Photo by Dimitri LaZaroff

About Ann K. 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 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. Clients are surprised to learn that I have no artistic/creative talent. I come from a very left-brain, task-oriented engineering gene pool of perfectionist workaholics. It is these genetic qualities which have allowed me to steer an alternative course as a workroom. I tend to approach each job as an engineering project.

From 2006-2007, I was the manager of a larger custom workroom.  During that time, I did all the cutting for seven full-time sewers.  I developed efficient cutting techniques, managed projects for multiple employees, developed written standards and cutting and fabrication instructions and built a reference library of pictures of work done in the workroom.  It was a dynamic job and I learned to approach the workroom business from a larger point of view.  

Over the years, I have made enough mistakes to qualify me to write the book on swag pattern drafting. It is my wish to save you the time I lost making mistakes and trying to figure out why the swag did not look the way I had hoped.

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 Conference for several years. The classes are based on my books.

Keep an eye on my website. I hope to develop a full Professional Workroom Handbook series of books. Including books on patterning shades, Austrians and Kingstons, and cascades, tails and jabots.  

If you have suggestions for articles or books, please feel free to contact me. I love to hear from you.

Speaker:

Previous engagements:

• Northeast Ohio Chapter of WCAA, Cleveland, Ohio
• Greater Detroit Workroom Association
• WCAA Northeast Chapter, Springfield, MA
• Custom Home Furnishings & DWC Conferences since 2003

Topics include:

• Swags: Pattern drafting, fabrication & troubleshooting
• Kingston valances: Pattern drafting, fabrication and troubleshooting.
• Pattern drafting, fabrication and troubleshooting for any window treatment style. Can tailor the subject to your needs.
• Plan and manage your custom workroom with growth in mind.
• Take your design/workroom business to a new level with dreamDraper design software.

For more information on topics and contact details, click here

• The Professional Workroom Handbook of Swags, Volume 1
• The Professional Workroom Handbook of Swags, Volume 2
• Various articles on fabrication and troubleshooting techniques

Custom Home Furnishings Academy

• Perfecting Your Workroom Skills
• Strengthening Your Swag Skills

Testimonials: