482 - Susan Fortucci - I Do Something I Love and Make Money At It
Release Date: 09/21/2025
490 - Listener Favorite - Jackie Myers
Sew Much More
Jackie Myers is the owner of drapery workroom and She has been sewing for 38 years. After graduating with a BS in Math, she decided to pursue her interest in sewing and took sewing and decorating classes. After sewing for years as a hobby for herself and friends, she decided to officially open shop as Useful Stitches, LLC eleven years ago. She sews mainly to the trade with some retail jobs. Her husband of 38 years is her installer, accountant, and consultant. When she is not sewing, she loves to garden, cook, watch birds in her back yard, and sew...
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489 - Anthony Del Rey - Providing Service and Taking Care of Customers
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Anthony Del Rey is the owner of . He grew up in the family window treatment business and began installing shades in South Florida at 18, taking on his first motorized projects soon after. Anthony opened his first Somfy account in 1986 and spent the ’80s and ’90s combining installation and fabrication, manufacturing roller and Roman shades until 2006. After moving to Bowling Green, KY in 2007 and working briefly for a Memphis-based manufacturer, he founded Motor Parts for Shades in 2014 to support the custom workroom industry with motorization and automation solutions. Links and...
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488 - Devin Ryan - People Were Willing To Take A Chance on Me
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Devin Ryan is the heart and hands behind , where she transforms well-loved furniture into beautiful, meaningful pieces with new life. After earning a degree in communication and a master’s in education, Devin spent years teaching — a career she loved — until multiple sclerosis forced her to step away from the classroom. What began as a creative outlet during that transition turned into a passion and a purpose, leading her to build Redeemed Relic into the heart-driven small business it is today. Through her work, Devin brings stories, craftsmanship, and second chances together —...
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487 - KerryLynn Wyszynski - There's Nothing Else Out There That Would Hold My Interest
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KerryLynn and her husband Waldemar started their business One Space at a Time Ltd in October of 2001 just 2 weeks before their wedding… They live just outside of Calgary Alberta Canada (for now) with their son Daniel, their 2 dogs, 3 cats and a turtle – named Myrtle! As life has a tendency to do, things with life and business have changed over the years and in May of 2024 KerryLynn decided it would be a good idea to open a “to the trade” drapery workroom. Waldemar has been a HUGE supporter and has built her tables, renovated her space twice...
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486 - Opportunity Thinking Series with the New Owners of Upholstery Education
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Mandy Szigethy discovered upholstery while completing her Theater Technology degree at Indiana University and decided to forsake the stage in favor of the workshop. She has had the unique opportunity to work in both furniture manufacturing at Beachley Furniture and now custom upholstery as the owner of in Portland. She has received training in both modern materials and traditional methods through Upholstery Education and is now able to apply time tested techniques to all of her projects. Her love of learning lead to her to co-ownership of Upholstery Education in 2025 where...
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485 - Kristen Speyer Follow Up Podcast
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Kristin Speyer started Red Head Sewing LLC ten years ago in the Texas Hillcountry. She works to the trade, and has a core group of designers that keep the sewing machines running furiously. There is currently a small team of two other workers, and plans for expansion are underway. Kristin and her husband have been married for 22 years and spend their downtime mountain biking, traveling, and trying to outsmart their dogs. She also has a passion for books, friends, and office supplies. The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by; ...
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484 - Opportunity Thinking Series - Jeanelle Dech and a CWC Recap
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483 Listener Favorite - Kristin Speyer
Sew Much More
Kristin Speyer started Red Head Sewing LLC ten years ago in the Texas Hillcountry. She works to the trade, and has a core group of designers that keep the sewing machines running furiously. There is currently a small team of two other workers, and plans for expansion are underway. Kristin and her husband have been married for 22 years and spend their downtime mountain biking, traveling, and trying to outsmart their dogs. She also has a passion for books, friends, and office supplies. Links and Resources; (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases and I am grateful...
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482 - Susan Fortucci - I Do Something I Love and Make Money At It
Sew Much More
Susan Fortucci began sewing at home on her grandmother’s treadle sewing machine and made most of her own clothes throughout high school. In her early twenties, she met her future husband, who owned a sailboat, and she soon learned to make canvas projects and sails. This experience led her to work in canvas shops and sail lofts as the couple sailed from Boston to Florida and the Bahamas. After settling in Maryland, Susan accepted a position at a sail loft. Not long after, she noticed an ad for a seamstress in a drapery workroom. Intrigued, she applied and was hired. When the workroom owner...
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481 - Listener Favorite - Jonathan Bennett
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Jonathan Bennet, owner of Unsprung Upholstery is originally from Martinsville, VA. He caught the sewing bug from his great grandmother at a young age. He moved to Richmond, VA on a whim in August of 1989 and earned a BFA in Fashion Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. Directly after graduation, Jonathan taught in the Fashion Design department as an adjunct professor for 13 years. He started his first workroom job in 1997, learned how to make various types of window treatments, cushions, pillows, and more; since then, he has done freelance workroom client projects in his...
info_outlineSusan Fortucci began sewing at home on her grandmother’s treadle sewing machine and made most of her own clothes throughout high school. In her early twenties, she met her future husband, who owned a sailboat, and she soon learned to make canvas projects and sails. This experience led her to work in canvas shops and sail lofts as the couple sailed from Boston to Florida and the Bahamas.
After settling in Maryland, Susan accepted a position at a sail loft. Not long after, she noticed an ad for a seamstress in a drapery workroom. Intrigued, she applied and was hired. When the workroom owner retired, several of her designers encouraged Susan to open her own business. She followed their advice and officially established her workroom in 2003.
You can reach Susan at pincushionsusan@gmail.com
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You can find pictures of Susan's workroom in this edition of the Drapery & Design Digital Digest