I hand cut the lace and match/mirror the pattern and scallops have to be cut at a precise point to create the miter on the final garment. After these are sewn on the silk behind is cut away, so when on the body this reveals the skin behind. (Because this hand cutting is so laborious it’s not a task I give to our contractor who sews the garment but one I handle directly)

That’s just the lace, these also have a tiny baby hem and stretch velvet waistband that needs to be attached so as not to pucker and with the right amount floating above the back cutout.

So this particular piece, but also the entire silk range is challenging to make in that the materials require experience & skill needed to apply the lace and finish such delicate materials. The designing & patternmaking of this piece is also particularly challenging because it’s non-stretch and needs to be designed to fit over the hips but sit on top of them securely, so the stretch velvet waistband and cut out are part of how the design is both functional and aesthetic.

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post Most Difficult to Make – Meet the Maker Day 29 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.

There is something really lovely about packaging and wrapping orders to ship – smaller items get our 100% recycled and recyclable plastic mailer and larger orders are shipped in boxes with a stamped logo. Each order gets wrapped with tissue, ribbon (which I mentioned in previous post is extra runs from production of ties, straps, etc) we also include a card introducing more about us and we have a variety with various lookbook images and switch these up based on season!

In selecting our packaging we’ve really hit a challenge in balancing single use plastic in shipping materials – ultimately it reduces the amount of damaged merchandise and carbon use in shipping to ship most of our packages in flat mailers. We opt for 100% recycled and recyclable mailers which allow customers to reuse them if they do need to return or exchange items. Larger orders get shipped in recycled cardboard mailers which can also be reused, recycled, or repurposed.

One thing we didn’t discuss in length on this instagram post that I’d like to address here, is the reason we still use polybags. Polybags are the plastic bags that many ecommerce brands use to warehouse and ship inventory in, they protect finished clothing from dust, bugs, water (from overhead sprinklers in some warehouses), or even smoke in the event of a fire. As a direct to consumer brand we inspect and pack all items in polybags until shipped to customer – with a retailer there is often another layer of unpacking and repacking that creates another layer of waste.

Still as a conscious brand we are always looking for more earth friendly & sustainable ways of doing business, so a few years ago we looked into compostable corn based polybags. The reason we don’t currently use them and most break down over time and in extreme weather conditions, and you can imagine the concern that this could melt or disintegrate leaving a mess in either warehousing or shipping, so ultimately we opted to wait for better options and continue to store items in traditional polybags. We think this small bit of plastic waste is better than potential risk to many pieces of finished clothing that might become waste if damaged in storage or transit.

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post Packaging – Meet the Maker Day 28 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.

(Random technical note: The way the site is set up, the same product in different colors are each unique products in the backend, so you can find different reviews under each color way of the product for the same item. Unfortunately this also means we can’t migrate reviews from retired colorways which makes me sad. Also we get so many reviews on this product so the site shows top reviews but you can click read all reviews on each product to see more)

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post Customer Feedback – Meet the Maker Day 24 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.

Knowing when you’re in the wrong, knowing when you can improve, knowing when you can step up are all important but if you go into business for yourself there is a high likelihood you already hold yourself to high expectations, so it’s just as important to know when something is out of your control, when someone is asking you to take on too much or expecting too much, knowing when to let go. These things are never easy, one experience does not translate to the next and learning to be ok with that and dealing with each step of your life in business is the only advice I can give.

A huge example of this is when you hear other people’s stories of success – like “you have the same number of hours in the day as xyz person” they have a different body, a different lived experience, a different support structure, were born at a different time, work in a different industry… do you get my point? There is no one way to succeed and no path through the woods, you have to discover that for yourself and your discernment will light the way.

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post Top Tip or Advice – Meet the Maker Day 23 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.

Proud of…

The first print press hit, looking back it was such a big validating moment. The first market, the first orders, first loan, and this. It was a nice moment of feeling recognized and every story since I try to acknowledge and appreciate in the same way.

We have been in print publications that are no longer existing so again it’s also a reminder at how much our industry is changing, so it’s not even the actual press I am proud of as much as surviving all the change which in and of itself is a big accomplishment but especially as an indie.

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post Proud of – Meet the Maker Day 22 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.

Young Layla thought this was a big deal, and in a way it was since it marked the release of Between the Sheets’ first collections for sale.
I don’t know how I in my youth and naïveté managed to pull this together both financially and logistically. I was working a full time job and I had so much energy. 

I’m introverted, so after this we eschewed trade shows for market weeks by appointment in hotels near the shows. This allowed us to show our collections in a private setting, which was far better than the trade show, but still stressful.

Picture hauling all the stuff of a lingerie store (clothes, mannequins, etc) in a rental car into Manhattan and double parking and hauling it all up to a hotel suite. Setting everything up only to move it all out a few days later. Markets were both physically and mentally exhausting, and I much prefer my business today selling directly to our customers. 

Back then I thought you had to make it in certain boutiques or department stores to succeed. At the same time, I saw early on that the retail landscape was shifting…and still is today. What I learned was to be adaptable and that no one else’s path or definition of success matters but your own (easy to say, harder to live by).

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post Throwback – Meet the Maker Day 21 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.

By merchandising I mean what does our customer not know they want from us because we haven’t made it yet, it’s a bit of an art of knowing. Traditional fashion merchandising is trend driven but for a slow fashion brand this looks like, how do we create staples, core pieces and what is the twist. Is it fitting a piece into an existing collection or added an entire new collection in a new fabric? This happens before sourcing.

Sourcing & design are next, but really the vision is already there for what will make the piece(s) stand out.
Next it’s draping/ patternmaking once a material is selected and this is where the idea created in merchandising is really brought to life. As a trained designer I pattern and drape all of my own designs so there it streamlines this step in the design process. Imagine how hard it is to get a haircut you like bc you have to use the right words and how even with pictures and words you have to have a good stylist… that’s what translating a design into a pattern is like when the designer is working with a pattern maker, it has to be a good fit. Because intimates is specialized and I’ve had specialized training I save a ton of time (and money) doing this myself.
Design Process – How it’s produced
Next is grading, when a pattern and sample in one size is translated into multiple sizes. This is a specialty so I take my pattern and a grade rule for how each size should fit to a grader. Once I know how many of each size to produce the pattern is then printed onto a marker or blueprint of many sizes all jigsawed together to reduce waste that is used in production. My sample and the pattern are used to guide production in bringing the design to life in a range of sizes.
There is lots of math, lots of planning, and a lot less drawing than most people expect

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post Design Process – Meet the Maker Day 20 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.

I worked with our factory to get orders out on time but they had to catch up where our fabric supplier failed and we had one store pre-emptively cancel while others were understanding and then surprised that we still shipped on schedule. It was a big deal to me that our very first customers be well informed, I’d rather underpromise and overdeliver so while I could’ve kept quiet and pushed to get the orders out on time like I did it was important to me to lead with honesty.

My biggest lesson learned was not to put all my eggs in one basket because I had already designed my next season with more fabric from that supplier, and sure enough there were more delays and this time they shipped us a different width in a new color of a material we were already using. Not to get too technical but the result was we had to spend money to redo markers (the blueprint used fo cut pattern pieces from fabric) and wasted inches on the side of the older colors. When fabric is shorter in the width, in this case a foot, it’s actually worse than being shipped less yardage, you’re losing 1/3 of each yard and paying the same price, not to mention on each layer underneath. Hope that makes sense, and don’t let anyone tell you math is not important as a designer/manufacture math is actually hugely important.

The supplier made no effort to reimburse me for these expenses, but I learned that I could be resourceful & competent as a producer and how to move around challenges & obstacles. Also I learned to put my energy into what I could do and control.

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post Mistake or Lesson – Meet the Maker Day 18 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.

While doing that I am also sourcing new materials, production is more efficient and easier to manage if we can cut multiple styles at the same time.
Planning and tidying up our books for future funding/loans. I’d love to open either a small studio, sample room, or retail space and first step is always financing. With any new facet of business it’s better in my opinion to do a ton of research and planning. So before making any big moves to solidify any of those goals we’re in the dreaming, researching, & planning phase.

Not gonna lie, after many years of paying down debt I’m intimidated of taking on loans again, but also I learned more from setbacks and failures, and I know that in order to see any potential gain I will have to take a risk again, but for my own sanity I am glad I took a pause and wait approach rather than rushing into anything. Hey, I guess that’s the difference between running a business at 24 years old vs 34 years old! It was way easier taking risks before I fell and got up, I’m well worn in now and carry a healthy dose of caution born from experience.

We’re also up for bcorp recertification which I am happy to have Josh’s help with. This also gives us time fo assess our progress and evaluate strategy for improvement going forward.

Oh and I’d love to squeeze in a spring photo shoot when flowers are in bloom!

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post What I’m working on – Meet the Maker Day 17 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.

Current workspace here in Hudson Valley – it’s cozy spare bedroom, samples and packing materials actually have a closet. Also it lets me pack and ship faster during snow storms, so I can ship packages as soon as we dig out. 

Previous workspace, LIC studio- opened after we decided to leave wholesale the money we spent on market weeks went to getting a little more space and distance from my work

Second apt the business got its own room, eventually it was packed to the ceiling.

My first office was in my first apartment’s living room floor & couch.

To see the original post on instagram – click here

We’re collecting all of my March Meet the Maker posts here on the blog for ease of reading and all of you who might not be on instagram or facebook. It was a great opportunity to share a bit more about our brand and hope it helps you get to know me and BTS a little better!

The post Workspace – Meet the Maker Day 16 appeared first on Between The Sheets Blog.