workroom owner 

and she used the travel time to call a 

designer to discuss a job, plus call two 

vendors to place orders. She knew she 

was going to have “wait time” while 

in the car and rather than make the 

calls while she was in her workroom, 

she planned to make the calls while 

traveling. 

Many of today’s cell phones also have 

built-in cameras, which can be very 




useful for taking pictures of interesting window treatments 

you run across in your travels, or to photograph fabric 

samples. Find out how much your carrier charges to send 

the pictures though. Depending on your calling plan, it 

could be up to 25 cents per 

photo. 

One word of caution, cell 

phones can keep you too much 

in touch. Make a point of 

turning off your phone when 

meeting with clients. You will 

be letting them know that they 

are what is important. 

Where am I 

The last gadget that travels 

with me is my Global 

Positioning System (GPS) 

receiver. This device, along with proper mapping software, 

has saved me immense amounts of time and stress. I no 

longer worry about getting lost. I also like knowing exactly 

when I will arrive at my destination. I know whether I 

have to call the client to tell them I will be late. The type 

of receiver I use plugs into my PocketPC and cost less than 

$100. The mapping software I use (Mapopolis) costs $99 

for the annual map license and covers all of North America. 

Send/Receive 

Email can be either a blessing or a curse and is often 

both. Becoming an efficient email reader takes a bit of 

preparation but pays off in the long run. 

First, you need to analyze the categories of email you 

get and set up folders for each category. I like to have a 

separate folder for each email list I am on. Plus I have other 

folders for specific community groups I am a part of, or for 

special projects. I have programmed Outlook to sort the 

incoming mail into the proper folders. I can see at a glance 

what kinds of messages I have received. This lets me focus 

on one category at a time without constantly having to 

“change hats.” 

Of course, take advantage of spam-filtering software. The 

newest versions of Outlook have junk mail filtering built in 

so you don’t need to buy additional software. 

One last time-saver. Invest in a good virus protection 

program and make regular backups of your data. This may 

not save time immediately but if you ever get socked with a 

nasty computer virus or lose your computer to a hard drive 

failure, you’re going to be spending a LOT of time trying to 

restore your information. The last hard drive 

failure we had took more than a month to fully 

recover from. 

When all is said and done, the whole concept 

of “time management” really is an illusion. 

You cannot really manage time, you can only 

make choices about what to do with the time 

you have. Making good choices takes practice, 

determination, and sometimes courage, but the 

payoff is knowing that you have made the right 

choices for you, your family and your business. 

Sources and Web Sites 

Taskline: 

www.resultsware.com. 

Special offer for CHF Forum Members: 

Get a 15% discount by entering 

Code TLCHF at checkout. 

(Offer expires April 2007.) 

ListPro: 

www.iliumsoft.com. 

PostIt Pro: 

www.3m.com/us/office/postit/digital/digital_notes.html. 

Mapopolis: 

www.mapopolis.com. 

Welmoed Sisson, CWP, CWTC, is the owner of 

Sewing Seams Easy, a retail window treatment 

workroom. She is Secretary of the Maryland 

Chapter of the WCAA, and has created 

“Trend Vignettes” for the past two IWCE 

conferences. Her work has been published in 

Window Fashions magazine, she is a regular 

columnist for the popular sewing website, PatternReview. 

com, and she publishes a monthly e-newsletter, The Couture 

Home. Welmoed lives in Boyds, Maryland with her husband 

Bob and their two children. 


CHF Academy Success Story 

Lorie Albitz 

Above The Fray, Inc. 

Lorie Albitz, hasn't always been the proud owner 

of Above The Fray, Inc., a home based design 

and fabrication studio. She dedicated more than 

20 years to a large corporation as a successful 

Marketing and Sales Account Manager. What a pleasant 

experience it was for me to sit and talk to Lorie about her 

transformation. 

CHF Editor: How did you get started in the business 

Lorie: My mother taught me to sew at a very early age. I 

continued to sew and make clothing through my college 

years. After spending 20 years 

in sales, I had become a heavy 

smoker. Just shortly before my 

50th birthday, I was walking in 

my backyard and I remembered 

my aunt and the last time I 

spoke to her before she died 

from emphysema. I remembered 

that it was very difficult for her 

to speak and she gasped for 

breath with every word. I knew 

that if I did not quit smoking 

I might not be around long 

enough to enjoy my husband, 

our friends, and all the things I 

loved to do. 

Quitting smoking was quite the 

battle. To help me with this, I 

needed something to do with my 

hands. I decided that sewing would do the trick and started 

making pillows, throws, and table toppers for my home. 

It soon became apparent to both my husband and me that 

I had been blessed with the ability to design and fabricate. 

One Saturday night, we had some very dear friends over for 

dinner. My husband, Bob, was so proud of all the things I 

had made, he wanted to show them off to our friends. My 

friend, too, loved my work. He asked if he could make a few 

introductions for me at the Michigan Design Center. I was 

speechless, to say the least. The following week I had several 

names of Designers who had offices at the Design Center. 

I called the first Designer and was told to bring in every 

sample I had. She offered me the opportunity to display my 

work in her showroom window. 

CHF Editor: How long have you been in business 

Lorie: I have been in business 3 years now. I thoroughly 

enjoyed being in sales and marketing with my former 

employer. And I loved the excitement of Election business, 

selling voting systems to county and local government. 

However, I also felt that with my rekindled love of sewing 

I could make a living designing and fabricating soft home 

furnishings. My very next step was to sit down and write a 

business plan. I had been in the business world long enough 

to know that I had to have a good, sound business plan. I 

also knew that my husband would not be in favor of me 

quitting my job in sales unless 

I could prove to him that I 

had thought out everything. 

The afternoon of my very first 

meeting with the Designer at 

the Michigan Design Center, 

I went home on cloud nine. I 

was ready to take the plunge. 

Some friends wondered if I 

shouldn’t keep the good job I 

had while getting this business 

off the ground but I believed 

that taking a leap of faith 

Lorie Albitz, Owner. Above The Fray, Inc. 

She offers design services, space planning, a full line 

of window treatments, bedding, table linens and fine 

furnishings for the home. 

and going at it full time was 

best for me. I was so at peace 

when I gave my notice to my 

employer. I knew it was the 

right thing to do. 

CHF Editor: How did your husband feel about this decision 

Lorie: The evening I told my husband about my opportunity 

to showcase my work at the Designer’s showroom, I also 

told him I felt that I needed to take that leap. Bob said, 

“I think so too. I’ll support you in whatever decision you 

make.” When it came to purchasing major equipment, we 

treated it just as if I were going to the bank for a loan. I 

listed all the reasons (in writing) for the capital expenditure 

for each of the major purchases so that we could assess 

the practicality and chances for success for the business. 

Everything was so clear. Each purchase had a sound basis 

in writing. From then on, equipment purchases were never 

questioned by either of us. 



Lorie Albitz 

CHF Editor: How did you get started 

Lorie: My very first customer was the designer who allowed 

me to display my work in her showroom window. Another 

designer saw the display and asked if I would do work for 

her. Initially, I did wholesale work. I started my retail work 

with neighbors, which led to referrals. I also had some 

unusual opportunities. A neighbor who had seen some of my 

work asked if she could give my name to a fellow business 

woman who was organizing an Art Show. I brought pillows, 

window treatments, table toppers and my portfolio (on 

my laptop) to this show. My retail 

business grew immediately from 

the show. The following spring, an 

educator at a private middle school 

was organizing a fund raiser for her 

school and she remembered seeing 

my work at the art show. She asked 

if I would display some work. For 

this show I brought my portfolio, 

several pillows and a wide variety 

of window treatments, most of 

which were fabricated at the CHF 

Academy Certification programs. 

Once again, I was very fortunate 

and my retail business grew. 

CHF Editor: Tell us about your workroom 

Lorie: I converted the lower level living and recreation 

areas of our home into a functional studio. The living areas 

serve as a place for clients to peruse fabric and trim books, 

and view sample window treatments. A former guest room 

adjacent to the studio functions as an office and a cutting 

room. Linings, interlinings, supplies and client fabrics are 

also stored in this room. 

CHF Editor: What is your favorite or most helpful 

equipment 

Lorie: I would have to say that my most helpful piece of 

equipment is the Creative Equipment Corporation J.R. 

cutting machine. With the exception of swags, all my fabric 

is inspected and cut on this machine. The cutting machine is 

great for cutting long lengths. For Swags, I use the Parkhill. 

It is invaluable for its ease of use and it is a time saver. I 

used to be intimidated by swags, but not any more. And 

of course it would be very difficult to function without the 

industrial sewing machines. 

Client Area. Pillows and window treatments 

designed and fabricated by Lorie. 

CHF Editor: How did you learn about The Custom Home 

Furnishings Academy (formerly The CHF School) 

Lorie: I had worked a year in this field before finding out 

about the CHF Conferences and Academy. An Interior 

Designer friend of mine gave me a brochure for the 

CHF Conferences. I attended my first conference, met 

wonderful people, made great friends and found out about 

the Academy. After spending 20 years in sales I knew the 

importance of an education in this field. I decided as soon as 

I could afford it I would attend. 

CHF Editor: What made you decide 

to attend the Academy 

Lorie: I wanted the credentials. 

I wanted to raise the bar for 

myself. I already had an education 

in marketing and sales which I 

still use in my business. I knew 

that completing my certifications 

was one of the most important 

expenditures that I would make for 

my business, equally as important 

as any equipment I had purchased. 

I wanted something more than a 

seminar, something equivalent to a 

college education in this field with 

the degree and certification to prove it. I had the skill and 

the confidence but I needed independent confirmation of my 

ability and skill level. 

CHF Editor: Tell us 

about your experience 

at the Academy 

Lorie: I have three 

certifications from the 

Academy: Window 

Treatments Career 

Professional Program, 

Advanced Window 

Treatment Career 

Professional Program, 

Arched and Unusual 

Swags, and The 

Cornice Professional 

Program. One of my 

favorite classes was 

Design services and fine 

furnishings 

for the home. 



Lorie Albitz 

Arched and Unusual Swags where we learned to manipulate 

fabric into swags of all shapes and sizes without a pattern. I 

learned something important from each of the classes and an 

invaluable education from each of the Academy Instructors. 

Sometimes it was just a matter of confirmation that I was 

doing something correctly. Other times it was some small 

adjustment to something making it more professional or less 

time consuming. It might have taken me years to figure these 

things out on my own. 

Studio and 

fabrication 

area. 

CHF Editor: What are your goals for your business now 

Lorie: To continue to grow my business by offering 

excellence in customer service and design along with the 

highest quality in the fabrication of all types of soft home 

furnishings. 

CHF Editor: What other things have you done to help 

achieve your goals 

Lorie: I have had two opportunities to do Designer Show 

houses. One with a Designer as a teamed joint business 

venture and the other fabrication for a designers’ show 

vignette. I am a member of The Window Coverings 

Association of America and the Greater Detroit Workroom 

Association. 

CHF Editor: What advice would you give to fellow Custom 

Home Furnishings professionals 

Lorie: Continually strive for excellence in all areas of your 

business. Build sound relationships with your clients. 

Educate them to the type of quality you can provide. Update 

your business plan with new goals periodically. It’s much 

easier to achieve goals if they are in writing. Photograph all 

your work. You will have ideas to show your new customers 

and a reminder of your achievements. Be yourself and love 

what you do. Always remember and be thankful for those 

people who have helped you advance in your business. I 

will always be grateful for the Designer who gave me my 

first chance and to those women in the Greater Detroit 

Workroom Association who have taught and helped me. And 

thanks to my Instructors at the CHF Academy. All of you 

made my work life easier. 

Office and 

cutting room. 

Pictured here is 

the JR Cutting 

Machine. 

Window 

treatment 

in progress. 

Designing 

unusual 

cascades. 

Arched Soft 

cornice 

with bump 

interlined 

goblet 

pleated 

drapery 

panels and 

upholstered 

chairs. 


Book Review 

Zona Tiller 

Eat That Frog! 

By Brian Tracy 

If in the morning you have to “eat a live frog,” 

you know that when you have accomplished 

that task it is probably the worst thing you 

will have to do all day. Why just sit and look 

at it Get it done! 

I have just finished reading Eat that Frog, 

by Brian Tracy. It is a very good book about 

organizing yourself to keep from being a 

procrastinator. While reading the forum for years, 

I have noticed that some time after Christmas, 

in the dead of winter, some people have trouble 

getting back into gear. And we also think of goals 

we need to set for the New Year. This book will 

help you accomplish just that. 

Highly productive people take the time to think, 

plan, and set priorities. They move quickly and 

strongly toward their goals and objectives. They 

work steadily, smoothly and continuously and 

seem to get through enormous amounts of work 

in the same time period that the average person 

spends socializing, wasting time, and working 

on low-value activities. How can we be that 

productive person 

Brian Tracy starts with seven methods for 

overcoming procrastination. 

1. Decide exactly what you want. 

Know what your goals for your business are–for a 

week or even a day. Know what projects need to 

be done and prioritize them. 

2. Write it down. 

If it isn’t written down it’s just a wish or a 

fantasy. Become a list writer. By writing down 

goals you could accomplish 5 to 10 more goals 

than someone who doesn’t write them down. 

3. Set a deadline. 

You need a beginning and an end. Without the 

deadline you could procrastinate forever. 

4. Make a list. 

A list of everything you need to accomplish your 

goal will give you a visual picture. Do you have 

all the supplies on hand to complete the project 

Have everything there before you begin. 

5. Organize your list into a plan. 

Organize by priority and sequence. Know in your 

mind how to complete the project. Look and study 

your pattern if you are using one. Or know what 

steps and sequence you need to follow to complete 

the treatment. Plan it all out before you begin. 

6. Take action immediately. 

Do something. Do anything. 

7. Do something every day toward the goal. 

Keep moving forward. Once you start moving, 

don’t stop. This decision alone can make you 

productive and successful. 

Clear written goals have a wonderful effect on 

your thinking. They stimulate your creativity, 

release your energy, and help you overcome 

procrastination. 

Plan each day in the order of importance. This 

is the ABCDE method. Think about each task 

and start with the one thing that must get done. 

Choose something that will bring negative 

consequences if it’s not done. This is your “A” 

task. 

In our business, an “A” task might be a project 

that needs to be installed by the end of the week. 

If you have several treatments to do, in different 

sizes or different ranges of difficulties, start with 

the largest or most difficult item. The job will 

move along so much easier knowing the worst 

one is out of the way. When the “A” task is done, 

continue on to the “B” task. 


Book Review 

Zona Tiller 

A “B” task is something you should do. This 

would be something that has only mild negative 

consequences. This could be a phone call or a 

measurement that doesn’t have an immediate 

deadline. 

A “C” task is something that would be nice to 

have done. This task has no negative consequences 

at all. For example, having lunch with a 

friend. This task would have no adverse effect on 

your business, but it would be enjoyable if you 

had the time. 

A “D” task is something you could delegate to 

someone else. If someone else can do it, let it go 

and let them do it. 

An “E” task is something you can eliminate 

totally. This would be something that really has 

no relevance to your business at all. Maybe it is 

something you do out of habit or just because you 

enjoy it. Think about it though, is it really helping 

my business 

Discipline yourself each day to start immediately 

with your “A” task. Start that project and don’t 

stop until it’s done. Set goals for the day that can 

realistically be done in a day. To get through all 

the tasks for the day or the week, plan in advance. 

Be sure you have all the tools and supplies you 

need to get the job done. If you have to lay the 

project aside because you don’t have all the 

supplies, that’s your excuse to procrastinate. 

Are you really proficient in several treatments 

but have one or two that you are very slow at 

or maybe just don’t do as well That weakness 

can cause you to slow down or procrastinate. 

The feeling of inadequacy or lack of confidence 

can cause you to delay a project. Here’s a plug 

for the CHF Academy. Spend a weekend there 

or a week with the professional instructors and 

become proficient in that treatment. By becoming 

proficient in that treatment you eliminate one 

more reason to procrastinate. 

Always look for ways to upgrade your skills. 

Pat Riley a basketball coach said, “If you’re not 

getting better, you’re getting worse.” Remember, 

continuous learning is the minimum requirement 

for success in any field. There are many ways for 

you to continue your education in our industry. 

Educate yourself with books of all topics, attend 

the conferences, read this magazine from cover-tocover, 

read the forum, find a local WCAA. 

Being healthy is another way to be proficient. With 

proper rest, food, and water, you will generate 

enough energy to use throughout the day. Most 

people are at their best early in the morning. But 

whenever your peak time is, identify it, and work 

at that project you’ve been dreading when you are 

at your peak performance. There’s nothing worse 

than to start a project that is difficult or you’re not 

really fond of doing when you’re tired or hungry. 

The more tired or hungry you get, the worse your 

work gets and the more mistakes you make. By 

eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting 

enough rest you’ll get more and better work done 

easier and with greater satisfaction. 

Another key to staying motivated not to 

procrastinate is what you tell yourself. Are you 

your own personal cheerleader Ninety-five 

percent of your emotions, positive or negative, 

are determined by how you talk to yourself on a 

minute-by-minute basis. Become an optimist. Your 

level of self-esteem is central to your levels of 

motivation and persistence. Visualize your goals 

and talk to yourself positively to boost your selfesteem. 

You will feel focused and energized. 

To conclude, TAKE ACTION! Once you start, 

persevere without any distractions until you are 

100% done. Just do it! EAT THAT FROG! 

Zona Tiller has been in the window coverings business 

for 25 years and has one employee. She has a home-based 

workroom, serving designers and retail clients. Zona 

specializes in designing and fabricating window coverings 

along with upholstery and slipcovers. She has also taught at 

the CHF Conferences. 

Editor's Note: You can get a copy of this book at 

your favorite bookstore or online at amazon.com. 


Mitered Flange Pillow Sham 

Donna Ayesh 


This pillow has a contrast mitered flange on both 

the front and back. The flange is inserted in the 

seam, much like a trim. You can use this technique 

on any size pillow–square or rectangular. 

1. For a 26" Euro sham, cut a 27" square each of face 

fabric, interlining, and lining, as well as the back fabric, 

interlining and lining. (It is easiest to cut all three layers 

together if possible.) See Illustration 1. 

2. Serge all 4 sides of back layers together. (I use a threethread 

serge.) Pin layers of front together. 

See Illustration 2. 

3. For a 2½" wide finished flange, cut 4 strips 6" wide 

(flange width x 2 + 1") by 33" long (pillow size + 2x 

flange width + 2). Press in half lengthwise, right side 

out. (For a different flange fabric on the back, seam two 

strips together to form one 6" wide strip for this step.) 


4. From center point of first strip, measure 13" out (half 

of finished size of pillow), on each side, and draw a line, 

(Line A). 

5. Chalk mark ½" seam allowances, (Line B) perpendicular 

to each Line A. 

6. From the center of each Line A, measure and mark 2 ½" 

towards outside edge with a pin (Mark C). 


11. Turn corners, and make a crisp point. (I gently use a 

shish-kabob skewer.) Be careful to keep seam allowances 

pressed open. Press on fold and form a square. 

See Illustration 9 and 10. 

12. Attach flange to front section, as you would a trim or 

welt cord. Use a long, loose stitch a little less than the 

½" seam line to hold in place. See Illustration 11. 

13. At the corners, be sure not to stitch into the flange. 

Leaving the seam allowance free allows you to open the 

corner appropriately. Stitch from corner to corner, back 

stitching at beginning and end. Do this for all four sides. 

See Illustration 12 and 13. 

14. Serge all four sides of front. See Illustration 14. 

7. Draw a line from Mark C to each point where Lines A 

and B meet. This will be the stitching line. 


8. Join this marked strip with an unmarked strip on each 

end, right sides together. Stitch together only on the lines 

you drew in Step 7, leaving the seam allowances free. Be 

sure to back stitch or tie off at the beginning and end so 

that stitches do not come loose. See Illustration 6. 

Illustration 1 Illustration 2 

9. On each of the two strips you just attached, measure, 

then mark 26" from Line A (the base of the triangle just 

stitched). Draw a line and repeat steps 4, 5, 6 and 7. 

Attach the fourth strip and stitch all four corners in the 

same way. Pre-match stripes or plaids prior to cutting. 

10. Clip ¼" from stitching. Press seam open. (I have found 

that my mother’s well-used point press works great for 

this.) See Illustration 7 and 8. 

Illustration 3 



Donna Ayesh 

A 

C 

A 

15. For zipper in the seam, cut zipper 3" less than finished 

pillow size. For this 26" pillow, cut a 23" zipper. Lay 

centered, face down on bottom edge of front with zipper 

foot on your left. Begin and end stitching 2½" from 

each edge. Stitch fairly close to teeth, with ½" seam. See 

Illustration 15. 

B 

C 

B 

16. Press under ½" on bottom back of pillow. Attach back to 

front on outside 2½" on each side of the zipper, pulling 

zipper back so as not to stitch it into the seam. See 




17. Turn right sides out, front down, zipper on 

bottom edge. See Illustration 17. 

18. Roll the pillow back towards you, and pin 

½" fold line to bottom seam line. 



19. Open pillow flat, with front of pillow on 

your left, back of pillow on your right, 

seam open on bottom edge with flange 

folded to the left. Top stitch the zipper, 

½" from folded edge, starting with a 

single stitch, then back stitch, then right 

angle turn to stitch down to seam, back 

stitch, right angle turn back and continue 

stitching a ½" seam. See Illustration 19, 

20, and 21. 



20. Open zipper once you have stitched about 

2". Continue stitching ½" from folded 

edge, using it as your guide. At the other 

end, turn and stitch down ½" to the seam, 

back tack, and the zipper is done! See 

Illustration 22 and 23. 

21. Attach back to front on three remaining 

sides, being careful to pin corners out of 

the way of stitching. See Illustration 24. 

22. Trim corners if too much bulk. Turn right 

sides out and insert pillow form. 





Donna Ayesh 











Donna P. Ayesh is the owner of Creative Elegance, a one-person custom drapery workroom with strong 

attention to detail located in Hendersonville, NC. In addition to collaborating with designers, her work has 

been routinely featured in Calico Corners catalogs and regional store displays. She has been a CHF Academy 

instructor since 2002 and teaches “All About Pillows” and “Fabricating Bed Treatments”. 


Mass Mailings 


Mass Mailings To Prospective Customers 

Sending postcards in the mail is a great way to 

advertise and generate new clients. It is easy to send 

from 300 to over a 1,000 postcards in just a few 

hours. All without spending arduous hours thinking 

of people to send the postcards to and looking up addresses. 

The following method allows you to target the market you 

believe is most profitable for your business. The secret is 

at your fingertips on the internet and on your computer, 

assuming you have word processor and spreadsheet 

software. I use Microsoft ® Word ® and Excel ® so my 

instructions describe how to use these programs. 

Recently, I had 1,000 postcards printed (color, front and 

back, glossy card stock) for only $121.00, including 

shipping. They were delivered to me within a few days of 

the order. The cost of postage for 

postcards is 24¢, labels for 1,000 

postcards is approximately $30, 

resulting in a total cost of $391. 

Steve Winslow, from Exciting 

Windows, reported in a seminar I attended at the Window 

Fashions EXPO in Tampa, FL, that you can expect to 

receive 2 to 5 responses from 1,000 mailings. 

This may seem disappointing at first. But consider this. At 

the very least, if you only close one sale from the mailing 

and make a profit of $1,000, then your profit of $1,000 

divided by $391 is a 255% return on your investment. In 

other words, you made more than twice what you spent to 

advertise. And it’s likely that your profit will be even higher 

if you close more than one sale. If making 255% return 

on investment and increasing your business with very little 

effort intrigues you, then follow these steps to create your 

own mass mailing. 

255% return on investment . . . increasing 

your business with very little effort. 

address from your property appraiser website into Excel ® , 

mail merge this data into label files in Word ® , and print 

the labels. Then simply peel the self adhesive labels, stick 

them on the postcards, stick on a stamp, and mail. The 

property appraiser information is public information and is 

available in print at your county archival office. However, 

the internet makes it easier to retrieve and easier to use. In 

addition, newspapers print new home purchase information. 

This information is also easier to retrieve and use from the 

internet. 

Search the internet for your County’s Property Appraiser 

website. For example, www.scpafl.org/scpaweb05/index. 

jsp, for Seminole County, Florida. Once on the County 

Property Appraiser website select Record Search. Enter 

the appropriate selection criteria. 

I’ve noticed that some website and 

record searches are slightly different. 

I like the searches that include a 

subdivision name. You might be able 

to determine by the home values of a particular subdivision 

if it would likely be a good market for custom window 

treatments. Some sites allow you to enter a street name. 

In this case your search may take more time if you have 

to enter many different street names. Other sites select by 

Neighborhood Codes. You may be able to call the county 

Property Appraiser’s office and get the neighborhood codes 

for the selected market. In my case, I selected a subdivision 

name and then made a selection for what “section” of the 

subdivision. Some subdivisions have thousands of homes. 

I decided to market the most recently built homes in the 

subdivision, not because they were newer homes, but 

because they were the most expensive. 

Property Appraiser Website 

Find the County Property Appraiser website on the internet 

and look for record search capability. Hopefully, the county 

you are wanting to mail has this capability. I researched 

several in the state of Florida and all did have record search 

capability. I also researched a few counties in Georgia and 

Tennessee. Some had record search capability and some 

did not. The idea is to export the homeowner’s name and 

Excel ® File 

Once the selected list of homeowners is displayed, right 

click on a blank spot on the screen and choose “Export 

to Microsoft ® Excel ® ”. It may take several seconds for 

an Excel ® window to open and load all the data from the 

website. 

This Excel® file will be your Recipient Source document for 

Word ® (discussed later). Save the file. It is very important 


Mass Mailings 


that you take time to study the data in the file. Determine 

what Excel® columns you want to print on your label. 

Review the homeowner’s name. Are the names in first name, 

last name order If you want to address the label to the 

homeowner’s name, you will need to edit 

the Excel ® file. The easiest way to do this 

is insert a column next to the homeowner’s 

name column and just start retyping in the 

new column. It actually goes pretty quickly, 

since you can view the homeowner’s name 

in the column to your left and just retype 

the name as you want it to appear. If you 

do not want to address the label with the 

homeowner’s name, you can always send it to “Resident” 

and only use the street address from the Excel ® file. 

The city, state, and zip code are not usually on the property 

appraiser site. Be sure that the selections from the property 

appraiser site are from the same city, state, and zip. I can’t 

imagine anything different but it bears mentioning. 

You must have a blank line as the first row 

of data. Every preceding row should contain 

the homeowner information. If this is not the 

case, perform the necessary steps in Excel ® to 

accomplish this. 

Save the Excel® file. 

Word ® File 

Open Word ® . Select a new document. Select 

Tools, Letters and Mailings, Mail Merge Wizard. A new 

window will open to the right of the document. Select 

Labels. Notice at the bottom of the Mail Merge Wizard 

window the steps you can follow to complete the mail 

merge task. Step 1 is completed when you select Labels. 

Now select Next, Starting document. Select Label Options. 

A new window will appear. Select the appropriate label 

that you want to use. Select OK. I used office supply store 

brand labels because they were slightly 

cheaper than brand name labels. Office 

supply store brand labels usually indicate 

the corresponding brand label number on 

the box. After you select the label number, 

Word ® will format the document to look 

like the label layout. This is SO cool. 

«F2» 

«F3» 

Oviedo, FL 32765 

«F2» 

«F3» 


«Next Record»«F2» 

«F3» 


My Customer #1 

123 Their Street 





Save this document as the label layout document. You have 

completed Step 2. 

Before going any further in the Mail Merge Wizard, insert 

the fields from the Excel® file that you want to print on 


the labels. You only need to do this for the 1 st label. Select 

Insert:Field:Category Mail Merge:MergeField, and enter 

the field name as F1, F2, or F3, etc. It is very important to 

enter the correct column from the Excel ® spreadsheet. Since 

the first line of the Excel ® spreadsheet is blank, Word ® will 

automatically assign the column with field names beginning 

with F1, F2, F3, etc., corresponding to Excel ® columns A, 

B, C, respectively. For example, if the homeowner’s name is 


«F3» 



«F3» 




«F3» 



«F3» 


in column B, then enter F2 in the document where you want 

the homeowner’s name to appear. Insert all fields for the 1 st 

label ONLY. Enter the city, state and zip. At this point, the 

label document may look like the one in Illustration 1. Save 

this file, again, as your label layout document. 

Proceed to the next step of Mail Merge Wizard by selecting 

Next: Select Recipients: Browse. Use the window buttons 

to search for the location of the Excel® file and select. The 















Mass Mailings Patty Indrunas 

Select Table window will appear. Select the data sheet that 

contains the Generated External Data. Select the box that 

indicates the first row of data is the heading. Since your 

first row of data is blank, Word ® will default to naming the 

column headings as F1, F2, F3, etc., as previously explained. 

Select OK. The Mail Merge Recipients window will appear. 

Select, Select All, assuming you want to insert all the names 

and addresses into the label file. You can also sort the data if 

you wish. Select OK. At this point the merge is NOT done. 

You will notice that commands have been 

entered for each label. 

Select Arrange Your Labels. Select Update All Labels. This 

option will copy the inserted fields and any typed data from 

the first label to all label areas. See Illustration 2. Save this 

file again, as your label layout document. 

Select Next: Preview the labels. Word ® will now merge the 

Excel ® data into the Word ® file. Only one page of labels 

are merged at this point. To complete the merge, select Edit 

individual labels. Select all. A new document is created with 

all the labels. See Illustration 3. Save this document with a 

different name. This is the document you will use to actually 

print the labels. You should have two Word ® documents: 

1) the label layout document, which can be used to print 

multiple labels using different recipient source files, and 2) 

Microsoft, Word, and Excel are either registered trademarks or trademarks of 

Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. 

Great Use For Those Leftovers 

What do you do with the extra 10" 

of the client’s tassel trim Make 

angel ornaments or gift tags out of them. 

The angel ornament pictured on the right 

is made from one tassel of Malibu Trim, 

beads and buttons. The angel’s hair is 

made from the collection of silky threads 

used to attach it to the gimp. You can 

easily make a handful of ornaments from 

just a few inches of leftover tassel trim. 

Key tassels, which are a little larger, also make adorable 

angel ornaments. The singing angel tassel, pictured in the 

center, uses 3" of ribbon for the wings, and 1 bead and one 

button for the halo. A fine permanent marker quickly creates 

the face. 

the actual label file with the merged names and addresses. 

I saved each label file containing the name and addresses 

for each subdivision so I can easily produce labels for this 

market in the future. 

I realize that these steps may seem complicated because 

of the detailed information, but don’t be deterred. Spend 

an hour one evening researching your property appraiser 

website and exploring the possibilities. 

Automatic Mass Mailing 

Another method of mass mailing I’ve discovered is to use 

a service like Quantum Mail, at www.quantummail.com. 

Quantum Mail allows you to upload the postcard design to 

their website and for a small fee they mail the postcard to 

selected homes using a street name or a neighborhood. You 

can print as little as 30 postcards. I recently used their service 

to mail 50 jumbo cards (8½" x 5½") to 50 addresses, for 

only $30. 

Good luck. 

Patty Indrunas is the owner of Sew Divine, a 

retail workroom in Oviedo, FL. She opened 

her business in the Fall of 2006, and is 

currently serving as president of the WCAA 

Central Florida chapter. She can be reached 

at sewdivine@cfl.rr.com and her website is 

www.sewdivine.net. 

Don’t discard your empty thread 

spools in the upcoming year. Save 

them. I purchased the “empty spool” 

snowman, pictured on the left, but 

you could easily make your own. 

Glue the spools together and wrap 

them with a few coordinated scraps 

from your client’s room. They’ll be 

reminded of you every Christmas. 

Susan Kindel 

SK Fabric Interiors 

Gainesville, VA 

Editor's Note: Susan’s Christmas Tree is featured on page 9. 


Step-by-Step 

Chris Watt 

Flat Roman Shades 

Kicked Up A Notch! 

Figure 1: Side Wall Before 

Thoughtful planning and vision can 

take a “simple” flat Roman shade 

and “kick it up a notch” resulting in 

an extraordinarily custom shade that 

can place your workroom reputation well above 

others. Our designers and clients often do not 

understand that there is a difference. It is within 

our abilities to educate them. But be careful, once 

they learn what the possibilities can be, their 

expectations (and yours) will never be the same! 

I recently completed a job, for Interior Designer, Jo Ann 

James, that is a perfect example of such a situation. 

The design of the shades—flat Roman shades made out of 

paisley fabric with plain contrast 3" bottom banding, the 

band exposed 2" when pulled up—was nothing unusual. 

However, this job had a number of special circumstances and 

illustrates why there are no “standards” for Roman shade 

construction in my workroom. 

The Project 

Window covering for side-by-side windows, Figures 1 and 2. 

8 flat Roman shades with contrast hems, 

3" exposed when lowered, 

2" skirt exposed when raised. 

4 shades, 34" x 70" (inside mount). 

4 shades, 34" x 92" (outside mount). 

The fabric is from Lee Jofa and has a 19.5" repeat. 

The Challenge 

1. All shades must have consistent fabric repeat placement, 

starting at the top. 

2. Each fold must have the same pattern placement. 

3. The shades must look identical when raised. 

4. No face fabric should be visible from the outside of the 

home. 

5. The clutch lift system must be concealed so it will not be 

seen from the outside or inside of the home. 

Figure 2: Back Wall Before 

The Planning Process 

1. Determine the ring spacing overall. 

Since the fabric has a 19.5" pattern repeat, I divided 

this number by 2 and established the primary spacing at 

9.75". This spacing results in every other fold showing 

the same pattern at the bottom. (For a 24" or 27" repeat, 

consider dividing into thirds, resulting in every third fold 

showing the same pattern at the bottom edge. This will 

still create a consistent and pleasing pattern of folds when 

the shades are raised.) 

2. Find a way to get side-by-side shades of different lengths 

to look identical when raised. 

I had already decided to start the first row of rings from 

the top of the board at 11.75", then space all other rows 

every 9.75" (1/2 of 19.5" pattern repeat). The last row 

of rings needed to be appropriately placed to reveal 2" 

of bottom skirt (the contrast). In a mock-up, I folded the 

shade and noted that the flap between the rings is about 

half the space between the rings (4 7/8"). I rounded this 

up to 5" and determined that to expose 2" of skirt, the 


Step-by-Step 

Chris Watt 

bottom row of rings needed to start 7" up 

from the bottom of the shade (5 + 2 = 7). 

This seemed straight-forward enough, 

BUT I was working with a pattern repeat, 

and consequently, the next row of rings 

(up from the bottom) for the 70"L shade 

was 2" from the first row, and for the 

92"L shade, it was 5". See Figure 3. 

Note: There MUST be at least 2" in that 

first space to give the fabric between the 

rings enough weight to lay down. If less 

than 2", the fold will end up pushing the 

other folds forward. To avoid this, you 

can manipulate that top row of rings. But 

remember, the other rows of rings between 

must remain at 9.75" (for a 19.5" repeat) 

to work with the repeat. 

The exterior of the home is white and soft 

gray. To keep the reveal of the face fabrics 

to a minimum: 

3. Plan the lining to cover all but ½" on the 2 sides and 

bottom; and 

4. Plan cuts as follows 

a) Cut face fabric width at FW + 3" (1.5" single side 

hems). 

b) Cut face fabric length at FL + 2. The shades have a 2" 

allowance for the top of the board. Since there will be 

a 3" band sewn at the bottom (with a 2" reveal), no 

fabric has been allowed for a hem in the face fabric. Be 

sure to note the pattern placement at the top before the 

cut! Work with the repeat. 

c) Cut lining width at FW + 1" (1" single side hem will 

finish ½" less than FW of shade). 

d) Cut lining length at FL + 8". 

e) For the 4 inside mount shades, cut lining for aprons on 

the back of the head rail to conceal the clutches. I save 

8" strips of lining with the selvage on the edge for this 

application. Cut the apron width the finished width of 

the shade + 1.5". 

f) Cut the bottom band fabric @ FW + 2" and 7.25" 

Long (for 3" finished band + Seam allowance) 

g) For the 4 outside mount shades, cut 8 “returns” 

from the face fabric. The returns need to finish at the 

depth of the head rail (1.5" in this case) + 2" to tuck 

in behind the shade x approximately 5" long. Cut 

Figure 3: 92" shade ring spacing on left. 

70" shade ring spacing on right. 

rectangles from the face fabric 4.5 (1.5 + 2 + 1" 

seam allowance) x 14" (5" x 2 + 4 to staple on top 

of the board). Pattern match returns with shades. 

Construction 

NOTE: These instructions do not describe how to put a 

clutch system together. They are instructions for making 

shades only. 

1. Prepare the face fabric, pressing in 1.5" single side 

hems (taking into account turn of the cloth factors to 

achieve an accurate finished width). 

2. Prepare the lining the same, but with only 1" single 

side hems pressed in and press in a double 3" hem. 

Bortenfix the hem in place. (The width of the lining 

will be a total of 1" less than the face fabric or ¹⁄₂" 

on each side.) 

3. Prepare the band by steaming ³/₈" Bortenfix on 

both long sides on the right side of the fabric. Press 

under using the paper tape to keep the edge straight 

and crisp. 

5. Carefully, remove the paper and place the band on 

the face of the shade using the tacky tape to position 

perfectly. Steam to the face of the shade only, leaving 

1" on each side to finish later. 

4. Take shade to the sewing machine. Flip up the band 

and stitch in the crease. 

6. Back on the table, place the shade face down and 

remove the paper on the hem of the banding, 


Step-by-Step 

Chris Watt 

carefully placing it edge on top of the bobbin thread, 

just a “smidgen” above that line of stitching. 

7. For this step, be sure that the bobbin thread matches 

the band. Stitch the band from the front, stitching in the 

ditch (see Figure 4), between the shade and the band. 

Because I döfix’ed the back band up that smidgen, the 

stitching caught the back layer perfectly. 

Figure 4: Stitching in the ditch to attach banding 

from the front of the shade. 

8. Turn and finish the 1" on each side, inserting the weight 

bar. Poof, the band is on, weight bar is in place, and the 

hem is done! 

9. Lay the shade back on the table face down. Press and 

square. 

10. Lay the lining on top (wrong sides together) and 

position so the face is exposed ½" on both sides and 

the bottom. See Figure 5. 

11. Make the ring placement “template”. On the blank 

side of a long ruler, adhere a strip of masking or blue 

painter’s tape along the edge. Start at the top (noting 

the top) and mark where each row of rings gets sewn 

on. (If you need a longer template, add another ruler/ 

yardstick, or anything to achieve the length needed.) 

12. Using the template, mark the ring placement with 

disappearing ink. See Figure 6. Sew on rings with 

4 strands of thread, doubled. Tie and dot knots with 

glue. The rings will hold the lining and face fabric 

together. 

13. Staple the top of the shades for the inside mount to 

the board, keeping 

everything square and 

being mindful of the 

finished length. It is 

important to keep the 

fabric on the top of the 

board as flat as possible. 

14. For the inside mount 

shades, to conceal the 

clutch system, add the 

apron to the backside of 

the board, using those 

four 8" lining strips with 

the selvage edge. 

15. Turn under 1" on each Figure 6: The ring placement. 

side to have an apron 

about ½" less than the board width. 

16. Press ³⁄₈" Bortenfix on the selvage edge. 

17. Press the 8" strip at 4.5" and 3.5" (not really in half, 

because you want to keep the Bortenfix exposed). 

18. Staple the raw edge of the apron on top of the board, 

covering the staples that have been used to attach the 

shade. 

19. Now the Bortenfix on the selvage edge can be 

steamed to the top of the board and it will cover all 

staples. See Figure 7. 

20. For the outside mount shades, it is not necessary to 

add an apron to conceal the back of the clutch. But it is 

Figure 5: Placing the lining over the back 

of the face fabric. 

Figure 7: Concealing the clutch with an apron 

for inside mount shades. 


Step-by-Step 

Chris Watt 

necessary to conceal visibility from the ends, because 

these will protrude into the room. This is accomplished 

by using a return, and the return is added before 

stapling the shade to the board. Use the eight rectangles 

of face fabric you cut for the returns. Remember to 

pattern match those returns with the face of the shade. 

21. Fold in half lengthwise and sew the side seams. 

22. Turn. The returns should now be 3.5" x 7". Press the 

fold so it maintains the crease, or use Sealah wire to 

maintain the fold. 

23. Staple these to the ends of the board, with 2" to the top 

and 2" around the corner to the front of the board. 

24. Now staple the shade on the board, keeping everything 

square. See Figure 8. 

25. Now it is time to pre-drill holes in the mount boards for 

installation. Be careful. Avoid catching a thread as you 

drill through the fabric. 

Figure 8: Outside mount shades with returns. 

Note pattern matching. 

Conclusion 

Planning this job was a challenge but provided spectacular 

results. See the completed shades in Figures 9 and 10. 

Note the consistent pattern placement both at the top and 

with each fold. You do not notice that the bottom fold of 

the 70" shade is different from the 92" shades. 

There were many more shades in this home, but the other 

rooms had solid or striped fabrics. I used the same templates 

for the other shades, keeping the ring spacing and skirts 

exposed to keep consistency throughout the home. (And 

also to not have to make any more decisions!) 

Figure 9: Side Wall After 

As a side bar, I did all this figuring the day after 

I had carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand and 

then constructed these 8 shades from start to finish 

(including installation) in only 4 normal workdays 

– with a cast on my left hand. Proof-positive that a 

well-planned shade is a fast shade! 

Figure 10: Back Wall After 

Chris Watt owns a full service drapery 

workroom in the San Francisco bay area. Open 

since 1976, she has a reputation for being able 

to do what others say cannot be done. She 

specializes in custom home furnishings and 

modifies workroom standards for individual 

projects as needed to achieve spectacular 

results. Chris is better known within the 

industry as The Pillow Lady. 



Terri Booser 

Calculating Yardage 

The key to calculating yardage is allowing for all the necessary allowances — allowances for hems, headers, 

returns, overlaps and pattern repeat. This form groups and calculates the allowances and overlaps for you and 

walks you through calculating for the pattern repeat. The form also color codes the critical calculations that you 

will need to use more than once. 

Top line of the form: 

Fill in the “given” specifications along the top of the form. FW is the finished width. This is the measurement of the face 

of the rod. FL is the finished length of the drapery. VR is the vertical repeat of the fabric you are using. The vertical repeat 

should either be submitted to you by the designer or can be found on the back of the fabric sample you are selecting from. 

Circle on the form whether you are making a pair of draperies or OWD (One Way Draw). Fill in the return size and the 

fabric width. 

Length calculation: 

The first calculation on this form is the cut length. First, decide what method of fabrication you will be doing. For top-down 

low-bulk, as we do at the CHF Academy, the cut allowance will be 12". For a traditional bottom-up method of fabrication, 

the cut allowance will be 18". Add the appropriate allowance to the finished length for the cut length before pattern match. 

If you are using a solid fabric, skip to the width calculation. If you are using a print, calculate the adjusted cut length. 

Adjusted cut length: 

The trickiest part of this section is to remember to always round up the number of repeats needed. Divide the cut length just 

calculated by the pattern repeats to get a decimal number of how many repeats it takes to obtain that cut length. Round this 

number up to the nearest whole number and then multiply it by the repeat size to equal the adjusted cut length. 

Width calculation: 

Use this calculation to figure out how many widths of material (WOM) are necessary. Multiply the finished width by the 

desired fullness. (2½ or 2.5 is generally standard. But you may want 3 times fullness in some cases, such as for sheer fabric.) 

Using the chart to the right, add the required allowances for side hems, returns, and overlap, based first on whether you are 

making a pair or a one way drawn drapery, then by the size of the return. Only add the one respective number that is in bold 

type. The numbers in parenthesis represent how that number was derived. Add the correct allowance, then divide by the 

width of the material to obtain a decimal number representing the number of widths of material you need. Since we know 

we can not purchase a fraction of a width of material, round this number to a whole number. 

Final yardage calculation: 

Transfer all the critical numbers to their respective color coded box. Multiply the WOM by the Adjusted Cut length, add 

one vertical repeat, and divide by 36 to get the yards needed for that particular drapery. Now add one more vertical repeat. 

If the fabric turns out to be a drop match, this extra vertical repeat will allow enough yardage as long as you plan the cuts 

accordingly, and it also allows for a specific placement of the pattern. For example, if you want the design of the fabric to 

fall in a specific place you must allow one extra repeat so that you have the ability to place the first cut exactly where you 

want it. All other cuts will fall within the match planned prior. 

Form supplied by Terri Booser, owner of An Interior Stitch. 



Terri Booser 


Career Professional Graduates 

The CHF Academy 

Congratulations to the Latest 

Career Professional Graduates! 

Window Coverings: 

Lorie Albitz, Lake Orion, MI 

Janice Buseick, Fernandina Beach, FL 

Ana Harsanyi, Southhampton, NY 

Karla Herman, Liberty Township, OH 

Linda Lennard, Laurel Hill, FL 

Sherri Mcginnis, Hildebran, NC 

Jeannette Mougalian, Buxton, ME 

Sharon Neufville, Bryn Mawr, PA 

Dorian Nicolosi, Waxhaw, NC 

Martha O'Brien, Athens, GA 

Lisa O’Connor, Sharpsburg, GA 

Pauline Sagoe, New Hope, MN 

Ellen Shobe, Naples, FL 

Rita Neal Shreve, Stokesdale, NC 

Karen Smith, Lake Wylie, SC 

Kristi Wurtz, Chesterfield, MO 

Advanced Window Coverings 

Karin Conn, Moultonboro, NH 

Katie Fisher, Norcross, GA 

Sandra L. Garrett, Manassas, VA 

Marlene Graham, Tallahassee, FL 

Belinda Perry, Idaho Falls, ID 

Stephanie F. Stevens, Coldwater, MS 

What can the Career Professional Program at The 

Custom Home Furnishings Academy do for you 

The benefits of the program include recognition as 

an industry professional, an engraved wall plaque with your 

name and program designation, and a camera-ready Career 

Professional logo, which can be used on business cards, 

letterhead, etc. 

All graduates choosing to do so will be announced in The 

Custom Home Furnishings Magazine. Your name will also 

be listed on the CHF Academy’s website, along with a link to 

your website. There are seven Career Professional Programs to 

choose from: Window Coverings, Advanced Window Coverings, 

Professional Slipcovers, Cornice/Headboards, Installation, 

Pillows/Bedding, and The Art of Upholstery. 

Would you like to be a Career Professional Give the Academy 

a call today at 800-222-1415 (704-333-4636), or visit their 

website at www.CHFschool.com. 

If your name has not appeared in the list of Career Professional Graduates 

and you would like to have it listed, please send an email with your name, 

city, and state to editor@chfschool.com. 

Installation: 

Anthony Bucciarelli, Nokomis, FL 

Dennis Bucciarelli, Nokomis, FL 

Dow Kirkland, Jonesboro, GA 

Mark Leger, Orange, TX 


Fred D. Stanley 

Scott Turner, Warwick, Bermuda 

Tony Worthington, Stoneville, NC 

Lori Yoder, Fleetwood, PA 

Pillows: 

Kelly Geraghty, Denver, NC 

Slipcovers: 

Carol Collord, Medway, MA 

Jannese Gerkin, Oak Ridge, NC 


Sherree Salmon, Ontario, Canada 

Upholstery: 

Harriet Rice, Sterling Heights, MI 


2007 Custom Home Furnishings Academy Schedule 

800-222-1415 (704) 333-4636 ~ www.CHFschool.com 

January 2007 

3-4 Starting and Operating a Workroom (WT100) 

5-9 Workroom Shortcuts, Draperies, and Shades (WT 101) 

5-9 Installation 101 


11-14 Swags, Top Treatments, and Embellishments (WT 102) 

14-15 Slipcover 101 - Parsons Chairs 

16-19 Slipcovers 102 - Fit-Like-A-Glove Slipcovers 

16-20 Advanced Top Treatments and Shades (WT 103) 

20-21 Slipcovers 103 - Slipcover Details 

21-24 High-end Fabrication Methods (WT 104) 

24-30 The Art of Upholstery 

25-27 Pillows 

28-31 Bed Covering Fabrication 

February 2007 

1-4 Headboards and Ottomans 


5-7 Corona's, Bed Canopies, and Awnings 


11-12 Basic Cornices 


13-14 Advanced Cornices 

13-14 Knock Your Socks Off Presentations 

19-20 Window Treatments for Designers 

19-21 Outdoor Living 


22-23 Business Plan from Start to Finish 


28-3/1 Starting and Operating a Workroom (WT100) 

March 2007 

3-4 Lifestyle Marketing 







23-25 The Challenge (WT 105) 



April 2007 


10-16 Art of Upholstery 

16-18 Draping and Drafting Window Treatment Patterns 




19-21 The Challenge (WT 105) 



23-25 All About Pillows 


26-29 Bed Treatment Fabrication 



30-5/4 Workroom Shortcuts, Draperies, and Shades (WT 101) 

May 2007 






17-18 Basic Cornices 

19-20 Advanced Cornices 

21-23 Corona's, Bed Canopies, and Awnings 


June 2007 




12-14 Installation For The Workroom 








July 2007 


6-10 Installation 101 - Professional Installation Techniques 


11-12 Installation 102 - Advanced Installation Technique 


14-20 Art of Upholstery 


22-25 Ottomans and Headboards 


29-31 Draping and Drafting Window Treatment Patterns 

8/1-8/3 The Challenge (WT 105)

nov dec issue FINAL.indd - Custom Home Furnishings Academy

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