Workroom Tips

Pillow Forms – Everything You Ever Wanted To Know

  Pillow Forms - All You Ever Wanted To Know Did you know pillow forms and what's inside these may be the contributing factor to the overall look of your beautifully designed and fabricated pillow covers? Do you know the difference between duck down and goose down and which make better pillow forms for pillows? [...]

By |2020-11-14T13:09:37-05:00November 14th, 2020|Pillows, Bedding, Design, DIY, How To, Pillow Shams, Workroom Tips|

Take Your Pillow Designs To the Next Level

Take your Pillow Designs to the next level by first learning the basics. When designing pillows do you jump into your pillow designs and add all the details right from the start?  Only to realize you're missing a necessary skill in order to make the pillow as perfect as you'd like it to. You've [...]

Pleated style face masks made simply.

  In a time of crisis, a maker makes things.  I'm making pleated style face masks. One thing I do well, other than making beautiful things with fabric is to share quick and efficient, step-by-step ways to make things.  So during this time of unrest and unease, I thought I would share with you how [...]

Pillow Making – dog ears or no dog ears?

Let's talk about pillow making. With so much information available online these days, I can see where someone getting into the soft furnishings/workroom business may get confused on fabrication techniques.  Today, let's talk about pillow making.  Specifically how to sew the corners of pillows.  Do you taper the corners of the pillows to [...]

Top Tips for Inserting Zippers Next To Welt Cord

Tips for Inserting Zippers Next To Welt Cord Zippers next to welt cord.  How are you doing inserting zippers next to welt cord in pillows, cushions, and bedding?  Do you ever wonder if yours are sewn well enough?  Do you ever struggle with the size or type of zipper you should use?  In this [...]

Learn To Sew Blocked Squares Pillows in 6 Quick Steps – They’re Fun and Easy!

A blocked squares pillow, or color-blocked pillow is a fun and creative way to add color and texture to any room. Pillows are the Jewelry for your Furniture. Have you ever struggled when designing pillows?  Or have you ever struggled with pillow fabrication?  Or are you ever challenged with not having enough [...]

By |2024-02-27T12:05:00-05:00November 14th, 2019|Pillows, Sewing, Step-by-Step, Uncategorized, Workroom Tips|

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, [...]

Drapery panels at 25 widths each & how to tackle such a project.

Drapery panels at 25 widths each?  Have you ever been asked to make a really wide drapery panel?  What did you do?  Did you turn and run the other way?  Or did you accept the drapery panel project and then wonder how you were going to tackle the job? I was recently hired to [...]

Flowery Branch is a beautiful place to visit.

Designs by Donna is located in the cute town of Flowery Branch, GA.  So let me show you around downtown, in case you're wondering what there is to do when you come and visit while taking a workshop at Designs by Donna. Flowery Branch crossroads of Railroad Ave. and Main St. Don't you love [...]

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. [...]

Go to Top