Amish Community Case Study

The leader of an Amish community in Ohio called me asking for help. Apparently, the Amish women in his community were “sick and tired of making their menfolk’s clothing” and wanted out from under those domestic duties. He asked if I could standardize their sizing, make patterns, and manufacture a church jacket, a church pant, and a church vest that he could sell in a store he was planning to open. I said yes. I mean, who wouldn’t?

As he had no phone, I could never call him. He always called me from some undisclosed location, but he did have access to email where he worked at a local lumber supplier. After several conversations he hired me and sent samples of the three garments he wanted produced. His label was to read, “Plain Community Clothing,” under which was a horse and buggy which he provided the sketch for.

I created a template for sizing with waist sizes from 32-44, and made a first pattern for each of the three styles. The fabric was an obstacle because it was 100% black Polyester with a small pattern running through it. He insisted I had to source fabric that was exactly the same the samples. He was adamant that even the slightest deviation would not be considered. I sourced an exact match.

Everything was going fine until the church jacket was cut and ready to be sewn. The jacket had to be closed with three hooks and eyes that could not be visible. To do that my sewers would have to open the seam between the placket and facing, sew the hooks and eyes in the proper place, by hand, and then re-sew the seam. That process would have increased the cost of this order to unacceptable levels. By this time, I had received all the fabric, patterns had been completed, and space in the factory had been cleared for production. I was stymied.

That evening I sent emails to my client and he called the next day. I explained the problem and tentatively suggested that since we were doing everything else, perhaps the Amish ladies wouldn’t mind just fastening the hooks and eyes.

I wound up producing the jacket with a small opening in the interior seam of the sleeve lining. That allowed the Amish ladies to get inside the facing and sew the hooks and eyes, which they heartily agreed to do. That’s how I became the un-official manufacturer for an Amish community in Ohio. It’s always something, it’s very rarely easy, but it’s what we get hired to do.