How it's Made: Bates Beach Blankets 2023
STEP 1 | DESIGN
Adrienne is our Lead Designer and the mastermind behind our annual Beach Blanket design. She has been with our team since 2014 and has not only come up with lots of new original designs but has also brought back many Bates designs from the archive.
STEP 2 | WEAVING
With over 40 years in the textile industry, Danny is our most experienced technician. He is our resident "Mr. Fix-it" and keeps a careful watch over all our machines, from the weave room to the finishing area. He punched the pattern above and readied Loom 4 for weaving your Beach Blankets.
STEP 3 | FINISHING
CUTTING: After the weavers move the rolls to the finishing area, a team of two cutters load the rolls onto the cutting table. Each Beach Blanket is then measured and cut with a special round fabric knife before being staged on tables for the stitchers.
STITCHING: Once a stack of Beach Blankets have been cut, they are given to the stitchers for hemming. The stitchers will then hem each blanket and load them into a basket for the wash room.
WASHING: Once a stitcher fills a basket with Beach Blankets, the basket will be wheeled over to the washroom to be washed and dried in our industrial machines. Once the blankets are dry, they'll be sent to the final production area - inspection, folding and packaging.
MEET THE CRAFTSWOMAN
Diane is our most senior stitcher and has been with Bates for almost two decades. She specializes in applying the fringe to our bedspreads - which takes some real talent because she has to guide the fringe and fabric into the sewing machine at the same time for a seamless hem and stitch.
STEP 4 | FOLDING & SHIPPING
INSPECTION: Once the Beach Blankets come out of the dryer, they are sent to folding where teams of two will inspect each blanket checking for flaws. Flaws that can be fixed are repaired and flaws that cannot are marked as Factory Seconds and sold at a discount in our outlet store at the factory.
FOLDING: If the blankets pass inspection, they are then folded and packaged by the inspectors prior to going to shipping.
SHIPPING: This is the final step in production when the blankets are labeled and shipped to customers. Most of our 2023 Beach Blanket presale orders have been shipped, and we plan to finish the remaining orders this week.
MEET THE CRAFTSWOMEN
Shannon (left) and Michelle (right) are inspection partners. They work together to inspect each item, making sure that it meets our high standards, before folding and packaging them by hand. We have three full-time folding/inspection teams.
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We hope you enjoyed learning about how our 2023 Bates Beach Blankets are made! Still have questions about our manufacturing process? Ask away in the comments below!