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| The New York Times |
February 26, 2004
By Michelle Slatalla
Notions for the Seasonal Needlewoman
I do not sew.
As a girl, I was taught to hem and replace buttons, of course, because the thrifty housewives who raised my generation had no idea that when people like me grew up we would delegate those tasks to the dry cleaner and the tailor.
My glory days as a seamstress were short-lived, peaking briefly when my daughter Ella was small and I was called upon to perform an emergency ear transplant on her frayed but beloved Bubby Bunny. Afterward, the rest of the spare Bubby organs (harvested from an identical stuffed animal) went to the bottom of the sewing box and the sewing box went under the bed.
Usually I don't miss it. The rhythm of my life is so hectic-with three childrens' carpools to juggle, a job and a dog who looks heartbroken if he doesn't get a daily hike-that the last thing I have time for is the slow repetition of puncturing fabric with thread, one stitch at a time.
But winter is an old-fashioned season. Even here in Northern California there's nothing modern about the weather. We're being subjected to the same cold rain, whipping winds and dark afternoons that have plauged mankind for centuries. This winter the weather awakened an urge in me to hunker down and impose an old-style order on my household.
If I were a more accomplished seamstress, this would be the time of year to visit online sites like Singer's (singerco.com) to daydream about a new sewing machine or the McCall Pattern Company (mccall.com) to buy dress patterns, the season to stock up on bodkins and nit-pickers and biastape markers at sites like sewtrue.com.
But my goals were simpler. I decided to patch a pair of ripped jeans and to replace a button on my favorite raincoat.
My seasonal urge to mend was not unusual. "Sewing is an activity that's akin to eating comfort foods," said Karen Koza, a spokeswoman for the Home Sewing Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes suppliers for some 35 million sewing enthusiasts nationwide. "There are times when people are especially drawn to it because sewing is an absorbing activity and it reduces heart rates."
At it's web site, www.sewing.org, the association lists dozens of links to sites- from quilt-in-a-day.com, homedecinasec.com and www.kwiksew.com-that sells everything from notions to patterns and snaps.
I could browse at those sites all day. But I'd be a pretender. I confessed to Ms. Koza how modest my current sewing goals were: "It's just a little rip on the knee."
"Start small," she said. "You can get the benefits of sewing from the smallest things, like embroidering a letter on a sweater. Sometimes it's even a non-sewing thing that gets you thinking about sewing. Using a glue gun, even. It's anything that plants the seed in your head to want to sew more."
With that encouragement, I spent an hour browsing at the ribbon and trimming site mjtrim.com. Ostensibly in search of a green replacement button for my raincoat, I caught myself gravitating inevitably toward the fringe category, where the Safety Pin Fringe (black/silver) would have real novelty value on a Halloween costume.
Then I hauled out my sewing box, thinking all the while about
my mother's, a round metal tin with a flower pattern stamped on the lid. My grandmother's
sewing box held many red pincushions shaped like miniature tomatoes. My great-grandmother
hauled a heavy treadle sewing machine around eastern Kentucky with her, because
how else would anyone in the family have ever gotten a new dress?
Inside my own sewing box was an angry tangle of neglected thread, stray buttons
and snippets of green felt adorned with jingling bells- a memento from the long-ago
year when someone needed an elf costume. The mess in the box looked like a tornado
with a fuzzy Bubby tail.
Suddenly I had a purpose: organizing my sewing supplies. It would be a small start,
yes, but perhaps significant. Or put another way: Colored thread is pretty. I
wanted to play with it.
Organizing Supplies.
Martha Stewart.
The word association was automatic.
Ms. Stewart's internet site is on my list of favorites. Her prices are too high,
but the merchandise is high-quality. I have been surreptitiously visiting it daily
for the last few months, since she started to offer full-price merchandise as
"One-Day Sale" specials, one item per day.
And there, as if in a dream, the current "One-Day Sale" item was a wooden
spool rack (comes in white or natural) that holds 72 spools of thread. It was
marked down from $39 to $29.
That was still too much to pay for a thread rack, of course, especially when I
could have purchased the industry standard- one of the models made by the June
Tailor company- for less than $20 at sites like joann.com, craft-n-fabric.com
and craft-supplies-store.com/June_Tailor-1.asp.
The June Tailor racks- see junetailor.com- are sturdy, practical and available
in natural wood or plastic. You can hang them on the wall or sit them on your
sewing table.
But I suspected the Martha Stewart rack- in white to match the window trim- would
look very, very good hanging on the laundry room wall above the stacks of folded
laundry that, in another lapse of organization, never seem to get transported
back to their owners' bedrooms.
I got out the tape measure.
The tape measure confirmed my hunch about Ms. Stewart's spool rack.
I ordered it. A few days later it arrived. It was lovely of course, and came with
nice heavy hooks on the back.
I hung it on the wall, which took two minutes, and then I untangled all my spools
of thread, which took two hours. Then I arranged them, by color, in rows on the
rack.
Critically, I stepped back to admire my work.
I was low on shades of white and beige thread.
The urge for immediate gratification drove me out of the house and to the nearest
Jo-Ann fabric store. There I bought six spools. While waiting in line at the checkout,
I noticed a useful little cutting tool with a razor blade. The customer ahead
of me in line confided, "It;s so useful, I bought one for almost every room."
It cost less than $2. I bought one.
Back home, I rearranged all the spools of thread again. I put the (unnecessary
and probably never to be used) cutting tool on the rack's top ledge.
I admired my handiwork. With a glance, I could see exactly which of my six shades
of white/beige thread would be the best match for the patch I planned to sew on
the jeans.
Then I glanced out the window, saw that the sun was out and took the dog for a
hike. At least I showed winter who was boss.
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| Worcester Telegram and News |
Saturday, February 7, 2004
Internet shop sells custom curtains, drapes
Nadia Lerner
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
EASTON, Conn.- Neighbors Sue Sampson and Ellen DeLucia met pushing baby carriages
down their road, a meeting that spawned a close friendship and a 15-year-old business
designing window treatment patterns for the McCall Pattern Co.
Their latest venture is a Web site selling customized window treatments, patterns and fabrics for do-it-yourselfers.
Both learned to sew from their mothers, and the women soon learned they shared this common interest. In short order, the friends' home sewing sessions led to a partnership in designing and making window treatments for others. Meanwhile, they enhanced their skills by attending seminars and drapery conventions.
Soon after, the women linked up with the McCall Pattern Co., where Sampson once worked, to design window treatment patterns licensed under the label "Home Dec in a Sec." To date, the company has sold about 4 million of their patterns - among the most popular in the home sewing industry.
"It's a perfect homemakers' business," says DeLucia. "The patterns were just what we wanted. We were raising kids, were able to take off during the summer and fit the pattern schedule around winter."
The partners' user-friendly Web site (www.homedecinasec.com) offers window treatments that arrive ready to hang, based on the customer's choice of style, fabric (there are 75 to select from) and window measurements. Customers can determine how much fabric is needed by means of charts drawn up by Sampson and DeLucia.
The customized treatments are manufactured by a workroom of people who have been sewing for years, says Sampson, a former home economics teacher.
"They really care about what they are doing ... they're made by skilled hands."
For those who prefer creating their own window treatments, the site offers patterns and fabrics for purchase. To help potential buyers choose the right fabric, free swatches are available. Questions can be phoned in to customer service reps or answered via e-mail, which Sampson and DeLucia like to handle themselves.
A customized single-window swag runs between $200 and $300, "definitely less than through a decorator and still less than going to a local sewing store where they offer custom service," says Sampson.
"We're not a big company with corporate offices; we don't have overhead here. It's just Sue and I, so we are able to give out a good price," adds DeLucia.
Her spacious sewing room, where the partners create their patterns and samples, embodies every home sewer's dream. Among its accouterments is a thickly padded work table that doubles as an ironing surface. It is partnered with a lightweight Rowenta steam iron boasting a large water reservoir. Nearby sits a Bernina, the so-called Cadillac of sewing machines, lent by the manufacturer for product testing.
In addition, there's a surger, described by DeLucia as "an overlock machine, which cuts fabric and creates a professional finish for seams. It's wonderful. We couldn't live without it."
"We have graduated to the machines we really love to sew on," says Sampson.
When DeLucia and Sampson met, the women wanted to create swags for their own homes and realized there were no good curtain patterns on the market. In fact, back then, instructions for making window treatments were only found in booklets.
"Swags are the all-time perennial favorite; everybody loves them," Sampson says.
After attending a class in swag-making, the women became so proficient, they set up a custom sewing business under the banner of Whimsical Windows. Offering their services through a Westport decorating store, the partners soon began talking about designing window treatment patterns.
Says DeLucia: "We felt if we could write the pattern for the person who doesn't know how to sew, who just knows how to sew a straight seam, that's all that is required."
Once the idea of establishing a pattern line started germinating, finding a company to license it was easy. After meeting with execs at McCall's, "We were in business," says Sampson.
The company licensed the women's newly coined Home Dec in a Sec name and began publishing their pattern line - starting, of course, with the swag.
After 15 years, it is still the company's top selling design of the approximately 130 they have created for McCall's.
"We are not trying to be fancy decorators," says Sampson. "We are women who have limited time, who really value the way our home looks ... we are so much like our customer."
Always on the lookout for new designs, the women are inspired by ideas they see in decorating magazines, decorator show houses and stores.
"It's like fashion," says Sampson. "The skirt hemline
will come down or something will be flared. Window treatments change, too."
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| Chicago Tribune |
January 25, 2004
Passion for sewing nets pair dividends
Nadia Lerner
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
EASTON, Conn.- Neighbors Sue Sampson and Ellen DeLucia met pushing baby carriages
down their road, a meeting that spawned a close friendship and a 15-year-old business
designing window treatment patterns for the McCall Pattern Co.
Their latest venture is a Web site selling customized window treatments, patterns and fabrics for do-it-yourselfers.
Both learned to sew from their mothers, and the women soon learned they shared this common interest. In short order, the friends' home sewing sessions led to a partnership in designing and making window treatments for others. Meanwhile, they enhanced their skills by attending seminars and drapery conventions.
Soon after, the women linked up with the McCall Pattern Co., where Sampson once worked, to design window treatment patterns licensed under the label "Home Dec in a Sec." To date, the company has sold about 4 million of their patterns - among the most popular in the home sewing industry.
"It's a perfect homemakers' business," says DeLucia. "The patterns were just what we wanted. We were raising kids, were able to take off during the summer and fit the pattern schedule around winter."
The partners' user-friendly Web site (www.homedecinasec.com) offers window treatments that arrive ready to hang, based on the customer's choice of style, fabric (there are 75 to select from) and window measurements. Customers can determine how much fabric is needed by means of charts drawn up by Sampson and DeLucia.
The customized treatments are manufactured by a workroom of people who have been sewing for years, says Sampson, a former home economics teacher.
"They really care about what they are doing ... they're made by skilled hands."
For those who prefer creating their own window treatments, the site offers patterns and fabrics for purchase. To help potential buyers choose the right fabric, free swatches are available. Questions can be phoned in to customer service reps or answered via e-mail, which Sampson and DeLucia like to handle themselves.
A customized single-window swag runs between $200 and $300, "definitely less than through a decorator and still less than going to a local sewing store where they offer custom service," says Sampson.
"We're not a big company with corporate offices; we don't have overhead here. It's just Sue and I, so we are able to give out a good price," adds DeLucia.
Her spacious sewing room, where the partners create their patterns and samples, embodies every home sewer's dream. Among its accouterments is a thickly padded work table that doubles as an ironing surface. It is partnered with a lightweight Rowenta steam iron boasting a large water reservoir. Nearby sits a Bernina, the so-called Cadillac of sewing machines, lent by the manufacturer for product testing.
In addition, there's a surger, described by DeLucia as "an overlock machine, which cuts fabric and creates a professional finish for seams. It's wonderful. We couldn't live without it."
"We have graduated to the machines we really love to sew on," says Sampson.
When DeLucia and Sampson met, the women wanted to create swags for their own homes and realized there were no good curtain patterns on the market. In fact, back then, instructions for making window treatments were only found in booklets.
"Swags are the all-time perennial favorite; everybody loves them," Sampson says.
After attending a class in swag-making, the women became so proficient, they set up a custom sewing business under the banner of Whimsical Windows. Offering their services through a Westport decorating store, the partners soon began talking about designing window treatment patterns.
Says DeLucia: "We felt if we could write the pattern for the person who doesn't know how to sew, who just knows how to sew a straight seam, that's all that is required."
Once the idea of establishing a pattern line started germinating, finding a company to license it was easy. After meeting with execs at McCall's, "We were in business," says Sampson.
The company licensed the women's newly coined Home Dec in a Sec name and began publishing their pattern line - starting, of course, with the swag.
After 15 years, it is still the company's top selling design of the approximately 130 they have created for McCall's.
"We are not trying to be fancy decorators," says Sampson. "We are women who have limited time, who really value the way our home looks ... we are so much like our customer."
Always on the lookout for new designs, the women are inspired by ideas they see in decorating magazines, decorator show houses and stores.
"It's like fashion," says Sampson. "The skirt hemline
will come down or something will be flared. Window treatments change, too."
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| Easton Courier |
January 26, 2004
By: Deanna Holgerson
Easton women's designs score big
Ellen DeLucia and Susan Sampson are neighbors who share many common interests.
Longtime friends, they've raised their children together, and they also are business
partners.
The two women design curtain patterns for McCall Pattern Company, one of the largest
pattern manufacturers in the world.
"We've gone through everything together," Sampson said. "We had our babies together and have been neighbors for years. We started working part time around our children's schedules and toying with the idea of making our sewing hobbies into a business."
In addition to designing patterns for McCall's, DeLucia and Sampson run an allied business, selling custom-designed window treatments and curtains.
They use their company name, Home Dec In A Sec, for both the patterns and custom-made window treatments and curtains In November, they launched an interactive web site for under their company name Home Dec In A Sec.
The women started creating patterns for McCall's under the Home Dec In A Sec name with just four swag patterns in a package about 15 years ago. Their concept was something new for McCall's, which usually includes many patterns for curtains in one package.
"We wanted to make sewing curtains very easy for anyone, even a beginner," DeLucia said. "The instructions had to be quick and easy. What we were writing was not the norm.
Many patterns have instructions that do not explain everything step by step, so the sewer never knows if she is doing it right.
"We wanted to explain how to sew our curtain designs from A to Z," she said.
The easy instructions and four simple, straightforward designs are why DeLucia and Sampson believe their first sewing patterns were so successful for McCall's.
Each spring, DeLucia and Sampson create new curtain patterns for McCall's. They attend conventions to get ideas for new styles and find out what's popular or selling. Designing the new line each spring is one of their favorite aspects of their business.
"Like anything, curtain designs go in and out of style, so we put a lot of thought and time into everything we design," Sampson said. "We create drawings of the designs and make samples. Writing the instructions for the patterns is what takes a lot of time.
"Some patterns are more popular than others, especially the first swag patterns we created for McCall's," she said.
Once McCall's accepts their designs, the patterns are created into curtains for photo shoots for the pattern packaging. McCall's produces, markets and sells the curtain patterns under the Home Dec In A Sec name. The patterns have even been translated into Sp
DeLucia and Sampson have created window treatments for others, but they had an informational web site only for six years. Now their web site, homedecinasec.com, features interactive "design" pages where potential customers can "try" window treatments by changing curtain design, patterns, colors, tassels, and even wall colors.
"The web site was a huge project to undertake, but it came at the right time for us," DeLucia said. "We wanted a web site that offered a visualization tool, and we've received nothing but positive feedback from people who have visited the site."
Home Dec In A Sec offers a swatch program, which allows customers to receive a 4-by-6 inch piece of fabric so they can feel what kind of material they are purchasing for their windows. The company offers 75 fabric selections, but DeLucia and Sampson are planning to add more in the future.
DeLucia and Sampson no longer sew the custom window treatments themselves; instead a local manufacturer sews and ships the curtains for them.
"One of our goals was just to start with something small, get it down right and keep it fresh," Sampson said. "That's why we only design curtains and nothing else."
DeLucia and Sampson said they enjoy what they do and are happy that they have made their sewing hobbies into a successful business.
"Whenever I sit down to the sewing machine to sew something
for myself, I feel relaxed and like I've accomplished something," DeLucia
said. "I believe we've been as successful as we are because we truly care
about what we are doing."
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| Patent Trader |
The latest word on windows is high technology
By Lori Tripoli
January 22, 2004
Homeowners looking to keep ultraviolet rays out and the heat in
while performing minimal maintenance on their windows have very much been aided
by science, architects, interior designers and others involved in the industry
said.
"In the old days, windows were made out of a single piece of glass,"
said Tom O'Brien, principle of O'Brien Architecture in Bedford Hills. Of course,
those solitary panes didn't exactly keep out the cold. "You always want
two panes," even if it's a single glass plus a storm window, O'Brien said. "Two
panes make an air pocket."
Of course, those old-fashioned paned-glass windows did add a bit of style. With
more current advances, though, homeowners can achieve that look on an even grander
scale. Older windows incorporated "little grids with panes of glass,"
O'Brien said.
Now, however, two pieces of glass are used and muntins, the colored bars that
divide up the glass, are placed on the inside, the outside and between the layers
of glass so the end product resembles an old-fashioned paned window, he said.
The advantage? "By applying muntins, you can make a window of any size,"
he said. "You can also make whatever pattern you want."
The non-glass part of the window, often made of wood, has also
been technologically enhanced. Window and door manufacturer Jeld-Wen has introduced
AuraLast wood, "a 100 percent solid western pine that provides the warmth and
beauty of natural wood with unmatched durability," said Ken Hart, PhD., new product
development manager for Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors in Klamath Falls, Ore. "We
have developed an environmentally friendly process to make wood more durable."
Not only can your windows resist termites, certain ones can keep the bad rays
out. Emulsions can be used to tint the inside of a window panel to limit ultraviolet
rays, O'Brien said. "There can be a slight color variation," he said. Typically,
he said, it's a very slight gold tint that is only noticeable if a window with
the emulsion is placed right next to a window that does not have it. Otherwise,
it's not readily apparent, he said.
Now on the market are windows that are self cleaning. Simonton Windows in Parkersburg,
W.V., offers windows that include SunClean self-cleaning glass, spokeswoman Kathy
Ziprick said. "A combination of the sun's rays and rainwater mix together and
break down organic dirt on windows," she said. There's minimal streaking and
spotting, she said. Self-cleaning windows work really well for houses with an
upper level where it's a hassle to clean the exterior windows, Ziprick said.
The indoor inside of the windows can still be cleaned with conventional cleaning
products such as glass cleaner, she said.
Cover Ups
People seeking a bit of privacy will probably place some sort of covering-a curtain,
blinds or a shade-over a window. Window treatments can be a decorative statement.
"Once you put a window treatment in a room, it finishes the room", said Susan
Zises Green, a Manhattan based interior decorator who has clients in Westchester.
Her work has appeared in House Beautiful, Architectural Digest and other publications.
Green has covered large windows, for example, with old-fashioned porch roll-up
shades that she had custom colored. "They are extraordinarily beautiful," she
said. The shades can be used pretty much anywhere, "from the most formal to the
most casual" room, she said. She has even incorporated them in bedrooms for the
young set. "Rather than ordering curtains, we did one in a beautiful cornflower
(shade) in a child's room," Green said. In her own home, she has used old-fashioned
scholl house shades in dark green.
Plenty of options are available for consumers leaning towards curtains for their
windows. "There are always trends in window treatments," said Sue Sampson, co-president
of homedecinasec.com, which is based in Easton, Conn. "Much like fashion, something
always changes." Fringes, tassels, or even beaded trims can add a more elegant
look in some settings, said homedecinasec.com co-president Ellen DeLucia. Sampson
and DeLucia are the designers of the Home Dec In A Sec window treatment patterns
for McCall's. For the sewing-challenged, the two now offer custom-made window
treatments that can be ordered online.
As with the windows themselves, technology plays a role in their coverings. "Our
panels are lined with sun-resistant and moisture-resistant lining," Sampson said.
"There are heavier insulation linings out there."
Some custom window treatments can be a bit pricey. Window treatments "can be
wildly expensive for a variety of reasons," Green said. Linings have different
thick nesses, trim is an additional expense, and the labor to make the treatment
can be costly," she explained."You can use a less expensive fabric, but don't
skimp on fullness," Green said. Add rings and pulls to coordinate your look,
she said.
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| New Haven Register |
Nadia Lerner
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
EASTON, Conn.- Neighbors Sue Sampson and Ellen DeLucia met pushing baby carriages
down their road, a meeting that spawned a close friendship and a 15-year-old business
designing window treatment patterns for the McCall Pattern Co.
Their latest venture is a Web site selling customized window treatments, patterns and fabrics for do-it-yourselfers.
Both learned to sew from their mothers, and the women soon learned they shared this common interest. In short order, the friends' home sewing sessions led to a partnership in designing and making window treatments for others. Meanwhile, they enhanced their skills by attending seminars and drapery conventions.
Soon after, the women linked up with the McCall Pattern Co., where Sampson once worked, to design window treatment patterns licensed under the label "Home Dec in a Sec." To date, the company has sold about 4 million of their patterns - among the most popular in the home sewing industry.
"It's a perfect homemakers' business," says DeLucia. "The patterns were just what we wanted. We were raising kids, were able to take off during the summer and fit the pattern schedule around winter."
The partners' user-friendly Web site (www.homedecinasec.com) offers window treatments that arrive ready to hang, based on the customer's choice of style, fabric (there are 75 to select from) and window measurements. Customers can determine how much fabric is needed by means of charts drawn up by Sampson and DeLucia.
The customized treatments are manufactured by a workroom of people who have been sewing for years, says Sampson, a former home economics teacher.
"They really care about what they are doing ... they're made by skilled hands."
For those who prefer creating their own window treatments, the site offers patterns and fabrics for purchase. To help potential buyers choose the right fabric, free swatches are available. Questions can be phoned in to customer service reps or answered via e-mail, which Sampson and DeLucia like to handle themselves.
A customized single-window swag runs between $200 and $300, "definitely less than through a decorator and still less than going to a local sewing store where they offer custom service," says Sampson.
"We're not a big company with corporate offices; we don't have overhead here. It's just Sue and I, so we are able to give out a good price," adds DeLucia.
Her spacious sewing room, where the partners create their patterns and samples, embodies every home sewer's dream. Among its accouterments is a thickly padded work table that doubles as an ironing surface. It is partnered with a lightweight Rowenta steam iron boasting a large water reservoir. Nearby sits a Bernina, the so-called Cadillac of sewing machines, lent by the manufacturer for product testing.
In addition, there's a surger, described by DeLucia as "an overlock machine, which cuts fabric and creates a professional finish for seams. It's wonderful. We couldn't live without it."
"We have graduated to the machines we really love to sew on," says Sampson.
When DeLucia and Sampson met, the women wanted to create swags for their own homes and realized there were no good curtain patterns on the market. In fact, back then, instructions for making window treatments were only found in booklets.
"Swags are the all-time perennial favorite; everybody loves them," Sampson says.
After attending a class in swag-making, the women became so proficient, they set up a custom sewing business under the banner of Whimsical Windows. Offering their services through a Westport decorating store, the partners soon began talking about designing window treatment patterns.
Says DeLucia: "We felt if we could write the pattern for the person who doesn't know how to sew, who just knows how to sew a straight seam, that's all that is required."
Once the idea of establishing a pattern line started germinating, finding a company to license it was easy. After meeting with execs at McCall's, "We were in business," says Sampson.
The company licensed the women's newly coined Home Dec in a Sec name and began publishing their pattern line - starting, of course, with the swag.
After 15 years, it is still the company's top selling design of the approximately 130 they have created for McCall's.
"We are not trying to be fancy decorators," says Sampson. "We are women who have limited time, who really value the way our home looks ... we are so much like our customer."
Always on the lookout for new designs, the women are inspired by ideas they see in decorating magazines, decorator show houses and stores.
"It's like fashion," says Sampson. "The skirt hemline will come down or something will be flared. Window treatments change, too."
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| The Home Monthly |
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| Conneticut Post |
January 25, 2004
Sew Mates
Mixing business and friendship works for two Easton women
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| Detroit News and Free Press |
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| Stamford / Norwalk The Advocate |
Nadia Lerner
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
EASTON, Conn.- Neighbors Sue Sampson and Ellen DeLucia met pushing baby carriages
down their road, a meeting that spawned a close friendship and a 15-year-old business
designing window treatment patterns for the McCall Pattern Co.
Their latest venture is a Web site selling customized window treatments, patterns and fabrics for do-it-yourselfers.
Both learned to sew from their mothers, and the women soon learned they shared this common interest. In short order, the friends' home sewing sessions led to a partnership in designing and making window treatments for others. Meanwhile, they enhanced their skills by attending seminars and drapery conventions.
Soon after, the women linked up with the McCall Pattern Co., where Sampson once worked, to design window treatment patterns licensed under the label "Home Dec in a Sec." To date, the company has sold about 4 million of their patterns - among the most popular in the home sewing industry.
"It's a perfect homemakers' business," says DeLucia. "The patterns were just what we wanted. We were raising kids, were able to take off during the summer and fit the pattern schedule around winter."
The partners' user-friendly Web site (www.homedecinasec.com) offers window treatments that arrive ready to hang, based on the customer's choice of style, fabric (there are 75 to select from) and window measurements. Customers can determine how much fabric is needed by means of charts drawn up by Sampson and DeLucia.
The customized treatments are manufactured by a workroom of people who have been sewing for years, says Sampson, a former home economics teacher.
"They really care about what they are doing ... they're made by skilled hands."
For those who prefer creating their own window treatments, the site offers patterns and fabrics for purchase. To help potential buyers choose the right fabric, free swatches are available. Questions can be phoned in to customer service reps or answered via e-mail, which Sampson and DeLucia like to handle themselves.
A customized single-window swag runs between $200 and $300, "definitely less than through a decorator and still less than going to a local sewing store where they offer custom service," says Sampson.
"We're not a big company with corporate offices; we don't have overhead here. It's just Sue and I, so we are able to give out a good price," adds DeLucia.
Her spacious sewing room, where the partners create their patterns and samples, embodies every home sewer's dream. Among its accouterments is a thickly padded work table that doubles as an ironing surface. It is partnered with a lightweight Rowenta steam iron boasting a large water reservoir. Nearby sits a Bernina, the so-called Cadillac of sewing machines, lent by the manufacturer for product testing.
In addition, there's a surger, described by DeLucia as "an overlock machine, which cuts fabric and creates a professional finish for seams. It's wonderful. We couldn't live without it."
"We have graduated to the machines we really love to sew on," says Sampson.
When DeLucia and Sampson met, the women wanted to create swags for their own homes and realized there were no good curtain patterns on the market. In fact, back then, instructions for making window treatments were only found in booklets.
"Swags are the all-time perennial favorite; everybody loves them," Sampson says.
After attending a class in swag-making, the women became so proficient, they set up a custom sewing business under the banner of Whimsical Windows. Offering their services through a Westport decorating store, the partners soon began talking about designing window treatment patterns.
Says DeLucia: "We felt if we could write the pattern for the person who doesn't know how to sew, who just knows how to sew a straight seam, that's all that is required."
Once the idea of establishing a pattern line started germinating, finding a company to license it was easy. After meeting with execs at McCall's, "We were in business," says Sampson.
The company licensed the women's newly coined Home Dec in a Sec name and began publishing their pattern line - starting, of course, with the swag.
After 15 years, it is still the company's top selling design of the approximately 130 they have created for McCall's.
"We are not trying to be fancy decorators," says Sampson. "We are women who have limited time, who really value the way our home looks ... we are so much like our customer."
Always on the lookout for new designs, the women are inspired by ideas they see in decorating magazines, decorator show houses and stores.
"It's like fashion," says Sampson. "The skirt hemline
will come down or something will be flared. Window treatments change, too."
| Back to the Top | See Original Article |
| Testimonials |
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I recently ordered a custom-made trumpet valance in a toile fabric for my breakfast room. I can't tell you how beautiful it looks --the valance is beautifully sewn, and the quality of the fabric and lining is outstanding. I have to admit -- when it arrived (a week early!) I was very nervous that I wouldn't be able to install the valance by myself. Thank goodness, your step-by-step installation instructions were so easy to understand -- I had the valance up in 15 minutes!
Pam
Phoenix, AZ
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Thank you so much! I look forward to receiving the swatches and will be in touch. I truly have been impressed! I have already told two of my girlfriends about your web site, they were excited!
Cindy
Aldie, VA
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What an easy way to get my apartment looking good. Your web site was very easy to navigate and my shades arrived quickly. I was impressed with the quality and the service I received.
Michael
NY, NY
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Just a note to say how much I enjoyed reading the article about your business in the CT Post today. I found your web site wonderful! I am a stay at home mom who also loves to sew! I have so many of your patterns and just saw a new one that I need to add to my collection!! I change my window treatments like people change shoes!! Thanks again!
Kathy
Trumbull, CT
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I truly enjoyed this web site...I think this is a hot idea. I think your fabrics are great.
Linda
Fairfield, CT
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I love to sew and have purchased your window treatment sewing patterns through the years. How amazed I was to discover your re-designed web site and launch of your custom-made window treatment line! I recently had a baby and while she napped the other day I spent some time in your web site's"design-a-window" studio. I had so much fun creating and designing window treatments for several rooms in my home. In fact, I ordered the perfect pull panels for my dining room and can't wait for them to arrive.
I'll continue to purchase your patterns and sew many of my own window treatments, but the affordability and convenience of your custom-made window treatment products is too good to pass by -- especially for new moms like me with limited time.
Kristen
Sacramento, CA
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I’m having so much fun on your web site! I love being able to change wall colors and see what my window treatments will look like. Thanks also for taking the time to talk me about my room - you really helped me make my decision!
Sara
Lansing, MI
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I have procrastinated for a year about getting window treatments for my living room – I’ve just been afraid I won’t like what I choose. Being able to see the styles and colors on your web site makes me feel much more confident- and I loved being able to email you with my questions. Thank you!
Carol
Lake Forest, IL
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The customer service I received throughout my ordering process was wonderful. My order arrived promptly and you were right - installing the swags was easy - we only had to install a few screws into the wall. Looking forward to my next decorating project!
Debbie
South Lake, TX
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I was so impressed with how my window treatments were packaged! Each treatment I ordered was suspended within the shipping box - how clever. The valance was easy to hang and best of all - no wrinkles. I’ll recommend you to my friends.
Kim
Summit, NJ
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