Donna Cash

About Donna Cash

I’m an award winning custom soft furnishings designer, sewing fabricator, and teacher of exquisite custom fabric items, also known as custom soft furnishings, for homeowners and interior designers. These products range from custom pillows and valances to draperies, slipcovers, and upholstery. Sewing has always been my creative outlet. Designs by Donna has been serving Atlanta and the surrounding areas since 1987. We are located in Flowery Branch, just outside of Atlanta, GA.

Zippers In Pillows course for The Workroom Channel

I love pillows.  And I love inserting zippers in pillows.  Invisible zippers, lapped zippers, zippers next to welt cord, bound zippers in pillows, and zippers as embellishments in pillows.  Love them all!  I love inserting them so much, it always surprises me when someone tells me they would rather close a pillow with hand stitching [...]

By |2018-06-29T16:05:26-04:00June 29th, 2018|Zippers, Efficiency, Pillows|

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. [...]

Difficult Fabrics – Working With Pleated Fabrics

Have you ever had to work with difficult fabrics?  If you've been sewing for any length of time, you probably have.  You know the ones.  The slippery fabrics that move around the table by themselves.  Or the loosely woven fabrics that begin to fray the moment you begin cutting.  Or fabrics with a nap, such as velvet, where special [...]

What’s your learning style?

If there's one thing I've figured out from teaching it's that each person has a different way of learning.  Some prefer reading to learn a new technique.  Others prefer hands on in order to learn to do something.  And still others want to watch the instructor give a demonstration and explain how to do something. [...]

By |2018-03-07T12:34:13-05:00April 9th, 2017|Uncategorized|

How to sew a interlock stitch in drapery panels

When making multi width drapery panels, adding an interlock stitch at the seams will help keep the seams lined up as they hang.  Without this stitch the fabric layers may shift making the draperies look untidy or messy. Sewing the interlock stitch is quick and easy when using your thumb to pinky measurement. Here are [...]

Fabric Check-In Process

Fabric arriving at Designs by Donna is checked in and inspected as soon as it arrives.  Doing so may avoid delays with the project if any flaws, inconsistencies in the repeat, or wrong yardage amounts are found upon inspection.  And the same is true for drapery hardware received. Check-in fabric and hardware as soon as it arrives. [...]

Mistakes and how I turned a big one into a success

Mistakes.  We all make them, don't we?  Well, I know I do.  Some are big and some are small.  But I've found one thing to be true.  It's what we do after we make a mistake that turns it into either  a success or a failure. Here's how I turned a big, expensive mistake into a [...]

By |2018-03-07T12:34:13-05:00January 24th, 2017|Uncategorized|

Three quick sewing tips for efficiency in the workroom.

Today I have three sewing tips for you to use for more efficiency in the workroom.  First of all you'll need a few simple things in order to use the tips I'm sharing.  1.  A thumbnail; 2.  Blue painters tape; and 3.  A magnet.  Oh, and as these are sewing tips, you will also need [...]

Go to Top