SewLab USA

My name is William Grimm, and I’m a fiber major. In the summer of 2017, between my sophomore and junior years, I interned at SewLab USA, a Baltimore-based soft goods manufacturer. SewLab is small scale, employing only about ten people, and produces things like duffel bags, hats, and totes. Aside from making their own products, SewLab does custom work, and the majority of my internship was spent working on special orders.

The company was started by married duo Jeremiah Jones and Cecilia Grimm (no relation). Jeremiah handles the creative side, designing most of the products himself, while Cecilia handles all of the business. There is one manager on the production floor, Jess Turner, who I reported to, and my day to day activity varied. I would come in, go to Jess for a task, and return to her for my next task when that was finished. Among the many things that I got to do while interning, most notably I attached over 1,000 metal belt buckles to straps in the course of two hours, sewed 150 pockets for tote bags, and spent two days punching holes through canvas tote bags to allow handles to be added. Jeremiah would occasionally have me help with garment-related projects, or I would get pulled away to help one of the sewists with whatever they were working on.

In addition to sewing, I assisted with quality control, shipping, and organization. Quality control is crucial for a business, and it is the last step before an item is packaged and shipped. This process involved looking over every item critically to ensure that it is sellable. Shipping orders was a process in itself, and I gained a better understanding of how businesses manage their inventory. While I was there, SewLab was in the process of making their factory more efficient, so I was able to help in the organization of the new space. We collectively made decisions about where to move miscellaneous items to ensure a better work environment.

My biggest takeaway from SewLab was getting trained on all of the industrial equipment. I got the chance to use numerous industrial sewing machines, a hot knife, a bar tracker, a binding machine, a cover stitch machine, serger, and other equipment so specialized that we only call it by what it makes, such as the “B Side Part 2 Machine.” This experience will play an important role when I search for jobs post-graduation. After interning at SewLab, I am confident that design/production/manufacturing is where I want to take my degree, and I am thankful to have had this experience so early in my career.