Our Story

I have always loved clothing. I love simple, well made garments, ones that you can live in and wear day in day out. I enjoy getting nerdy over construction details and there's nothing I love more than inspecting a well made garment. Understanding how the piece was made really excites me and for me it's the structure that holds the integrity of the garment. In my opinion you can't beat a solid, sturdy garment made from exquisite woven fabric. 

Clothing not only excites me from the design perspective, but a personal one too. Garments hold memories and experiences. They clothe us while we live our lives and see us through our best and worst moments, ultimately clothing us while we grow. They hold the power of making you feel proud, comfortable and good in your own skin.

And there's more to this passion! The act of making clothes is the best part of it all. The time I spend at my old industrial brother machine are special hours of calm and creativity and it's one of my favourite places to be. An afternoon to myself at my machine with Desert Island Disks playing in the background is pure bliss.

So how did I get here?

I first started sewing on the attic landing as a teenager, ferociously making bags for my school friends and throwing myself into early diy (with questionable results). I studied art at A Levels and then attended London College of Fashion for a foundation year and following that a degree in Fashion Design & Development.

After graduating I founded Henri London in September 2016, designing and selling a small range of timeless women's staples made from sustainably sourced fabrics. We settled into a shop on the Hackney Road and during this time I started to teach shirt making. I was amazed at the enthusiasm from people looking to sew their own clothes and it introduced me to the world of home sewing.

When the pandemic hit in 2020 it brought an unexpected pivot to my career. I went from selling fully made clothes to selling patterns and online workshops for people to sew their own clothes at home. Having had a great reaction to this from the community of home makers I decided to go full throttle into this pivot and founded The Modern Sewing Co. in June 2021.

It's early days for us but this is a project I'm hugely excited about. In a world of anonymous clothes it feels good to be helping others connect to their clothing more and building wardrobes from their kitchen tables. I look forward to seeing where this journey will take us and I can't wait to build and get to know our own home sewing community.

Hetty - Founder