All in the Name

Let me tell you a story.

In 1990, the Horror/Drama “It” came out as a 2-part Mini Series on tv. I think we’re all familiar with the plot, a small town is terrorized by a creature that looks like a scary clown. This show and its plot haunted me, while also giving me an idea and my sewn products a name. Annette O’Toole, the only female in the “Lucky 7” group of kids/adults to save the town, played a character called “Beverly”. Adult Beverly has a clothing line called “Beverly By Hand”. And just like that, Brittan By Hand became a haunting thought in my head.

Around this same time, I was in my late teens and working in a fabric store called “Fanny’s Fabrics”. Not only was my fabric collection fantastic, but I had access to notions and patterns that made my heart sing. On the counter by the till was a display of woven labels that you could personalize by a company called “Cash’s” located in England. All I had to do was fill in a paper form (this was way back at the start of computers and before online ordering), I opted for the color red and picked a little flower motif, and sent it off with a check to the UK. I have no idea how long it took, but one day my labels arrived. It was wonderful, there was my unique name on a label that I could add to all my makes!

I still have some of those labels today though I don’t remember how many I originally ordered. I’ve lived many places, and through all the moves and stages of my life, I still feel joy when I rediscover those labels in a box or drawer. Yes, I still sew them into my makes as I really like having something with my name on them. To this day, I can’t find key chains or book marks in tourist shops that have my unique name of them, not even the boy version of Britton or a short form version of Brit or Britt. Surprisingly Cash’s is still in existence, unlike Fanny’s Fabrics, and I can order more if I ever run out. The leap from Brittan By Hand to By Hand Studio was not a big one, my goal is not to develop a clothing line but to teach sewing skills to others.

Keep sewing friends! Britt