Anita Boetsma has been involved in the window treatment business for over 20 years. Her expertise stems from hands-on experience in all levels of the industry. Anita first entered the home furnishings business in 1986 when she joined her husband Larry in his 3rd generation business on the shores of Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver, Indiana. Until 2005, the company specialized in all aspects of interior design, project management, and window treatment and upholstery fabrication. Boetsma Interiors was featured in the August 2003 Draperies and Window Coverings Magazine. In 1994, Anita won a week's schooling at the Custom Home Furnishings School in Swannannoa, North Carolina. Under the tutelage of founder Cheryl Strickland, she learned the basics of window treatment fabrication. Following that experience, Anita added on-site custom fabrication to the company's product mix. Beginning with the 3rd Annual Custom Home Furnishings Conference, Anita taught multiple courses over the next several years. When the Custom Home Furnishings School added Upholstery to their curriculum, Anita created the course materials and taught both the Upholstery 101 and 102 classes. She has written extensively for the Custom Home Furnishings Magazine and has been published in Draperies &Window Coverings Magazine and Upholstery Journal. Over the course of her time at the Custom Home Furnishings School, she also taught the Window Treatments 100, 101, and 102 classes along with numerous specialized weekend seminar classes. In 2003, she became the Marketing Director for the Custom Home Furnishings Industry. In September of 2005, Anita joined Helser Brothers, Inc. as VP of Operations. She headed their benchmark customer service department and managed day to day functions as well as specialized duties in product development.

Karen Erickson has been actively sewing and instructing in the Home Decor Interiors Industry for 21 years. In 2006 she teamed with Claudia Buchanan an associate in the industry to create http://www.SonoranSewing.com specializing in “Home Décor Sewing Workshops” in Arizona and Washington, plus Online Home Decor Sewing Classes at the “Discover-How2 site” on the Internet which encompasses education to both those in the sewing profession and those who sew for their own pleasure. In 1986 she started Fine Finishing by Karen a part-time home based business designing and fabricating draperies, slipcovers and other soft fabric accessories. In 1998, her company was became a corporation with a name change to http://www.SlipcoverAmerica.com. In 1999 http://www.SlipcoverNetwork.com was born to offer networking support to those who fabricate and love Slipcovers for furniture. Karen main objective is education. She encourages those new to the field to take classes, learn from those who have been in the industry and who keep up to date in techniques and materials. “If only there were teachers like there are today, I could have avoided some costly set backs when I had my workroom in St Louis.” Karen continues to work with designers, decorators and retail customers throughout the United States, specializing in ON-Site fabrication ( in customer’s homes). Karen instructs both in the US and Canada doing Seminars/Demonstrations of “how to sew for the home” at fabric stores, for sewing guilds, at professional workrooms, and for ASID groups. 4 years she was on staff at the Custom Home Furnishings Industry in North Carolina and has been workshop instructor at CHF Conferences, International Window Covering Expo, ASG Annual Conference, American Sewing Expo and Original Sewing Expo. Managing editor of the Slipcover Press a quarterly e-publication of the Slipcover Network and Hot News from Sonoran Sewing Experience a monthly publication. Facilator of the Slipcover Summit and annual education conference for Slipcover Professionals as well as the general public who are interested in being educated in how to sewing slipcovers using various techniques. Karen has been published in Sew News Magazine, Drapery and Window Coverings, Dreams Alive, Mary Englebreit Home Campanion Magazine, Meet Me in St Louis, St Louis South County Journal, St Louis Home and Garden Magainze, Better Homes and Garden Special Issue, SewWhat Magazine, Homespun Newsletter, and Window Fashions Magazine. List of Topics:

• Slipcover Basics
• Slipcovers for Cushions
• Slipcovers for Difficult Furniture
• Slipcovers for Dining Room Chairs
• Slipcover Certification Program (I, II and III)
• No Sew Roman Shade
• Pillow Talk Series
• Natural Fabrics
• Business and Photography?
• When to Slipcover Instead of Re-Upholstering
• Website Networking

Debbie Green is an energetic and inspiring speaker with a great passion for our industry. Her seminars are very diverse with topics ranging from QuickBooks, computer skills, photography, measuring, organization and systematizing. In fact, she will give you the inspiration you need to commit to devoting small amounts of time each week on systems that will begin to change your business. Her businesses are built on the philosophy "Systematize your business, by doing the same thing the same way." Debbie is also a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor and has been conducting QuickBooks seminars to help Interior Designers and Window Treatment Professionals to use QuickBooks to the fullest extent.

Lisabeth Martin owns a professional drapery workroom in central Georgia, with 20 years of experience in design, fabrication, and installation, doing both wholesale and retail jobs. Her articles, photos, and window treatments have been published in several magazines, and she is frequently found traveling to teach classes and to exhibit at trade shows. Based on her experience in creating custom patterns in her workroom, she has developed her own professional pattern line, Decorate Now Patterns. In addition to the pattern line, her design and workroom tips can be found at http://www.DecorateNowPatterns.com. She has also launched a drapery and upholstery forum at http://www.DraperyForum.com. Lisabeth specializes in teaching window treatment fabrication techniques, with seminar topics including soft cornices, window fashion shows, Kingston valances, and more.   List of Topics:

• Window Fashion Show
• Window Fashion Show 2
• Kingston, Empire, and Pick-up Valances
• Photoshop Basics

<a href="allisonreid@nc.rr.com">Allison Reid is the owner of Draperies By Design, a home-based wholesale and retail workroom in Wake Forest, NC. Allison graduated with a degree in Theatre Education from the University of NC at Greensboro. With a six-year old son and 3½-year old twin girls, she has to be organized and deliberate in the way she tackles projects. Her background in theatre helps her to "improvise" from time to time, finding ways to create illusions with fabric and come up with creative solutions for odd situations or requests. List of Topics:

• Trends in Linings
• Window Treatment Trends (i.e. French Blackout Velcro Top Treatments, New Ways to do Romans, Shade Clutch Systems, Grommets, etc.)
• How to Find a Good Workroom and What To Expect from Them (For Designers)
• Don't Be Scared of Power Tools
• Any Fabrication Class

About Donna

Currently she operates a one-person fabrication studio in Walton, Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati, Ohio. Donna started her business in 1983, serving retail clients on a part time basis. Offering design, fabrication and installation services; convinced she could provide better service if she handled it all. In 1988, it became apparent she was well suited for the fabrication and installation end of the business, but not so much the design. Her retail clients would now have to be their own designers. Donna made it a full time venture the spring of 1991 when she found her first designer. The designer helped the clients select fabrics, trims, designs and hardware. The fabrics, trims and hardware would appear on Donna's door step and the design work orders were faxed in to create the treatments. She still installed most of the projects, which provided a great opportunity to take photos of her work. In 1997 she went strictly wholesale or "to the trade". Now she had five designers. Installation was cutting into the fabrication time she needed. In1998 she stopped installing. This freed up extra time for fabrication and opened up time for other ventures. Teaching was a dream that had found it's time. Cheryl Strickland had instructed Donna in 1993 at Cheryl's first workroom school in Annapolis, MD. In 2000 Cheryl invited Donna to teach at her Custom Home Furnishing Conference in Greenville, SC. Donna continues to provide teaching every year at conferences and added teaching at the Custom Home Furnishing School / Academy in 2003. In 2009 Donna began hosting the "Hands on Experience" tour. This traveling event offers hands on classes for intermediate-advanced fabricators (workrooms) across the United States. Recognizing that it is difficult for busy business owners and professionals to continue their education, Donna brings the instructors, equipment, supplies and all materials to each event location. All students create finished samples in each class that can be taken home. Limited class sizes make this weekend full of hands on classes a valuable experience. The class topics are selected with each local group's interests and recent industry issues in mind. Just contact Donna on this website contact page, email or call her. Donna also offers Professional Fabrication Classes held in her studio located in Walton, KY. Private, two or three student classes on any topic can be arranged. In 2011, Donna operates her one-person fabrication studio in her fully equipped 1300 sq. ft. studio office condominium. Still to the trade only, with three designers at present, she has created a niche for her business, fabricating the difficult to impossible treatments that no one else will. This niche has many advantages; not much competition; price shopping is difficult and close team work required. This team work helps forge the relationships which insure Donna's position as a valuable and necessary member of the design team. No longer a instructor for the CHF Academy, Donna continues to be available as a WCAA / Association guest speaker, Video / DVD instructor and Host / Coordinator for the "Kentucky and Ohio Soft Furnishing and Workroom Professionals" Meetups. Join us @ Meetup.com.

Jill Stanbro of North Canton, Ohio, has worked in nearly every phase of the window treatment business in the last 28 years. She began by working in a retail workroom, opened her own home-based business, which was both retail and wholesale, but ended up focusing on wholesale only. Over the ensuing years she has owned several different size workrooms, employing as many as seven workers. For many years Jill was a senior instructor at the CHF Academy, as well as an author of magazine articles, a speaker at CHF Conferences, and WCAA group meetings. In August 2003 she was the featured cover story for the D&WC Magazine. Dubbed "The Queen of Quick" by her colleagues, Jill is best known for her classes on tips and tricks, as well as her Versatile Swag Pattern and quick and easy valances. Her practical way of looking at projects helps shave valuable fabricating time. She has now done a 360-degree turn around and has returned to a home-based workroom and is enjoying being back at the sewing machine - her biggest passion of all of her various "hats." List of Topics:

• My Swag Pattern
• Imposters: Window treatments that are not made the way you think they are
• Easy Valances
• Pieces and Parts: Mixing and matching valance sections and/or making things like Empires in separate pieces
• London Shades & Relaxed Romans
• Workroom Tips and Tricks

Bottom Up: Fabricating drapery panels from the bottom up instead of the top down

Ray Ward is a nationally recognized authority in the field of credit and collections. His background in credit spans nearly 40 years of successful achievements in the field of credit and receivables management. Ray's career began as a Credit Manager trainee for Sears Roebuck & Co and served in a number of management positions during his 18 years. Ray continued his credit career in the textile and home furnishing industry, serving as Credit Manager and Senior Credit Analyst. Prior to starting National Business Credit Exchange in 2000, Ray held management positions with Carole Fabrics, a subsidiary of The Hunter Douglas Company and Springs Industries. This background provides the basis of understanding for the needs and concerns of the companies selling to the "interiors industry" today. Ray presently serves as Executive Director of National Business Credit Exchange. The goal of the newly formed company was to provide a streamlined exchange of credit information via the internet among member companies that were selling to a common customer base in the interiors trade. The growth has exceeded expectations, processing almost four million accounts through the database each month. Ray consults with some of the major companies in the industry, providing information and direction for the protection of receivables. Ray holds a BA in Business Administration and is a 30-year member of National Association of Credit Management. He also sponsors the Window & Wallcovering Credit Group and the Mid-Atlantic Decorative Fabrics Credit Group. These groups hold meaningful discussions regarding accounts receivable challenges, and enjoy an educational session each meeting. He also works closely with "The Credit Research Foundation."