We’re delighted to be joining our friends in the interior design community at the upcoming Custom Workroom Conference in Concord, NC. Organized by Susan Woodcock, the decorating maven behind HomeDecGal, the Custom Workroom Conference is bringing design enthusiasts together to build relationships, learn with and from each other, and strengthen existing small businesses while sparking ideas for new ones. We are excited to catch up with Susan and her co-organizer (and partner in life and love!) Rodger Walker to learn more about the event. Read on for a sneak peek, and if you love interior design and find yourself in the area February 27th, please do stop by our booth to say hello!

The Custom Workroom Conference is coming to Concord, NC!

Spoonflower teammates Theresa and Meredith are delighted to pack a U-Haul and head to Concord for the Custom Workroom Conference on February 27! Please join us for a special edition of Spoonflower Basics for interior design professionals at 11am. We’ll walk you through ways to incorporate custom fabrics and prints from the Spoonflower Marketplace into your next home dec project, and we can’t wait to hear new ideas from our friends in interior design! If you can’t make the class, please meet us at our booth! We’ll see you in the CWC Marketplace until 6pm.

We’re super excited to be a part of this event – the first conference for custom workroom professionals in recent years. From what we’ve heard so far, it should be amazing! We’ve been delighted to work with Susan and Rodger to come on board as an educator, and we’re excited to share the why and the how behind this event.

Faux Suede Ottomans by SammyKCustom-printed ottomans by SammyK on Spoonflower Faux Suede

So what exactly is a custom workroom professional? They’re the people who create window treatments, upholstered furniture and other soft furnishings (think pillows, window shades, etc.) as their business. They work with individuals and interior designers to crank out the amazing, one-of-a-kind drapes, pillows, bedding, and slipcovers required to realize a dream. These craftspeople are largely responsible for creating a perfectly decorated space, right down to the trim and tassels.

Faux Suede Pillow featuring Weavingmajor's halftone dotsFloor pillows? Yeah, they make those, too. Featured fabric by Weavingmajor.

Susan Woodcock draws on a lifetime of experience sewing for interior design projects from draperies to bedding, and through HomeDecGal videos and webinars and Craftsy classes, she is on a mission to share her pro tips with the world. In creating the Custom Workroom Conference, Susan and Rodger seek to bring custom workroom professionals and folks who may be interested in starting a workroom business but have yet to take the plunge together for a weekend of sharing, education, and networking. The time to follow your passion for interior design and DIY is now, after all, so the move to create the conference felt necessary: “Someone had to do it, so why not HomeDecGal?”

HomeDecGal's amazing projectsIt’s all in the details! A range of Susan’s projects.

With the Custom Workroom Conference, Susan and Rodger seek to create a vendor-friendly, centrally located, and affordable show for the southeast that is packed with information. Folks will learn sewing and upholstery techniques, workroom efficiency, business practices and pricing. “Attendees will be immersed in an environment of sharing and knowledge. They will find support, new products, services, tools, new suppliers and ideas and inspiration. We have eighteen instructors, all industry professionals, who will be sharing their knowledge,” Susan explains.

CWC organizers Rodger and Susan can't wait to meet you!Rodger and Susan can’t wait to see you at the Custom Workroom Conference in February!

They’re most excited to see new exhibitors that have not previously been a part of workroom trade shows. “So much business is done on the internet, that people don’t have the opportunity to meet face-to-face anymore. We want to change that!” Susan explains. “This whole conference is about building relationships. In the custom workroom industry, the success of our businesses is based on relationships with designers, customers and suppliers, and other workroom people.”

Even for the casual interior design enthusiast, there’s plenty of room to participate. Marketplace passes are available where you can meet vendors (including yours truly!) and learn about new products and services. We do hope to see you there!
-Theresa & Meredith