WWW.GATHERED.HOW/SIMPLYSEWING 71honest,I don’tthinkit wouldbeincorrect
tosaydenimnevergoesoutoffashion– we
justmanagetoupdateit allthetime.I think
theworld,luckilyforus,hasbecomefar
moreadventurouswithdenimasa product,
notonlyingarment making but also in
the home.”
DENIMDAYS
Runninga businesslikeTheDenimCompany
soundslikethesortofdayjobwe'dallloveto
have,butwhatdoesa typicaldaylooklikefor
Julia?“Thefirstjobofthedayis alwaysto
checkthewebsitefororders,”sheshares,
“andfromthenonit varieseveryday!I would
lovetogetonthesewingmachineand
create,buttypicaltasksincludeplanning
shows,orderingstock,talkingtocustomers,
visitingsuppliers,designingkits,selecting
patterns,chasingstockordersandallthe
routinestuffanofficefunctionson.Tuesdays
arereservedforcuttingfabrics,fatquarters,
metrelengthsandmakingupkits,aswellas
showpreparation– whichis alwaysa real
pleasure.Butmyfavouritedayoftheweekis
Friday,whenI’mintheworkshop.I alwaystry
andmakeit mysewingday,asit givesme an
opportunitytoworkwithfabricsand
haberdashery, and a chance to enjoy trying
(Above)Twoo fT h eYo r k s hi r eG ir ls ,L e s li ean d
Angela,showofftheirdenimmakes.
(Right)Customercareandserviceis a top
priorityforJulia,she'salwaysonhandtooffer
adviceforpeoplewhoareabouttoembark on
a new me-made denim project.
R
W
Asa sewingproandanexpert
teacher,Fionais fulloftoptipsand
adviceforsewistsateverylevel.1
Startbywashingyourdenimseparately,
usingwarmwater, then dry the fabric
naturally.2
If possible,usea newneedle– 90/14 for
medium-weightand 100/16 for
heavyweights.3
Lengthenyourstitchif youare sewing
throughmultiplelayers.4
Usea widerhem allowance to help with
thebulk.5
Forenhancingyourgarmentusea denim
topstitchingthreadandan all-purpose
threadin yourbobbin.6
Aswithallsewingprojectsneverforget
theimportanceof pressing the fabric at
every stage.outpatternsandideas.”Everthemulti-
taskingbusinesswoman,Juliais always
jugglingonethingoranother:“IfI’moutand
aboutvisitingsewinggroups,orata show,
I usemydrivingtimetoplan.Thisis always
mybesttimetocomeup with new ideas and
projects,”shesmiles.
Whenit comestoplansforthefuture,Julia
knowsexactlywheretheyareheading.“The
aimofTheDenimCompanyhasalwaysbeen
tosticktowhatwedo– weselldenimfabric
andtrytoaddcomplimentaryhaberdashery,
butnotstrayfromourniche,”shesays.“We
prideourselvesonourcustomerserviceand
thatpersonalservice,sothelastthingwe
wantis tolosethosevalues.Keepingthe
rangenewandinterestingis a challenge,but
denimis alwaysinfashionandourjobis just
tokeepupwiththetrendsandinspirenew
peopletosewandtoalwaysgetexcitedto
seeus.”I thinkyoumighthavejust won over
somemoredenimfans,Julia!
Tos e eJulia'se x tensives e le c tionofdenims
andtofindoutwhichshowsyoucanseeher
at,visitwww.thedenimcompany.co.uk.Besure
tofollow@TheDenimCompanyonInstagram
forinspiration,too.Juliaalsorunsa pop-up
shopserviceforsewinggroups within two
hours of South Yorkshire.