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Emma S

The Fading Art of the Seamstress: How We’re Striving to Keep it Alive…

We’re exceptionally proud to have our own workroom on site here at Cowans.  During the early days, we carefully outsourced our manufacturing to a small team local to us in Lincolnshire. It worked well initially, and although we were in ‘safe’ hands and had plenty of input during the process, we were becoming increasingly aware that our contract business was taking off and we wanted more for Philip Cowan Interiors.


 

Happy seamstress operating machinery at Philip Cowan Interiors

 

Like with all aspects of our business, we were keen to have a more ‘hands-on’ approach, allowing us to collaborate more easily with the team creating our products. We wanted to inspect the fabric, to touch it, to see what worked and what didn’t work at every stage of the process and to be able to learn, adapt and grow. Bringing the whole process in-house was a decision we shall never regret and has meant we can share our expertise throughout our departments providing a more streamlined and dedicated service to our clients with products to match. The space has gone from strength to strength over the years and the workroom now happily houses the majority of our ground floor and more besides! Something tells me we aren’t ‘done’ here yet though..!

Many of the team, some of whom have been with us from the beginning, were brought together by Phil and Sam and our Workroom Manager, Jo.  With over 40 years of seamstress experience alone she brought with her a vast array of expertise where soft furnishings are concerned.  It means she can oversee all of our projects from entering the workroom to leaving it and can ‘turn her hand’ to a ‘bit’ of everything which always comes in handy on the busier days! 


 

Brother sewing machine in Cowan's workroom

 

We currently have a team of 9 seamstresses and are in the process of recruiting more. The ‘girls’, as they are affectionately known, each have years of experience ranging from 30 up to 48!  Combined, they boast over 275 years of seamstress experience between them and all under OUR roof which is phenomenal in itself!  As proud of this as we are, we daren’t shout about it too loudly for fear of upsetting them by implying they might be ‘mature’ in age as well as experience! We’re too busy right now for them not to clock in tomorrow!

Some specialise in all areas of curtain making, whether it’s pinch pleat or eyelets you’re looking for they can create it - and beautifully.  Others dedicate their time and skill set to Roman blinds and bed throws or cushions but they can all tell you what will and ultimately won’t work because they’ve done it and seen it all before! 



 

Seamstress collecting reel of cotton from stores at Philip Cowan Interiors

 

On finding out about how and where they learned and honed their skills, the majority had been taught it in school.  Jo is self-taught and some others had entered work early in their careers where they were taught the craft and have been building on it ever since.

During the time some of our team were learning their skills in school the workplace ‘model’ at that time was a very different one to the one in which we find ourselves now. Predominantly boys learned woodwork and metalwork, skills which would see them well-equipped for a career in engineering or within a factory setting.  Girls on the other hand were taught skills which would equip them to become secretaries, factory machinists or seamstresses where sewing was key.


 

Soft furnishings workroom

 

Home Economics - the study of cooking, sewing and subjects relating to the management of the home was removed from schools during the 1970s when the National Curriculum was introduced. The working lives of women in particular were changing along with the opportunities a now more ‘equal’ workplace afforded them.  The subject matter was viewed as out of date with the future workplace required in the UK - in many ways we couldn't disagree more in our line of work!

This has never been more apparent than when recruiting for our workroom in recent years. We are so lucky to have a team bursting with talent, who work with care and precision to ensure that the finished product is one to be proud of. Their varying expertise and talents mean that however big, small or intricate our client's requirements are we have someone in our team who can fulfill them every time.  



 

Seamstress applies final touches with an Iron to curtains at Philip Cowan Interiors

 

However, we’ve come to realise that finding this kind of experience in today’s workforce doesn’t come easy and dare we say it, almost non-existent. Whilst we’re happy to train and teach in-house and are doing so currently it has certainly made us question what the future generation will have to offer our industry and indeed Philip Cowan Interiors in this area when they become of working age.     


 

Sewing on a tasseled fringe at Philip Cowan Interiors

 


Over the last year or so we’ve dedicated much time to researching what advancements have been made in the way of machinery now available to us in an attempt to ‘bridge the gap.’   Joe does love a bit of research especially if it takes him further afield!  

He and Sam along with Jo and a member of her workroom team visited Eisenkolb HQ last year to see these machines in action and to speak face to face with those people behind the technology.  It was an opportunity not to be missed! On the back of this trip, we’ve invested heavily in the latest technology to aid the workroom, increasing efficiency and making quicker and lighter work of the more labour-intensive and physically challenging parts of the process.  For instance, when speaking to our seamstresses about the pros and cons of the technology they now work with every day there were no disadvantages, only benefits. The removal of some of the more physical parts of the process such as cutting and measuring fabrics is one of them. It is less labour-intensive and provides a more accurate and precise process generally.


 

Seamstress operates sewing machine at Philip Cowan Interiors

 


The team at Emmetts Machinery based in Stockport have been a great source of knowledge in this area. As the exclusive UK agent for Eisenkolb, and with over 50 years of experience within the industry, they have supplied and fitted our new machinery in all its glory! When speaking to them about the lack of experience within the new generation of workforce in our area they too see the same issue in the workrooms they deal with across the country. The majority of our new technology is from Eisenkolb and Emmetts say one of the benefits of their kit is that the automated machinery removes the need for a lot of the more skilled and experienced knowledge in this area which primarily is an aging workforce. The machinery makes for quicker and easier staff training. Machine-dependent staff can be trained within a few hours/days which provides a great head start and a good, solid base on which to build experience in the more intricate areas of seamstressing  

We hope that it is this foundation which will enable us to take individuals and train them in the more specialised areas of our business - the next generation.



 

Seamstress operates an Overlocker at Philip Cowans Interiors

 


In summary; do we need to bring back ‘craft education’ within our school’s classrooms?  It seems clear to us that we need to teach the up-and-coming generations just how to use their hands…


In the meantime, we’ll continue doing our ‘bit’ to keep the art alive in our small corner of Lincolnshire and the industry at large.


 

If seamstressing is your chosen career or if you have a keen interest in beginning your journey in the industry then we would love to hear from you!



 

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