Project: Miss South Carolina Pageant
Fabric: IFR Crushed Gloss Satin, Silver

Brilliant production manager Tony Sharpe with Aspire4More Productions wanted to have us manufacture him some custom soft goods for a fabulous stage design he was working on for this high-profile beauty pageant. He was looking for drapery that would be truly striking and luminous in both natural stage lighting as well as colorful theatrical lighting. We ended up building him several different sizes and styles of drapery out of IFR Crushed Gloss Satin in Silver. Tall, pleated drapery legs and stunning swagettes (swags made with a reinforced grommet on each end to slightly increase range of height and width size during installation) offered him the ability to layer multiple curtains around his entire proscenium. This unique, crushed fabric gave his event design multitudes of exquisite texture, beautiful shadowing, and of course, tons of drama.

Project: PhotoBohemia—”Photo Booth” Backdrops
Fabric: FR Heavy Knit

We are always happy to get to work with the brilliant photographer David Herschorn and his wonderfully artistic team at PhotoBohemia on his fun and unique drape projects. His company offers his clients a one-of-a-kind, personalized “photo-booth” experience at parties, galas, benefits, and a wide variety of special events all over California. In offering his clients these amazing exclusive packages, he is always looking to add distinctive-looking and highly photographable backdrops to his company’s available offerings that will work perfectly with his innovative and enjoyable props. We built him custom digitally-printed seamless backdrops on FR Heavy Knit that he has used for some really amusing and entertaining events—and the guests always have a blast!

Project: Nashville Predators
Fabric: FR Sharkstooth Scrim, Light-Grey

This project was for the Nashville PREDATORS – and was quite the construction challenge! 13,680 square feet of cotton FR Sharkstooth Scrim fabric, 2470 feet of clear webbing lift lines, 1235 stainless steel guided wire rings… and 4 whole days to construct it! They came to us wanting a “sheer video screen” as large as their ice hockey rink (in the Bridgestone Arena) that could be cleanly and smoothly lifted and lowered with a lift mechanism. Therefore we manufactured them a MASSIVE Grey Sharkstooth Scrim Braille Drape for this install so that they could strategically lift and lower this projection curtain easily and flawlessly–anytime they wanted to. With the arena’s talented lighting designers working their magic over and over again, they have been able to use it to blow their audiences away with all sorts of fun and clever projection and lighting effects.

Read more about this unique project in the Tennessean:

Designed by Sooner Routhier and Robert Long
Lift System and Automation by SGPS SHOWRIG

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Project: USC Graduations
Fabric: IFR Supervel, Gold and Burgundy

Special event designers like Bill Dedes (from Cutting Edge Productions) and Kent Hayworth are really stepping up their game with gorgeous, colorful, and perfectly “on brand” event designs for truly memorable graduation ceremonies, just like this one for USC held at their very own Galen Center. Using Gold and Burgundy Supervel rental curtains from our Timeless and Traditional Drapery Collection, as well as vibrant floral arrangements and on-point lighting effects, they were able to accentuate the school’s crimson and gold theme impeccably.

Project: Move Tour
Fabric: FR Heavy Knit, Digital Print; IFR Encore Velour, Espresso; IFR Textura, Cocoa and Bamboo; IFR Supervel, Brick, Beige, Gold, Oyster; IFR Illusion, Black-Gold, Silver.

Check out this one-of-a-kind mixed-media Kabuki drape built for the incredible “MOVE Live On Tour” production. Wanting to match the “steampunk” style of the production, we made sure that the color palette of all elements worked perfectly with the set design’s style. Starting with sturdy 22oz. IFR Encore Velour as the “backing”, we then intricately layered strips of multiple types of fabrics—different colors, tones, and textures all lent to a fabulously multi-faceted appearance. Then we digitally printed “cog and wheel” elements and appliqued them directly over the top of the weaving to add some final touches to the overall look. All of the intricate cutting, layering, and sewing of these multiple types of substrates definitely became an “all-hands-on-deck” project (even Crispin our company dog lent a paw). And it turned out absolutely breathtaking!

Peter Morse: Lighting Designer
Butch Allen: Set Designer
Director: Tabitha D’umo
Graphic Artist: John Rios

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Project: Indiana Conference for Women
Fabric: Silver Textura and Pewter Textura

For the Indiana Conference for Women, we used a mixture of drapes from our Silver Satin Rental Drapery Collection. This stage included a row of complementary 30’h Silver Satin, Silver Textura, and Pewter Textura drapery legs with 16’h-22’h Crushed Silver Satin Swags. These drapes covered the entire wall of the ballroom, giving the event a clean, timeless appearance. These curtains light up beautifully, reflecting the colorful light splashed onto them. By using this mix of our rental drapes, they were able to have their own unique vision become a stunning reality.

Project: ELCA Youth Gathering 2018
Fabric: White 15oz Encore Velour

For the ELCA Youth Gathering, we constructed custom curtains for the main stage design. They wanted a fabric that would showcase the team’s dynamic front-projected images and videos and be easy to install. We built this using IFR 15 oz. Encore Velour in White, for the projection surface, and in Black, for the negative space in the profile cuts along the top. They were able to use their spectacular lighting effects to project onto the white panels. These drapes became the perfect backdrop for the ELCA to showcase their motivating and energizing concept throughout the performances.

Project: David Foster “The Hitman Tour”
Fabric: White-Silver Domino 

The stage design for David Foster included tall, silky, shimmery strips of fabric in panels made from a glittery White-Silver Domino fabric. The designers were looking for custom theatrical stage drapes that would be versatile enough to work in concert halls of all sizes. We created 30’h panels that were shirred at 100% fullness, so they were ready to hang from show to show. The ties at the top of the curtains allowed them to be hung as narrow or wide as the designers desired. These panels allowed the tour and lighting designers to not only fill the stage, but to also utilize the “negative space” between each drape to add depth and dimension. The colorful lighting played off these textured drapes, giving each segment of the show a one-of-a-kind look and feel.

Project: Auditorium divider wall drape
Fabrics: IFR, Bermuda colored Charisma Velour at 50% fullness

There are times when our clients need something special, like a giant fabric wall that can divide a gymnasium into two separate rooms. Such a wall needs to be tall with 100% light canceling qualities, and it needs to be safe for public use (insurance & fire codes). Our solution involved individual panels constructed from bermuda colored Charisma Velour at 50% fullness. The fabrics are IFR rated to comply with local fire codes. The drapery wall is mounted using a Uni-strut rod that suspends a 170 series Besteel track. The custom installation was completed by a Sew What? Inc. authorized contractor (Brady Construction) to insure compliance with local codes.

Learn more about our custom sewing services for the entertainment and event industries.

Project: 2012 CalArts Halloween Event
Fabrics: 15oz Encore with Classic LED lights

For a Halloween event at the prestigious Southern California art college CalArts (California Institute of the Arts), the task at hand was to find a way to transform the school’s main gallery into a dramatic event space. The addition of two gorgeous Classic LED Backdrops did the trick, providing a perfect backdrop to the innovative colored light show on display.

Adding bluish/white LEDs to DFR Black 15oz Encore turns an otherwise dull black backdrop into an amazingly realistic starlit night sky. With the LEDs placed in the drape in the formation of constellations and star fields, the operator has the option of controlling the light intensity, chase speed, and much more via connection to a lighting board. For a more plug and play operation, the stand-alone controller can be programmed manually without the need to connect to a lighting board.

Want a similar LED Backdrop, but with colored lights? A Chameleon LED Backdrop is the way to go. Using RGB (red/green/blue) LED lights, the operator has the ability to not only control the light intensity, chase speed, and more, but also to change light colors quickly and easily.

Project: Deadmau5 DJ Cube
Fabrics: FR White Cambio, Stretch fabric

This illuminated project was a collaborative effort for a post Grammy’s party. Sew What? was selected for this Deadmaus5 DJ booth project due to the unusual challenges it presented. The cube itself was made of 75 hard LED panels affixed to a frame with wheels and a deck behind it for the DJ. Over 400 sq. ft of FR White Cambio Stretch fabric was custom sewn to cover the booth’s unique shapes. Because there was no real back to the cube, the crew opted to use velcro strips to secure the fabric in place.

Project: Gateway Church
Fabrics: Satin, Silver

Kyle Russelburg was looking for a dramatic curtain that was going to give the Gateway Church a lot of light-ability and a variety of looks. At Sew What? Inc we specialize in custom Austrian curtains at affordable prices. Kyle responded with a terrific testimonial: “Everyone loved the drape. Thank you so much for everything you guys did making it such an easy purchase. You guys are my number 1 choice from now on. Thanks, Kyle”

Photo By: Kyle Russelburg, Technical Arts Department | Gateway Church

Project: Bridal Table by Details Ottawa
Fabrics: 118″ wide IFR Tendo

Classic bridal white and champagne pinks made a fresh palette for this dramatic and modern setting. With our ultra chic tension fabric shapes as a backdrop to the bridal table there was no doubt in any guest’s mind just whose special day it was.

Design and execution by Details Ottawa
Photo Courtesy Paul Sereda

Project: Heaven Hill Distilleries launch Hypnotiq
Fabrics: 118″ wideSheer IFR Voile

This event was Ultra Chic, thanks to some clever exhibit space planning. Designers at Heaven Hill Distillery created intimate event spaces on the 20 ‘ 40 exhibit space with some pipe and base hardware and clever drapery design. Floating roof panels and wall drapes gave clients a feeling of intimacy, yet the sheer fabric encouraged those outside to “come on in” and see what all the fuss is about!

Click on the image for more photos of this beautiful exhibit event.
Photo Courtesy Heaven Hill Distilleries

Project: Veuve Cliquot Product Launch by PH Factor
Fabrics: 118″ Winter White Voile / Gold Crushed Eros

Let our fabrics take center stage at your next product launch or premier party!

With a twist and a tie-back, this event space was transformed into a blooming wonderland complete with blossoming cherry trees. By combining sheer Voile and gently textured Eros we provided ample linear footage to create the basis of this multi area function space. Guests could see thru the sheer division walls – adding dimension to the space.

Project: Private Function, San Diego
Fabrics: FR, 72″ Poly Mix, Various Colors

This dramatic ceiling effect was hung to motorized trusses using fasteners allowing for manipulation of each panels individual length. A combination of scissor and boom lifts were used and our crew of four installed this entire ceiling treatment in one day! Click on the image for additional photos of this attractive fabric treatment.

Project: Next Step Group Exhibit Booth
Fabrics: IFR Poly Cyc, Natural

Clever design and screen printed logos guaranteed that customers recognized and remembered this exhibit booth! Once inside, potential new customers were in a “store-like” atmosphere and the distraction of competing vendors hidden behind the 10′ tall walls. The drape panels were designed to fit between uprights and can be hung with the logo either into or out of the booth.

Project: Lexus
Fabrics: Tendo, White / 21oz Velour, Black
“Opera” RP Projection Screen / Stretch Trapeze, White

Covering over 90’w and 27’h, each component in this stage set was custom sewn to fit together to create this impressive stage. Trapeze panels were fit to steel framing, and the projection screens sewn with snap attachments for tight fit and easy installation.

Project: Kaman (Namm Expo)
Fabric: Sharkstooth Scrim, White
RB Cloth, Grey and Yellow

Fantastic scrim panels towered from the floor to the upper mezzanine levels of the Kaman booth. The sharp edges were created by running aircraft cable through the side hems which were tensioned with turnbuckles. The booth walls were sewn from RB cloth in the company logo colors and added both privacy as well as a backing for product displays.