185 - Debbie DiFrancesco - Its Been an Interesting Metamorphosis

Debbie DiFrancesco, who has been sewing since the age of 7, founded Creative Hands in 1990 to supplement the family income.  Initially, Debbie provided general sewing and bridal alteration services while working a second job as an assistant manager/Craft Department Manager at House of Fabrics/So-Fro Fabrics until 1991.  Two years later, Creative Hands transitioned from alterations to exclusively fabricating window treatments and selling hard treatments.  Soon after, in 1997, Debbie attended courses at the Professional Drapery Workroom School, later known as the Custom Home Furnishings Academy in Swannanoa, NC under Cheryl Strickland.  Since then, she has participated in the Custom Home Furnishings Conferences and International Window Coverings Expos as both an attendee and window treatment fabrication instructor. With an extensive skill set Debbie has, over the years, moved Creative Hands from the attic of her home to a commercial building.  In 2009 she purchased a larger commercial building, which allowed for the expansion of the workroom and the transition from a Hunter Douglas Showcase Dealership to a Hunter Douglas Gallery.  Additionally, Debbie is a Certified Hunter Douglas consultant, a Hunter Douglas Certified Master Installer and the current President of the Western NY Chapter of WCAA. Debbie is on Facebook. Links and Resources; Strengths Finders Scarlet Thread Consulting - Michele Williams The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   Helser Brothers, Inc   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library