Interior Decor

Learning to upholster a chair through the eyes of a drapery gal

Plaid chair no more! Now it's fun and happy with new colors, patterns, and textures. A drapery gal's perspective on learning upholstery. Learning to upholster furniture is a totally different skillset than drapery making.  For one thing, you don't have to strip naked before making draperies.  My friend, [...]

Won’t you be our guest? Tips for creating a comfortable guest room.

Won't you be our guest? When it comes to creating a guest room, comfort is key.  Therefore, a guest room should be a warm and welcoming space so include some of the amenities found in a hotel room and have the intimacy and charm of a home. Listed below are 8 of [...]

I cut up my son’s high school letterman jacket and turned it into an upholstered chair.

If you have grown children, you know they leave some things behind when they move into their new places, right?  Trophies, books, papers, and clothing like letterman jackets.  Sound familiar?  I bet it does!  And what do you do with all this stuff? Here's what I did with our son, Justin's Cross Country High School [...]

It’s been an eventful 2017 at Designs by Donna!

I hope your year has been a good one too and that 2018 brings you good health and much joy! At Designs by Donna my mission is: To use my passion, gifts, and abilities to bring joy and beauty into the lives of others through exquisite design, teaching, and sharing.

Difficult Fabrics – Silk Velvet Banding on Drapery Lead Edge

Working with difficult fabrics can be challenging and stressful unless you first determine your course of action.  This is the second edition of working with difficult fabrics.  I'll show you how I used upholstery weight silk velvet to make  narrow bands on  silk taffeta panels.  Now these are two fabrics that couldn't be more incompatible. [...]

Ripplefold Drapery System – Understanding the Basics

The first set of Ripplefold draperies I made was probably about twenty years ago.  It was wall to wall and floor to ceiling and it was a cranberry, textured cotton fabric.  Yup, it's true, I remember the exact color and texture!  Oh, and it was made using blackout lining.  And twenty years ago blackout linings [...]

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