Raising curtains: sew what's high-tech approach to making drapes is a stage smash.

MEGAN Duckett's theatrical drapery career got off to a ghostly start.

The long-time lighting electrician was helping set up haunted houses at Knott's Berry Farm and was stuck lining coffins. Although she had done little sewing before, Duckett had no trouble handling satin to create a spooky Dracula feel.

"From the very first time I did a project, I just felt it. I think it is something you have or you don't," she said. "I have a talent for understanding fabric."

That understanding has taken her far from coffins. Today, with her husband Adam, she heads Rancho Dominguez-based Sew What Inc., which manufactures drapes for theaters and concert halls, as well as for special events.

The company has grown at a rapid pace--exceeding 25 percent year-over-year revenue increases from its official establishment in 1999--at least partly due to the Ducketts' unique approach to their narrow field. The company is projected to top $3.5 million in revenues this year from $2.4 million last year and has made drapes for touring acts as prominent as Fleetwood Mac, Kid Rock, Tears for Fears, Lenny Kravitz and Kenny Chesney.

In an industry where orders and other documents frequently are on paper, Sew What has created a technological backbone to automate the process outside of manufacturing. The manufacturing is completed by hand and sewing machines in the company's 15,000-square-foot facility, in which employees are separated in lines dedicated to theatrical or special events products.

One of the most crucial of Sew What's automated components is what is called the cut list, a detailed instruction for how a particular piece is put together. With all the cut lists electronically stored, Sew What is able to duplicate a drapery made years ago down to its exact color and size. Before automating, Megan Duckett said, "We would have stacks and stacks of paper we had to pick through. We were very primitive."

But the company didn't stop with the cut lists. Sew What has compiled extensive information on fire requirements across the country. That way, the Ducketts can send a certificate of flame retardancy for their drapes in case a fire marshal in, say, Nebraska demands proof that the drapes meet local fire codes.

"In a panic, we can get them to e-mail stuff to us," said Clive Forrester, chief executive of stage production company All Access Staging and Productions Inc. of Torrance, where Megan Duckett and her husband previously worked. "You obviously need the fire certification for the fire marshal because you are not going to go anywhere without that."

Sew What has also tailored its Web site to make selecting drapery almost as easy as buying books, an especially important, feature for schools and community theaters that are unaware of the intricacies of drapery production.

Happy together

The draperies' dramatic folds and fabrication, typically polyester or cotton velour, make them look quite complicated, and each drape is custom-made to suit a client's needs.

"Nothing that we make is standard. It is not like residential drapery," Megan Duckett said. "No two drapes are the same."

A school can get new curtains for $5,000, although the price can go up to $30,000 for an elaborate rock 'n' roll show. The concert tours have specific issues--curtains have to withstand transport, comply with fire regulations across jurisdictions and be adjustable to different venues.

With each tour having its own view on how a stage production should look, Sew What expects specific requests, but turn-around time is still usually two to three days. To Joe Gallagher, owner of Accurate Staging Inc. in Gardena, the delivery speed is paramount. "The rock stars and the management in this business (make) last-minute decisions," he said. "I never have two weeks."

Many people quiz Megan Duckett on how she can work with her husband constantly. She said it's because they started doing it back in their days at All Access. "Adam and I could probably live in each other's pockets for the next 60 years and not have a problem," she said.

The Ducketts have settled into the Sew What gig and have a 2-year-old son.

Adam Ducker believes the company will soon be among the larger companies in its industry with $10 million or more in revenues.

"We are not a catalog company," said Megan Duckett. "We want to grow so that we get the most creative acts and the most creative clients coming to us. You can imagine the Cirque du Soleils."

Sew What Inc.

Year Founded: 1999

Core Business: Theatrical drapery manufacturing

2004 Employees: 20

2005 Employees: 28

Goal: To grow the business at least 25 percent annually and continue to develop a service-oriented approach

Driving Force: To provide innovative solutions to creative clients in the entertainment industry