The Sampler Shirt: Where Handwork Meets Precision
August 19TH, 2024
Handwork isn't just part of our name—it's the very foundation of our mission to empower women. Hand embroidery plays a vital role because it allows women to work from home, effortlessly weaving their craft into the fabric of their daily lives. They manage it all—childcare, household duties—without needing lengthy training or making room for bulky machinery in their already compact homes.
Picture this: 60% of our women artisans do their embroidery right at home. They navigate crowded, dusty streets with garments in—tow thankfully not too bulky—finding just the right spot at home to keep them safe. The women often chuckle about how they've trained their kids to respect the embroidery bags, knowing not to touch them. In these small homes, where the bedroom transforms into a dining room by morning and a living room by day, space is tight. But their work is given top priority.
Embroidery is a craft that requires skill and patience. Creating consistent, high-quality work on a larger scale isn't easy; it takes talent, dedication, training, and a lot of careful planning. Every MarketPlace product is adorned with hand embroidery, with each stitch reflecting the artisan's expertise and meticulous attention to detail. While some embroidery follows the fabric's pattern or highlights specific areas like collars or pockets, the precision needed for these tasks is no small feat.
The Sampler Shirt Edition was a bold leap away from our conventional designs. Before each season, the artisans create samplers showcasing different stitches. When our Creative Director saw these samplers, she had a lightbulb moment and designed the first Sampler Shirt, where clusters of stitches come together to form a stunning, intricate pattern.
Producing these shirts involves a production process that's both sophisticated and manageable. The designs are stenciled onto sewn shirts, with patterns carefully graded to fit garment sizes from Small to 4X. The Utsaah Cooperative, known for their expertise in more challenging embroidery, has artisans who have honed their skills over many years. It could have been a logistical nightmare, but the women figured it out.
It takes two women to measure the placement and stencil the designs before they take the shirts home to complete the embroidery. They make sure they have all the necessary thread colors—sometimes using five to seven different shades. For white shirts, they take even more care to avoid any staining.
Once the shirts are finished, they undergo rigorous quality checks. The artisans then proudly sign the tags—a simple yet empowering act. And from what our customers tell us, knowing the name of the woman who crafted their garment adds a personal, inspiring connection to the beauty of the piece.
Read more about our Sampler Shirts in our other blog. From Practice to Innovation: The Sampler Shirt
