SEW HOUSE is a small batch production and product development studio specializing in leather, handbags, accessories, and soft goods.

Patterns

Patterns are the technical formula that bring your design to life.  Our experienced pattern makers will take your idea from a simple sketch and turn it into a workable blueprint  from which your final design is produced. Patterns are an essential part of the product development process and your ability to provide us with as much information as possible including dimensions, top stitching, hardware placement and other details of the final product will help us work at the most efficient pace.  

Tip: When preparing for a meeting with our design team, don't hesitate to present us with a hand drawn sketch or pictures of a similar product. The more information you can give us, the more it will enable us to create an accurate final product. 

Prototypes & Samples

After the first round of patterning, a prototype is assembled and sewn to spec. This provides you with a 3D version of your design an enables you to see how your product might look in its final form.  Many clients choose to make subtle changes to the prototype and we encourage you to test out your product in as many ways as possible to ensure that you are happy with the results. Once the prototype is approved we can move forward with finalizing  your production package.

Tip: This is the "test drive" phase.  Once you have your prototype in hand, you should test it thoroughly.  You can choose to have your prototype made using your final materials or we can source something very similar.  Our goal is to come as close as possible to the final product which in the end will save you time and money. 

Materials Sourcing

Materials sourcing is where we assist you with locating all the materials that will go into making your final product.  Sourcing can be a complicated and time consuming process.  There are many factors to consider when ordering materials and very little room for error.  This is why the majority of our clients rely on our expertise and relationships within the hardware, leather and textile industries to help them with this part of the product development process.  Please note that sourcing is a fee based service that we offer separately from product development.

Tip: Attention to detail at this stage is crucial as the materials you choose for production will determine how you price your product and the overall appearance of your finished design.  If you have little or no experience with sourcing we recommend you let us help you.  We guarantee you will be happy with the results! 

Screen Printing

Screen printing is a great way to add a logo or design to your product. We have the ability to screen print on a multitude of hard and soft products. We will work with you to design and scale your artwork to fit your products needs. We also will exact color match any Pantone color you can provide! We stock a variety of ink formulations for a range of substrate options including leather, vinyl, plastic, canvas & other textiles. Standard inks for textile production are water based or phthalate free plastisol. Clean up agents are soy or citrus based and biodegradable.

TIP: Send your graphics for custom work via email. Graphic files can be sent as .ai, .eps, .pdf, .psd, .jpeg, or .tiff. They should be sized to the desired print size at 300 dpi with vector text converted to outlines.

Leather Expertise

We offer an array of leather processing, & finishing technics such as skiving, tooling, edge painting, staining, dying, waxing, & burnishing just to name a few. Our special leather working expertise is whats sets us apart from other leather manufactures. We are well versed in calculating yield from each hide, and we will go the extra a mile to handle and care for your leather at every step of the process from cutting, skiving, sewing all the way through to the finishing steps. Leather tooling can add a unique flourish to your design and bring your brand’s style to life. Edge painting is one of the leather industries oldest practices. Adding a small bead of paint to the edge of the leather, not only sealing the edges but creating a sleek, finished look to your product.

TIP: Have some cool, creative finishes you would like to use on your designs? Extra finishing techniques are priced based on project. Contact us to discuss the different options and we will work within your project budget.

Textile & Leather Cutting

We offer two types of cutting services to bring your designs to life, robotic textile cutting & leather die cutting. All textiles and rolled materials are cut on a robotic cutting table.  Part of this process is the set up where your pattern is digitized and input into the machine.  There is a one time setup fee for digitizing your patterns which is billed at an hourly rate depending on the project.  More complex patterns/designs should allow for more time and an increased price. We can provide a rough robotic cutting estimate after the Product Development Phase is complete and the sample is final.

Leather cutting is done by the use of steel rule dies. Die cutting is the process of using a die to cut out the pattern pieces of the design. This is done using a hydraulic press. The dies are set in the machine and punched out on the leather to create accurate and consistent pieces. This cost is separate from your Price Per Piece. We can provide a rough leather cutting estimate after the Product Development Phase is complete and the sample is final.  

TIP: We will not know accurate textile or leather cutting price per piece until after the first run is complete.

Tech Packs

A tech pack is a packet of information that is used by designers to communicate with manufacturers all the parts and components necessary to construct the product. A tech pack will usually include materials, measurements, trims, colors, hardware, and special sewing instructions. It will also include detailed line drawings of each view of the product such as top, bottom, sides, inside view, etc. SEW HOUSE can help to create a complete tech pack of your design though this is not necessary to produce designs at Sew House. Please keep in mind that most production facilities will require a tech pack which we can provide for an additional fee. 

TIP: If you are manufacturing your products with SEW HOUSE we will not require you to create a tech pack unless you request that we add this as a separate cost to your product development package.

Production Sewing

Once your pattern is finalized and we have received your materials we can begin production. Your materials will be cut, sewn, assembled and delivered to you within the timeframe outlined in your contract.  Timeliness and delivery of your order is extremely important to us and we are dedicated to completing your project on your schedule.  

 Tip: We pride ourselves on being extremely punctual with every deadline. We ask that you help us maintain accurate delivery of your product by completing all paperwork associated with your order and supplying us with any materials that we have not sourced for you.  Our schedule of clients is extremely busy and we want to make sure that your order is delivered on time and to your satisfaction.

Working with SEW HOUSE best practices

SEW HOUSE is happy to work with both emerging and established brands. Whether you are switching manufacturers or just starting out with your first design, SEW HOUSE can help you navigate through every step of the process. In fact, its important to us that you have a solid understanding of the entire process from patterning, sample-making, production and even sourcing. Knowing what to expect from us as well as what we expect from you is key to a long and successful relationship with our team. Contact us to see a copy of our new client handbook.

Our Specialties Include