Debbie Valentine

Advanced Pillow Making Class ~ mitered corners

This class will take you to the next level in pillow making. I'll supply you with a feather pillow insert, fabric and welt cord, and we'll use contrasting fabric to make Mitered corners. These pillows work great as shams for your bed!

Advanced Pillow Making Class ~ ruching

In this new class you will learn how to make ruched welt, and add gathered fabric inserts to your pillow front. Debbie will bring a 16' feather pillow for you to build your pillow around, you bring your favorite fabrics!

½ yard medium or heavy weight fabric for center panel and pillow back

½ yard light weight fabric, silk or poly blend, for the gathered side panels, and ruched welt

Instructor will bring pillow form and welt cord, the pillow will be closed using an envelope back

Your sewing machine with electrical attachment and foot control
100% polyester thread that matches your fabric, and a wound bobbin
Scissors
Seam Ripper
Measuring and marking tools
Zipper foot
Instruction Book for sewing machine
Ability to move needle position and install zipper foot
Pins
Extra sewing machine needles, size 12

Bedding

Treat yourself to a private retreat by making some big changes in your bedroom! This class will show you how a few rectangles and some basic sewing machine skills are all you need to design your own custom look. Debbie will show you how to make and upholster a headboard. You will make two sham styles and a mock duvet cover, and you will see how easy it can be to make a new dust ruffle, gathered or tailored. Students will use muslin to make samples.

This is a 4 hour class!

Beginning Home Decorating Sewing Class

This class is to get you started in customizing your home. You'll learn how to figure yardage required for any project, from slipcovers to full-length draperies to just a few pillows. Bring your sewing machine and we will make samples of welt, boxing, hems, and skirts. Bring your window measurements, your cushion sizes or your dreams and ideas, and you'll leave with confidence to start, (or finish!) your home decorating projects.

Beginning Pillow Making Class

Start your home decorating with pillows. Pillows for every room, for gifts, for the car, for the dog, and for the patio! This class will give you hands-on experience with pillow forms, welt, decorative cord, fringe and zippers. Students should have a basic knowledge of their sewing machine.

Beginning Upholstery - Wooden Dining Chair

Bring your wooden dining room chair that needs a new look. In this 2 part class we will work with what you need to reupholster your chair. In the first part, we will take your current fabric off, take measurements, and decide fabric requirements, foam suitability and trim options. A week later after you've had time to shop, we will meet again to do the re-construction!

Build and Upholster a Footstool

Decorator Pillows and Cushions In this hands on class, Debbie will provide you with a kit that will include wood pieces and foam to build your footstool. You will bring fabric for the top and the skirt, and use decorative braid or make welt to trim your footstool. You will also have the options of adding tassels and covered buttons. At the end of this class you will be able to construct and upholster a footstool of any size or shape!

Custom Bedding

Treat yourself to a private retreat by making some big changes in your bedroom! this class will show you how a few rectangles and some basic sewing machine skills are all you need to design your new custom look. You will make two sham styles and a mock duvet cover (out of muslin), and you will see how easy it can be to make a new dust ruffle, gathered, or tailored.

Decorator Pillows and Cushions Demonstration

Decorator Pillows and Cushions Pillows are easily the most expensive to buy, and the most fun to sew! In this demonstration you will see how easy welt is to make and apply. I'll include some quick tips for braid, fringe, ruffles and flanged edges. Bring your questions about pillow forms and your concerns about zippers. The cushion part of the demonstration will cover foam choices, making templates, and boxing for window seats, rattan furniture, bar stools, etc.

Decorator's Tote

Decorator Pillows and Cushions Use your favorite home dec fabric to make this functional tote bag or purse. You will also choose lining and make customized pockets to carry your goodies. Wooden handles are included in the kit fee for the class.

Get Your Hands on Home Decorating Sewing

Join Debbie for full day seminars on three of the most popular home dec classes, Slipcovers, Window treatments and Pillows and Cushions. Each day will include information on fabric choices, yardage requirements and style options to customize your projects. All three classes will be full of tips, tricks and tools that will make it easy to give your projects a professional look. Bring your sewing machine. We are going to make lots of samples! I'll bring the fabrics. Register for one, two or all three classes to get the best value. Enrollment is limited to 6 students per class. Lunch is provided!

Window Treatments:
Rectangles and straight sewing are all you need to dress your windows. We will cover decorative as well as functioning window treatments with lots of possibilities for customizing. We'll practice with the versatility of pinch pleats, lining weights and hems. We will explore the variation of tab tops and rod pockets, and the hardware necessary to mount them. Thinking about Roman Shades or Board Mounted Treatments? How about multiple fabrics? I have so many favorites, and I am excited to show you how easy they are to make!

Pillows and Cushions:
Do you need new dining chairs or just a new cushion for the old ones? How about new cushions for the patio furniture, the window seat, or the wicker furniture? Making new cushions is so easy, and looks so great. We will make some together. We'll make boxing and welt and skirts, and try different corners. You'll get familiar with foam and batting and zippers. For the pillows we will go beyond beginning pillows! We will use feather pillow forms, make shirred fabric inserts, flanged edges and lots more.

Slipcovers
This is a full day of Slipcovers. Everything from formal to folding furniture, wooden kitchen chairs to wing chairs. We'll practice making patterns on them all, work on welt, closures and skirts. I'll show you how to save time and money, and end up with a look you'll love. Either a nice snug fit, or shabby chic. When this day is over, you will be able to slipcover anything!

Gift Idea Demonstration

Come and see how to use your beautiful "Home Dec"fabric scraps to make a large array of beautiful and useful, holiday or hostess gifts. I promise there will be something for everyone on your hard to shop for list, including men and teenage boys! I will show you some travel items, gifts that are meant to pamper, and gifts that will fit any occasion.

Home Decorating Sewing Tips and Tricks Demonstration

Home Decorating Sewing Tips and Tricks In this demonstration, I will show you the tips and tricks that make home decorating projects look professional. You'll see how to make mitered corners for tablecloths or flanged pillows; how to make welt in different sizes and variations; how to apply and join decorative braid; how to put different hems in different places; how to make scalloped edges; etc., the quickest and the easiest!

Home Decorating with Homasote^® Demonstration

Home Decorating with Homasote® This demonstration will show you the incredible creative flexibility of my favorite Product, Homasote Board. I will build for you a cornice box, without using power tools! You will see how easy it is to make a head board in any size and shape; how to make room dividers or room screens, decorative fireplace screens, and bulletin boards. All will be covered in fabric of course ... but with little or no sewing! [Homasote^® is a registered trademark of the Homasote Company. It is made from 100% receycled waste paper and is available in a variety of sizes and thicknesses.]

Home Decorating Workshop

Bring any un-finished home dec project in any stage of completion and work on it for three un-interrupted hours with the help and support of home decorating sewing expert, Debbie Valentine. Bring all of your parts and pieces and your sewing machine. We'll have room to spread out, cut out, and get some work done. I will call you before the workshop to talk to you about your project.

Kids Pillow Class

For ages 7 - 17
Pillows are for everyone! I will supply a pillow form, fabric and fringe to get you started in the decorating of your own personal space, a bed for your pet, or a new idea for gift giving. Students must have general sewing machine skills.

Lamp Shade Demonstration

This demo will show the options available when changing the fabric on a lampshade. Different shapes and sizes will be used, as well as different fabrics and trim. Bring a lampshade and get advice on fabric style and trim.

Ottoman Slipcover Class

Bring your ottoman, any size, round or square or rectangle, old or new, and together we will make a slipcover for it! We will make it into a piece of art, adding welt, fringe, decorative cord, covered buttons, maybe tassels! Think about using a combination of fabrics, think about adding wheels to the feet! This class is great for a beginning slipcover student.

Perk Up Your Patio!

This is a full day of projects for your patio. In the morning session Debbie will demonstrate how to make and install an awning for your sliding glass door or window as well as a BBQ cover In the afternoon session she will demo how to cover your patio furniture cushions and make a tablecloth that will accommodate an umbrella.

Slipcover Demonstration Slipcovered Chair

In this demonstration, you will see how to make a pattern for your slipcover out of muslin. You'll see how this process will work on furniture of any size or shape and how you can adjust the fit - from a look of upholstery to "Shabby Chic." This will ease your concern about cutting into expensive home decorative fabrics.

Slipcover Pattern Making Class (4 Sessions)

Bring any chair that you or a helper can carry and join the fun in this hands-on class. You will make a muslin pattern in the first two sessions that can be used over and over for a seasonal change, a lifestyle change, or a trendy new look. You will learn how to custom fit your chair with a slipcover that will stay in place and keep its shape. Together we will make decisions on welt, skirts, cushion styles, closure options, and fabric choices.

In Sessions 3 and 4, we will be using the muslin pattern to cut the pattern pieces out of your choice of home dec fabric, and work toward finishing your new slipcover!

This is a 4 hour class!

Table Top & Chair Pad

Table Linens In this class, you will make a chair pad (out of muslin) to cushion your wooden kitchen chair, as well as learn about foam, boxing, welt and possible skirt styles. You will also make two different styles of placemats, and learn fabric requirements for any size of tablecloth.

This is a 4 hour class!

Teepee

This is a great class for Moms, Grandmothers or Day Care Providers. If you've seen Debbie's book with co-author, Sandra Betzina, titled Sandra Betzina Sews for your Home, you've seen the teepee. We'll use the tables and lots of space in the new sewing school to spread out and cut out the pieces. Only beginning sewing skills are needed.
Debbie's book is required for this class. Available at The Place That Sells Sewing Machines.

Windows: Draperies, Valances & Shades

Bring your window measurements! Debbie will teach you how to figure yardage, make lining choices, decide fabric suitability and choose style options. Then we'll make a few samples (out of muslin) of the many different window treatments. Also included will be a lesson on the construction and various styles of Roman shades.

This is a 3 hour class!

Roman Shade Workshop

Roman Shade Come and spend the day working on YOUR window shade. We'll start at 10 o'clock, and work all day on your favorite window shade design, using your window measurements and your fabric. You will be in contact with the instructor to receive information on style choices, lining, fabric required and necessary notions.

This is an all day class!

Wooden Kitchen Chair Make-Over Demonstration

Wooden Kitchen Chair Make-Over In this demonstration, I will show you how to cover the back of any straight-backed wooden kitchen chair, actually making a slipcover for the back in two style variations, while giving you lots of fabric and trim choices. The hard wooden seat will be covered with a soft piece of foam to which we will add boxing, welt, ties, a zipper, and different skirt variations.