Instructor Bio

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Ann Johnson

I have been in the decorative workroom business since summer of 1992. I ran the business out of my home and had one part-time helper.  Working from my home was a personal choice because I had three small children and I wanted to be home to raise them. I had sewn all my life, clothing and crafts, but never window treatments beyond the simple shirred valance. A casual acquaintance, Sara Pesarchick, asked me to sew for her decorating business. Though I had absolutely no experience in sewing decorative treatments, I agreed to try. Thus was the beginning of an enduring friendship and a new career.
At the time I opened my workroom in 1992, the internet was not readily available. There were very limited resources for professional patterns. I had no idea that this was a serious career or that there were professional workrooms. I used the library extensively, researching treatments and patterns. I realized very quickly that no one pattern was going to solve the needs of my very creative designer friend. I had to learn early to draft patterns on my own.
In April of 2006, I closed my home based workroom and started working for a larger custom workroom as their Workroom Manager.  Aside from the office staff, the workroom has two full-time installers and 6-8 full-time workroom sewers. My duties included managing the flow of jobs through the workroom to the installers.  I drew up all patterns and cut all jobs. I also developed documentation on the workroom standards, fabrication methods, training programs, etc. It was a dynamic job and I learned more about pattern making in two years there than in all the years I worked at home.  I also learned to approach the workroom business from a larger point of view.  
I am the author of The Professional Workroom Handbook of Swags, Volume 1 and Volume II.   I have taught classes at the Custom Home Furnishings Industry Educational Conferences for several years.
In April of 2008, I will leave the manager job to open my own workroom again.  I plan to free up time to teach at the CHF Academy and to work with the people at Evan Marsh Designs promoting and teaching their Dream Draper, Quick Quote and measuring systems.  I also hope to continue writing books for the Professional Workroom Series.
Please peruse my website to get to know me better.  http://seweasywindows.com/