About Us

Precision Drapery Education was started in 2004 by Kirk Axelson, when the untimely death of his wife forced the closure of his custom drapery workroom. Kirk decided to share his vast and diverse window treatment experience, and his passion for the industry, by focusing on educational materials that could significantly benefit others in the field of design who wished to improve their skills and knowledge in this area. Kirk, along with his brother, Glenn Axelson, and Kevin Bell, a software programmer of MS Access and SQL Server, set about creating the Ultimate Designers Workbook. This workbook was intended to lay the groundwork for creation of an industry style code specification system. Once the Ultimate Designers Workbook was developed, Kirk realized the necessity for a companion book to discuss all the formulas required in the calculation of yardages and labor pricing. With the expert assistance of Helen Bell who acted as editor in chief, the Study Guide to the Ultimate Designers Workbook was created.

Soon afterward, PDE approached Bev Moriarty, a teacher at the Arapahoe Community College in Denver, Colorado. Mrs. Moriarty requested the creation of a college text book that she could use in her classes to teach her students all of the elements that go into soft treatment construction. Barbara Talmadge, another experienced soft treatment veteran, was contacted to see if she was interested in being a co-author. She agreed, and we set out assembling a team to help with illustrations and editing. Glenn Axelson masterfully managed the Elements book project, setting up our project time line and helping with the organization of the publication. Since the new book required more illustrations, Kirk needed to gain a greater understanding of the illustration process, and went back to school and learned Adobe Illustrator.

With belief, faith, and dedication we have created the ultimate package of learning material, and this is only the beginning!

Kirk Axelson

Founder of Precision Draperies Education. Kirk Axelson has been in the window coverings business for 35 years; he has owned and operated a drapery workroom for over 25 years, second generation as parents had workroom as well. Kirk is the author, and developer of ESTIMATOR, CATALOG, and DWCS, (Drapery Workroom Control System). While operating Precision Draperies Education, and raising his kids, Kirk continues to maintain his education and remains active with numerous industry organizations.

Click Here to Read Kirk's Bio

Glenn Axelson

(BSEE) Bachelors of Science Electrical Engineering, and (MBA) Master of Business Administration, Glenn has 10 years drapery manufacturing and installation experience, he is an experienced programmer in (ERP) Enterprise Resource Planning and timeline management. Glenn works as the advisor of software and CEU credits course development. He is the developer of the program Window Treatment Yardage Calculator. Glenn currently works as an independent consultant for ERP systems.

Barbara Talmadge

has been in the design business since 1974 specializing in custom window treatments. Her formal education is in art and business management. Barbara has worked in both the retail and wholesale aspects of custom window coverings, designing, sewing, and installing custom soft treatments, and she currently operates a successful design and workroom business in Colorado.

Visit Barbara's web site to learn more and view some of her recent projects. www.btalmadgedesign.com

Kevin Bell

has worked closely with Precision Draperies since 1996, when he began developing the proprietary workroom system for Kirk, and has continued that relationship with PDE’s current projects. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in Architectural Engineering, and has been a Microsoft Access consultant since 1993. Kevin has developed databases for a vast array of clients with highly specialized needs using MS Access and SQL Server, from managing membership databases to tracking diamonds and draperies. He has developed the AccessUI, a developer’s tool fostering simplified database creation and management. Kevin is a past Vice President and Lab Director of the Denver Area Access User Group, and a regular presenter at their monthly meetings.

To learn more about AccessUI, please visit www.accessui.com

Helen Bell

has a Bachelors Degree in Teacher Librarianship from the former Melbourne College of Advanced Education, in Melbourne, Australia. She has a number of years of library experience both in Australia and Denver and is currently a Teacher’s Aide with the Cherry Creek School District. Helen is the Librarian, Historian, and Newsletter Editor for the Rocky Mountain Lace Guild, and is contributor of articles to Australian Lace, the Magazine of the Australian Lace Guild. She has also served as a Lace Judge at the Colorado State Fair on four occasions.

Anna Axelson

is the owner of AA Drapery Studio located in Denver, Colorado, a to the trade workroom specializing in silks and fine fabrics. Anna has over 20 years experience in workroom manufacturing, she is semi-fluent in the Spanish language, and provides technical and filming assistance.

Duncan McPherson

is a new addition to the team. He started working for Precision in early 2006 as an illustrator for the book, "Elements of Soft Treatments", and now he continues to do various web and graphic design projects for the company. He specializes in photo-editing, flash development, and typography, but has proven to be an extremely valuable resource with regard to any of the company's multi-media projects. Duncan is currently attending The University of Denver to further his education.