Sew Much More

Polly Waite is a classically trained and qualified upholsterer and furniture restorer. She is a member of the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishing and has been working professionally in the industry for over 12 years in her business, Pollyander. Polly comes from a background in design and a family history in antiques. Since the training, she has been using her trained eye to turn tired old chairs into one-of-a-kind, coveted pieces. There have been many creative and challenging commissions over the years; from double-decker buses, hand-made cloud sofas for a festival, and countless treasured antique restoration projects. Nothing has been too big, small, or strange to be taken on with passion and skill.   When Polly isn’t busy sharing her skill, passion, and knowledge with others, she’s putting her creativity and skills into practice. You can normally find her in her studio creating beautiful, one-of-a-kind chairs. She truly believes that chairs are not just functional pieces of furniture but something that we have an attachment to. When questioned on this she said “We all have our favorite chair, that place we curl up in at the end of a long day, our favorite reading spot, where we read to our children or grandchildren and where we daydream of things to come.  So you see a chair is much more than a chair and I feel they should be designed with this in mind. This is why I put so much thought, love, and time into everything I make.” It is this passion and skill that has made her a trusted member of The House Of Upcycling and a mentor to future upcycle designers and upholsters. Polly is on Facebook and Instagram.   Links and Resources;       The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library   Merril Y Landis, LTD   Angel's Distributing, LLC   National Upholstery Association  

Harmony Maraldo is an upholsterer, a pricing strategist, and the current president of the National Upholstery Association. By day, she works as the Head of Pricing & Packaging for a tech company in Boston. On nights and weekends, she runs a small traditional upholstery business, Tack & Tuft while also juggling the demanding needs of directing a non-profit. Harmony believes that demand for reupholstery services will continue to rise as consumers increasingly choose sustainability over convenience. She seeks to build awareness of the craft and to develop training and career paths for those interested in entering the trade. Harmony is on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest   Links and Resources; Some of the links I provide, specifically to Amazon and a few others, require me to let you know that if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you! National Upholstery Association - the NUA is on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn FLC Education is available on the Workroom Channel Upholstery: A Complete Course by David James The Upholsterer's Step-by-Step Handbook: A Practical Reference Hardcover by Alex Law American Furniture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Morrison Heckscher Upholstery in America and Europe from the Seventeenth Century to World War I by Edward S. Cooke Jr.  Abe Books My Designer Concierge Ravelry      

Kelli Vitari is an award-winning owner of the window treatment store and drapery and upholstery workroom, Wild Fern Window Furnishings, in Olympia, WA. She has been fabricating for the industry for the past 18 years in various workrooms across the country and has been sewing since the age of 8. Her educational background ranges from architectural engineering and interior and commercial design to biology and medicine. She lives in Olympia, WA with her husband and business partner, Willie, 3 yr old daughter, Tezra, 2 dogs, and a snake.   You can find Kelli on Instagram and Facebook   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library   Merril Y Landis, LTD   Angel's Distributing, LLC   National Upholstery Association  

Denise Korynta, of Smith Mountain Lake, VA, created her slipcover business, Details by Denise when the need arose to find a job that would give her the flexibility to work around her husband’s schedule, spend more time at their lake house, and with their 6 grandchildren.  It was the perfect option that combined her love of decorating, sewing, fabric, working with people, and problem-solving. It quickly evolved into cushions, pillows, and other home decorating accents.  It’s taken 40 years, 8 duty stations, and 22 homes to get here, but having her own creative business has always been on her vision board.   Denise believes strongly in learning as much as she can, taking on new challenges and also sharing her knowledge and completed projects on her blog, Detailsbydenise.com as well as her Instagram and Facebook page.     Links and Resources; Some of the links I provide, specifically to Amazon and a few others, require me to let you know that if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you! Marge's Custom Slipcovers: Easy to Make and Snug Fitting by Marge Jones  

Audrey Campbell is the owner of Boxwood & Ivy, a drapery workroom located in Cincinnati, OH, servicing both retail and to-the-trade clients.  She credits her start in the industry to her creative mother who loved to redecorate and was never afraid of a good DIY project. In 2015 Audrey purchased a used industrial straight stitch machine on a whim while making items for her own home and a seed was planted in her mind. She began researching the custom workroom industry and spent the next 2 years slowly learning the craft. She is also a busy mother and is grateful to have the opportunity to work from home while having the flexibility to be available for her children’s sports and activities.   Some of the links I provide, specifically to Amazon and a few others, require me to let you know that if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you! Links and Resources; Finding your Why by Simon Sinek Profit First by Mike Michealowicz The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman Roman Shades Workroom Tech Custom Workroom Conference Curtains & Soft Furnishings Resource Library Learn to Choose Window Coverings The Pillow Lady Minutes Matter Software finger cots     The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library   Merril Y Landis, LTD   Angel's Distributing, LLC   National Upholstery Association  

Rosemarie Garner comes by her sewing passion naturally. Her maternal grandparents were a seamstress and a tailor, and her mother taught her how to sew when she was in junior high school. Fast forward many years later, R Garner Custom Designs was born on the third floor of her Montclair, NJ home, where she worked for 12 years.  Five years ago, she moved to a glorious 900-square-foot industrial space in Butler, NJ where there is finally space to have two tables, all four of her industrial sewing machines, a state-of-the-art industrial iron, a professional clamping system for panel fabrication, and a motorized track to test Roman shades before they leave the workroom. Today we are talking about that move, how she made the decision  ​  

Michelle Minner is the owner of Blue Roof Cabin Upholstery, located in Washington state. She’s a solopreneur, specializing in residential furniture reupholstery. Michelle fell into the upholstery trade by accident. As a DIY blogger looking for a project she decided to try her hand at reupholstering an old chair and fell in love with the transformation process. Self-taught, Michelle is passionate about sharing knowledge and supporting fellow upholsterers. She loves to share upholstery tips on her YouTube channel and Instagram stories. She is currently a Virtual Instructor for FLC training systems.  You can find Michelle on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Links and Resources; Michelle's article in the Drapery & Design Digital Digest You can find classes from the Funky Little Chair on The Workroom Channel You're A Bad Ass by Jen Sincero   Atomic Habits by James Clear   Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design  by Amanda Brown, Grace Bonney    Singer book by Steve Cone   Podcasts Brene Brown Jennifer Allwood     Links to 30 Minutes with Workroom Tech Episode 71 and Susan's Blog about the 2023 Pick a Project Challenge

Lisa Jones, is the owner, designer, and fabricator of Lisa Jones Interiors. She has been sewing all of her life. Her mother, LuAnn, taught her to sew when she was a little girl, and Lisa made a lot of her clothes, prom dresses, and her wedding gown. Lisa started her first sewing business a few years after high school and made clothes, prom dresses, a lot of cheerleading outfits, and even costumes for the drama department at the local college. After a few years of doing that, she decided to focus strictly on custom interiors, and she's still going strong 25 years later doing what she loves. Working from home has given her the flexibility to grow her business while still being very involved in both her girls’ lives, whether it was ballet or piano lessons, gymnastics, or four years of hauling horses to barrel racing competitions. Lisa is on Facebook and Instagram, and LinkedIn    Links and Resources; Some of the links I provide, specifically to Amazon and a few others, require me to let you know that if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you!   You can follow Lisa's goats here Deb Barrett's class Workroom Tech Vita Vygovska Custom Workroom Conference   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library   Merril Y Landis, LTD   Angel's Distributing, LLC   National Upholstery Association

Links and Resources; Some of the links I provide, specifically to Amazon and a few others, require me to let you know that if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you! Atomic Habits by James Clear Gretchen Rubin's Tendencies Quiz

I was so happy to continue the tradition of a year-end wrap-up with Michele Williams.       Links and Resources; (Some of the links I provide are affiliate links and if you use those links and make a purchase, I will make some money.  I won't make a million dollars, but I might be able to get a cup of coffee, so thank you!)   Custom Workroom Conference Learn To Choose Window Coverings Metrique Solutions 30 Minutes with Workroom Tech - 69 - Getting Back to Work After CWC Books; The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals - Chris McChesney , Sean Covey , Jim Huling , Scott Thele , Beverly Walker  Think Again by Adam Grant The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, Charles Stransky Scale or Fail by Allison Maslan and Gildan Media