From start to finish, how it's made!

Some people have asked 'Do you sew these yourself? The short answer is 'Yes I do!' From the initial roll of fabric to the finished item, it is all done at Mill House Makes by one person!

Here is the longer answer, the step by step process: 

STEP 1  

Most people who know me, know I have a fabric addiction. I spend hours trawling through websites for the perfect print, if I can, I even travel to the lovely fabric stores in our area and spend far too long feeling the fabrics and imagining them coming to life. 

STEP 2

I have tried and tested patterns which I know work, each has multiple pattern pieces which need cutting out by hand and I create little bundles of fabric aswell as any zips, trims and poppers that I may need. 

STEP 3

I then begin interfacing, a term used for strengthening the structure of the fabric in places of high use - e.g. the shoulder poppers on dungarees etc. This is boring, I'm not going to lie!

STEP 4

Now the bit I do like. The pattern pieces are pinned together by hand and then the seams sewn. Each pattern has a step by step process, much like a recipe and then over time the garment takes shape. I can choose different stitches on my sewing machine to suit the pattern best and have two sewing machines to choose from.  

My main sewing machine is a Janome QDC sewing machine. I love this machine! It is set up at my desk and no matter what I ask of it, it can do it! It is brilliant for everything but I particularly use it to do the bits needing a little extra attention and detail. 

My second machine is a Singer heavy duty overlocker HD0405S. It is a awesome bit of kit and I am regularly learning new ways I can use it but in general this machine is made for speed. 

Radio on and I am ready to go. Everything is then pinned, ironed, sewn, pressed, popped, zipped and ready to go. 

STEP 5

Last thing to do is handwrite a label and take a photograph of the finished product and hang it on the finished rail with a satisfying sigh of achievement. The item is loaded on the website at the end of the week so the stocks are constantly changing. This is where social media has become a great way of connecting with customers to let everyone know what is coming out next.