About Elizabeth Gerdes, Founder A Marietta, Georgia, stay-at-home mom of twin boys, ages 6, and a daughter, age 5, Elizabeth Gerdes started Stitch Above The Rest in October 2003 as a way to help support her family when her twins went off to preschool. Stitch Above The Rest offers a full-service drapery workroom for both residential and business customers, including high-end custom window treatments and home accessories to wholesale and retail clients. Services include, but are not limited to, High-End Window Coverings, Custom Window Treatments, Home Decor Accessories, Custom Bedding, Children's Nursery Items, Patio Cushions, Handmade Children's Items, Embroidery, Gifts, and more. In June 2007, Elizabeth attended the Custom Home Furnishings Academy in Charlotte, NC where she received her Certification as a Career Professional in Window Treatment Fabrication and Workroom Techniques. Stitch Above The Rest also offers custom handmade infant and children’s items, including baby bedding, burp cloths, blankets, embroidery, and more. Since January 2006, Elizabeth has begun offering wholesale pricing to designers and retailers, with her products being carried in several metro Atlanta boutiques and one Iowa toy store. Elizabeth came to sewing naturally -- as the fourth oldest of twelve children, Elizabeth grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, watching her mother knit hanging plant holders, make matching clothes and create doll blankets. “My mother taught me many things that have stayed with me over the years, but most of all she taught me that hard work and perseverance can pay off,” says Elizabeth, whose earliest remembered sewing project was making a quilt for her baby brother when she was just 8 years old. Sewing is a family tradition for Elizabeth, as she remembers her aunt knitted homemade stockings, her paternal grandmother was an expert at needle-point and cross-stitch, her cousin makes beautiful doll clothing and her mother dabbled in garment fabrication. Elizabeth continued sewing as a hobby through junior high, but got away from it as she went on to high school and college. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Kennesaw State University, and spent almost a decade in the telecommunications field, working in quality assurance and customer service, before starting her family. "I had not realized how much of a creative outlet sewing has become for me,” says Elizabeth of her business. “Most women get excited over shoes and purses. I get excited over fabric. To see that fabric on the finished product is so rewarding.” She believes her biggest differentiator is the quality, care and time she puts into her products, which are made from high-quality fabrics, and her sewing technique, which includes high-end professional techniques and quality checking every item. In addition, her service and commitment to the client is unmatched by any other; She thoroughly enjoys consulting with her clients to provide customized products. Elizabeth is currently a Career Professional Graduate in Window Coverings from the Custom Home Furnishings Academy (CHF). She is also a member of the Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA) and the American Sewing Guild (ASG). In her free time, Elizabeth has held numerous board positions, including President, with the North Metro Mothers of Multiples Club (NMMOMC) and currently remains an active member. Elizabeth is also a member of the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Club (NOMOTC) and is the co-founder of the Georgia Organization of Mothers of Multiples club (GOMOM). ###