March/April, 2017
An Interview with Julie Wood, WCAA National President
New Trend: HYGGE HEALTHIER Home Offices Create a Fabric CHECK-IN Area Blast From the Past: RUCHED Panels Accountability PARTNERS RUFFLES on Sheer Panels
I receive a lot of shipments, and sometimes it becomes difficult to keep everything organized for a job before I begin. I have developed a simple solution in my workroom that seems to work well. At the entrance of my workroom, I have this handy caddy I filled with all the necessary items needed to properly tag a component of a job. After the item has been tagged, cross-referenced with the client and inspected, I place in my bolt holder until fabrication time. I acquired this wrought iron stand from a local Home Depot store that closed near my home. It was originally used in their home and garden area to hold shovels. When items have been completed, but not bagged, I hang them from these horse blanket racks found on www.sstack.com. As a bonus, download this sheet of 6 fabric tags that can be printed on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper or Avery stickers. Jill Ragan Scully Working as an interior designer, drapery workroom, and upholsterer for over 20 years, Jill has a strong passion for the soft furnishings industry. This diverse skill set is apparent in each room she designs for her clients. Recognizing a need for increased accessibility to a wider variety of products and services for her colleagues, Jill recently founded My Designer Concierge, a virtual design showroom and social media management company to the trade.
Create a Fabric Check-In Area Jill Ragan Scully
by JoAnne Lenart-Weary
Trending Now: Hygge
Hygge is one of the most popular topics on Pinterest. Click below to sample a collection of pinned blogs and websites.
Hygge (pronounced HOO-gah) is a Danish tradition or approach to life that turns everyday moments into something special and appreciated. Think cozy, comfortable, content, but most of all, appreciation of the simple things we encounter each day. Imagine the feeling of cuddling in luscious throws, serving tea in china cups or lighting a candle with dinner. Hygge is simply the art of reveling in the little things that make a house, a home. The Hygge influence was recently seen throughout the Las Vegas design market with products offered like cashmere throws and wool socks. Candles were everywhere, and cozy corner displays featured a single chair next to a table and lamp for those quiet reading or meditation moments. In a world that has been driven by open concept floor plans, watch for a shift to smaller, cozier spaces. The essence of Hygge doesn't involve technology so put your phone or tablet away. Revel in a good book while truly enjoying that cup of organic tea or a hot toddy. Watch the video to the left to see how to add a bit of Hygge to your home. JoAnne Lenart-Weary JoAnne Lenart-Weary, Chief Creative Officer at The JLW Company, has been creating beautiful rooms for over 40 years. She has worked in 39 states and five countries. All this experience led to the founding of The Decorating and Staging Academy (The-DSA) in 1999 which offers the longest running hands-on decorating training in the country. She also created the Confident Color System, the Confident Consultation and many forms and systems for the design professional. JoAnne has appeared on HGTV, ABC, NBC and is a frequent presenter at industry and consumer events. In 2017, she will appear at the RESA Conference in Vegas, Staged Home Conference in Fort Lauderdale and IWCE Vision in Charlotte. Learn more about JoAnne at www.TheJLWCompany.com or call 814-440-3044. Email joanne@thejlwcompany.com
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Interview with Julie Wood
by Margie Nance
This month we interviewed the WCAA National President, Julie Wood. Learn how she started her business and read her views on how you can benefit from joining the Window Coverings Association of America. Welcome, Julie Wood! How did you get started in this industry? I started out after staying home with my son when we had adopted him. I decided to take courses in interior design because I needed a more flexible career than teaching art. While in the certificate program, I realized that work rooms existed. Having sewn since I was 10 and having made my treatments for my home, I decided I could make treatments for others. I finished the interior design program and began to fabricate for friends. One friend had another friend that was an interior designer. It all began with a phone call from her. This same designer still uses my company today. Tell us about your business. Are you wholesale/retail/ both? I am a wholesale business. In the beginning, I did retail work as well. After many client meetings and experiencing a tightly knotted stomach, I decided to move to an entirely wholesale business. I love fabricating and working with designers. When did you decide to become a member of the WCAA and how has it helped your business? I became a member of WCAA in 2006 at the very start of my business. I was grateful that the WCAA certification program had been put into place. I immediately enrolled and became certified in both the workroom and designer programs. The workroom program had a large binder that stepped me through setting up my workroom, terminology and many more tips. This information allowed me to start my business with a great knowledge base. Tell us about your local chapter. I have been a member of two local chapters. The first chapter was the NH Seacoast, an amazing group that I was so happy to have as a mentor and answer all the burning questions that I had. I became an officer of this group and began to be introduced to more people in the industry. I now belong to the Eastern MA chapter, another amazing group of people. They are so welcoming and are always there to help think an engineering problem through. We have wonderful seminars and workshops. It is wonderful to be around people that understand the language I speak. More
"The industry partner discounts, newsletters, webinars and a network of professionals that will become lifelong friends are all benefits of becoming a member."
Continued
What is your favorite part of being connected to a chapter? My favorite part is having a group of people that support and understand me. There is always someone willing to listen to the situation and give advice. The comradery and friendships are amazing and go beyond the chapter and into everyday living. As President of WCAA, what is your vision for the organization? My vision for the organization is to grow its membership. We want to reach out to the community of individuals that are looking to begin working in this industry and offer support through membership. I also want to empower chapters to reach out to their communities at the high school and college levels to explain and introduce the possibility of a career in the window treatment industry. WCAA will be providing talking points and materials to help chapters reach out in the near future. How does someone new to the industry join the WCAA? Joining is as simple as going to the wcaa.org website. Click on the JOIN button and all the information you need will be at your fingertips. How can a member start a local chapter if there isn't one in their area? We would love to see more local chapters. A member wanting to start a chapter in their area will need to have ten individuals that are interested in being part of a chapter. Once you have their commitment, a call to our national office will give you all the information you will need. It really is as simple as that. If a person asked "Why should I join WCAA" what would you tell them? I would say that they can't afford not to. The resources that open up to you by becoming a member are unbelievable. The industry partner discounts, newsletters, webinars and a network of professionals that will become lifelong friends are all benefits of becoming a member. It is true that "You are never in business alone." Where are your upcoming national events? WCAA will have a booth at both IWCE in Charlotte this March and at CWC in Nashville in May. Several of our members will be sharing skills and teaching workshops at both events. I will be in attendance at both conferences. I look forward to seeing old and new industry colleagues.
"The comradery and friendships are amazing and go beyond the chapter and into everyday living."
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click here for FREE DOWNLOAD from Drapery & Design Professional Magazine Volume 2010, Issue 5
Blast from the Past
Say What?
by Michele Williams
Michele Williams is the owner of The Scarlet Thread, LLC and is a strategic business coach. With a degree from The University of South Carolina in Management Information Systems and Administrative /management, Michele combined her love of creativity and textiles with the nitty gritty of business management to help other creatives learn the technical and financial sides of business. Michele has a degree in Coaching and is a Profit First Certified Coach. She is the past president of the national WCAA and a member of the Atlanta and Virtual chapters of the WCAA. Michele is also a member of WFCP, Design Collective, and Designers' Workroom Council.
Michele is fiercely committed to guiding creative business owners in the understanding of complex business concepts and processes in a simplified way. She strives to help them be profitable which allows for a healthier work-life balance. For more information go to www.scarletthreadconsulting.com
Accountability Partnerships. Last month, Michele Williams discussed how to choose a partner. Now she is going to focus on what to do when you get together to keep it real, relevant and rewarding, the three Rs of accountability.
First, choose a time and location that works for you both. If you are meeting by phone or Skype or some other online format, make sure you can focus and close down any apps or social media that could be distracting. Giving this meeting your full attention will be best for both of you. Come prepared to share and to listen. Decide on a format and time allowance before you begin. If you only have 30 minutes, state that up front so that you can adjust; if it is one hour, great. I suggest no more than an hour, or it becomes a chore to meet and can be counterproductive. As for format, decide if you will go back and forth in discussion points or will you focus on one business first then move to the next. Now, let's look at a few discussion points that make meeting together work. What are your accomplishments since we last met? What do you want to focus on for the next 90 days and how does that translate to the next month in regards to detail tasks? What are your barriers to success? What assistance do you need to move forward? How do you want me to hold you accountable on this? You can create a unique set of questions based on your relationship and the area in which you want to be held accountable. Play around with it and see what works for your partnership. Stay on topic, give constructive criticism with the idea of moving forward and helping, honesty is key. If you do these things, you can attain the three R's for accountability: real, relevant and rewarding!
View all of the incredible Artisan Project vignettes at IWCE in Charlotte, NC!
Challenged to find a quick and professional technique to attach a ruffle to a sheer panel, Artisan Project volunteers explored several options. The photos to the right document the making of a small prototype sample using a small binding strip to eliminate the shadow of a side hem in the embroidered sheer fabric. Preview Rachel Barrera's, Phantom-inspired vignette and the making of the full sheer panel at the Artisan Project weekend at Alexandra's Custom Draperies workroom in Houston, Texas. Watch to the end to see a ruffling serger in action! STEP-BY-STEP for a finished 4" ruffle, cut 10" strips of fabric (a single width gathers to approximately 20-25" of finished ruffle) cut 3" binding strips, connect at ends, and fold in half lengthwise place ruffle face down to face of sheer with the folded binding strip on top pin in place, aligning cut edges of the binding strip to ruffling stay stitch sew with ½" seam allowance (from cut edge of binding) so that stitch connects the binding, ruffle and sheer panel while hiding serged edge and gathering stitches trim to 3/8" wrap folded binding strip to back and stitch on the edge of the fold Jeanelle Dech Jeanelle Dech is president and co-founder of Adaptive Textiles, an innovative textile printing company in West Chester, PA. She is a friendly and engaging speaker, known for her Fit-Like-a-Glove slipcovers, SPEED sewing method, and workroom profitability and management training. She has served as an officer and national board member of WCAA. In 2015, she launched The Workroom Channel, which hosts a series of online training programs and hands-on events for sewing professionals. Just this year, Jeanelle added pattern printing to the repertoire. Adaptive Textiles is now the proud parent company to both, M'Fay Patterns and The Workroom Channel.
Ruffle on Sheer with Jeanelle Dech
Jamie and Morgan Molitor Construction2style
People who work from home are famous for working from just about everywhere: the dining room table, the couch, or even while lying in bed. It's a wonderful, very freeing feeling. Nevertheless, it's important to know that not every home office is as good as every other. If your workspace isn't well designed, it might be harmful to your health. Since you probably spend hours every day sitting in your home office, let's make sure it's healthy. How Home Office Design Affects You A healthy home office is more than just ergonomic furniture. A well-designed home office makes you feel better and helps you get more work done. In fact, this is the root of ergonomics: the science of creating spaces and objects which are more efficient and safer at the same time. There are many studies that show people who work in a well-designed office get more done. A study by the Carlson School of Management noted that people who replaced their office chairs with an in-office treadmill started performing much better. And that's just a single improvement out of many that you can make. A badly designed office, on the other hand, can hurt your health. Neck and shoulder pain, wrist pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, stress, weight gain…the list of "office workplace injuries" go on and on. In fact, an ergonomically designed workspace is so powerful that there's a whole page of success stories on the US Department of Labor website talking about the benefits seen by organizations which made ergonomic changes. Sadly, most people who work from home don't think about their office design very much. Yet if you are a freelancer then you are paid based on how much work you get done — if you don't accomplish as much, you aren't paid as well. For freelancers, ergonomics is, therefore, critical. Designing Your Home Office Most people start out with the cheapest furniture they can find. As their business grows, they end up keeping it — because they're too busy to upgrade. The fact is, ergonomic office furniture makes a major difference. Just the right positioning of everything in your office makes a major difference in how comfortable you are. This starts with your desk. If you're using a normal desk, be sure it's not too low. Your desk should be high enough that you don't find yourself hunching over. It should also be low enough that your wrists are at a comfortable angle. This means that the right desk for you will depend on your own height. The chair behind your desk is important, too. Classic design work chairs by e.g Eames are always good. The Herman Miller Embody Work Chair is a modern icon specially designed for the demanding work environment. You should always try and get the best work chair you can — it makes a huge difference to how productive you are. High-quality chairs have great back support and help make sure you don't over-stretch. Of course, you can always try no chair at all. A "standing desk" is a new trend in the design world, and many people find it helpful to switch between sitting and standing during their work day. (Add a treadmill, and you have a scientifically proven way to improve productivity.) Reduce Noise Even a little noise can be debilitating for people who work in creative fields, and just about everyone finds it hard to work in a truly noisy environment. This means that the ‘backyard office' has become popular in some areas — being detached, they're isolated from the usual sounds of the house. For the in-home office, sliding glass and bi-fold doors make it possible to keep sounds away while ensuring it's still easy to watch the younger ones. Let in Some Nature Good natural lighting and ventilation are design elements that produce major benefits in the long term. Even a small window makes endless work hours much easier, easing eye strain and improving ventilation. At the same time, a little greenery can also make a big difference in the home office. Modern design tends to be heavy on stone, glass, and concrete. Indoor plants help refresh the atmosphere, improving air quality and adding an aura of relaxation. If you don't have space for a large garden, you can always put a plant in the corner or some smaller herbs in containers on your desk. The fact is, you spend a lot of time in your home office. That means it's crucial to put in a little time up front ensuring it's liveable. That initial investment will pay big dividends later, in the form of better health and more productivity. The original article gave credit to the following resources: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11 Reprinted by permission from construction2style.com Construction2style is a husband and wife home renovation, styling, and blogging team. Owned by Jamie and Morgan Molitor. We specialize in full home residential remodeling including interior design, carpentry, and custom-built furniture designs. We blog about every detail of our projects, helping our readers replicate the project in their homes. Visit our blog at construction2style.com
Healthier Home Offices
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