Cottage Industry Hits Putney
As locals sew scrubs as part of national effort ‘For the Love of Scrubs'
Scrubs courtesy of the editor of PutneySW15.com
- don't look too close!
There is a strange hum competing with the birds round Putney as sewing machines have been dusted off as residents join the South London hub - part of the national ‘For the Love of Scrubs'.
Currently there are over 30 volunteers
involved with an additional 12 waiting delivery of sets to make! The local organisers would welcome many more! If you would like to help with assembling garments please email: ma.wright@btinternet.com
Rosie Taylor-Davies prepares 1000's of scrubs for sewers!
Rosie Taylor-Davies is a New Zealander living in Putney with a background in design, garment production and development from the London College of Fashion, Central St Martins College of Art and Design to name a few of her qualifications. She is currently found on her hands and knees cutting thousands of pieces of fabric for the volunteers! The organisers would especially love to hear from you if you are a garment maker or professional in the industry who could help Rosie (pictured above) with the laying out and cutting - she bulk cuts using an electric rotary cutter.
Rosie told this website: "Making scrubs is about the seamstresses and their journey as well as the people they are helping. It’s about a community working together and being able to do something essential and constructive. We value donations, financial and material, and our team of stitchers are making their own personal contribution in this time of crisis for those who need them most, front-line NHS staff."
The South London group are currently working on making 400 sets of scrubs for Kings College Hospital for the Maternity Ward and Paediatric A&E and 120 sets for the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability.
If you are not keen on the sewing you can still get involved - they need financial backing to do this, which is where you can help. Please click this link to find out more information about how to help financially.
virginmoneygiving.com/fund/southlondonscrubs
Give NHS staff a bottle of wine! Show your support at: https://www.glugwines.co.uk/811/Bottle-of-Wine-for-NHS-staff - but don't imbibe too much if sewing ..... our editor doesn't recommend too much wine combined with pins, scissors and sewing machines! |
So why does the NHS need this cottage industry?
Many will be asking why the textile industry is not filling the NHS order books.... Rosie told this website: "The government has been slow to move on the need for scrubs and missed an opportunity to work with small and large factories who are well-placed to supply large quantities efficiently as well as fabric suppliers who could have supplied kits to all who were willing. They also failed to enlist the help of individual professionals through wardrobe departments, the Embroiderers Guild, Women’s Institute and schools and colleges."
These scrubs are made with love, blood (pins do prick fingers occasionally our editor would like to say!) and occasional tears (again over to our editor) for some of us it has been decades since we last used our machines!).
April 24, 2020