Get ready for the new school year with JUKI this August! We are thrilled to introduce our latest additions to the JUKI family: the HZL-HT740 and HZL-HT710 computerized sewing machines. We also can’t forget a great class serger, the sleek and efficient MO-80CB.
Attend your favorite classes with the perfect companions – these light and compact machines are ready to make sewing a breeze. The HZL-HT740 and HZL-HT710 offer cutting-edge technology, ease of use, and a wide range of stitching options to unleash your creativity. Pair them with the MO-80CB serger to achieve flawless finishes and professional-quality results on all your sewing projects. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to upgrade your sewing experience – seize the chance to enjoy the new year and embark on your sewing journey with confidence!
Meet our JUKI National Accounts ready to help you find the right machine for your dream projects!
JUKI’s National Account Dealers have highly desired JUKI models on display. This allows you and other customers the ability to see and try the machines at a National Account Dealer location to help you find the right JUKI for your sewing needs.
To find your nearest JUKI National Account visit us here.
BILLIAM, a custom jean company based out in Greenville, South Carolina, was founded by Bill Mitchell in 2009 right out of his family’s basement. Over the years since opening, Bill’s business has flourished and has continued to thrive as fashion lovers all over the world find him. Today we’re going to take you behind the scenes of BILLIAM and their two-man show where they showcase the process of ordering your own custom jeans and the work that goes into the designs we love.
Follow along below for the transcript version of our interview with Bill Mitchell from BILLIAM
Hey guys, my name is Bill Mitchell, from BILLIAM Jeans, we are a custom jean company based in Greenville, South Carolina, and we’ve been making jeans since 2009 for people, and essentially what we do is we take your measurements, we show you different fabrics you can choose, and then we build you anything you want from scratch.
Now the process of buying a pair of jeans from us is you schedule an appointment to come into our store; you come in, and we will take your measurements, and then we’ll show you different fabrics that you can choose, and then we’ll sit down, and we’ll talk about the different style you want.
So if you wanted something that would be skinny, slim, straight, layered, baggy, whatever that is, we can kind of make those creative decisions after we get your measurements. Then it takes about a month to have us produce that pants for you. then we ship it to you, or you can come into the store and pick it up.
If you don’t live in Greenville and you can’t make it into our shop, then we can do all of this over Facetime. So you can set up a time to Facetime with us with a measuring tape, and I will walk you through the entire process as if you’re here in the store but from the comfort of your own home.
What inspired you to start sewing?
So in the seventh grade, I took a home ec class, and that was the first time I learned I could use fabric and a sewing machine to build things from scratch, and it was a really fun, powerful moment where I had built something that I was proud of.
In college, I started tailoring clothes for myself, and I realized I could start tailoring things for other people that they could be proud of. So I needed a product that I could make that I could do that with and scale, so I chose blue jeans, and the service of tailoring clothes to people or making things bespoke to solve people’s problems was a great joy for me. I’ve spent the last 15 years doing that, and it’s a very rewarding process to get to not only make things from scratch but make things that benefit other people’s lives.
What was it like opening your first shop?
So opening my first shop was a really strange experience because I had been jeans at this point in my parent’s basement for a year and a half, and it got to the point where it was strange to have people that I didn’t know coming to my parent’s house, down to their basement fitting them for jeans, and so I knew I needed to find a place that was my own.
It kind of got to the point where I knew I needed to open up a shop. I opened up that first store and it was just a really fun experience to have something that was my own and to create an atmosphere that I could custom-tailor to the experience that I wanted to give people. Now I’ve had three or four different shops over the course of 15 years, but I’ll never forget that first shop and how fun of a time it was to do that.
How has life changed as a small business owner?
Okay, so life as a small business owner is a very strange life because, in so many ways, every day looks different. So you know, for me as an artist and as a business person, I have to stay focused and really choose what I’m going to do each day. To me, really having a concrete process of how I’m going to make things, and the different machines that I’m going to use, allows me to take an order and have a good time making that order so I can actually have a successful day.
To have JUKIs in my room that are all working, and the technology is allowing me to produce this product in a way that’s very easy is a really nice process.
What is in store for BILLIAM Jeans?
So BILLIAM has always been, essentially, a service that we offer to people, and that service through making custom jeans is a very challenging thing to scale, but there’s a different technology that I’m very curious about and am investing in currently that would allow us to make it easier to make custom jeans for people without them having to come to the store.
The future of BILLIAM is adding as much technology as we can to the fitting process so that you could essentially download an app, scan yourself from home, and do everything online. You never need to come in, and it’d be a very easy thing to just have your jeans made without having too much of a stressful experience.
In a world of evolving trends, what is your most and least favorite jeans style?
Okay, so in the world of evolving trends, specifically in jeans, you’ve seen so many things. From low-rise jeans, skinny jeans, really baggy jeans, kind of like the JNCO million pockets kind of thing. For me, I’ve always really enjoyed the people of the ’70s. I really love the flair of it, I love the colors, the style, that you know you just give this sense of freedom to fashion back in the day. So, for me, I think the most fun trend to be a part of is making a flare jean. Right now, doing it custom, you can kind of put the knee at the right place to get the flare to open up at the right proportion for somebody, and that is a lot of fun to do.
I say the least fun thing for me to make would be something that is very low-rise skinny jeans, probably. That would probably be like the very Britney Spears ’90s thing, I don’t know if that’s my thing right now. But ill probably regret saying that in 5 years.
How can a customer find BILLIAM?
So the easiest way to find us and to stay updated with all the different things we love to talk about and share with you would be Instagram. BILLIAMJeans at Instagram is the best place. if you want to see photos of the work we’ve done, you can go to our website, which is BILLIAMJeans.com, but to me, the single primary place that I like to communicate with people is through Instagram at BILLIAMJeans.
To learn more about BILLIAM visit their website or Instagram! Thank you for joining us today in getting to know Bill Mitchell and his shop BILLIAM Jeans. We hope you get a chance to visit the next time you’re in the Greenville area of South Carolina.
Join us today and get an inside look at SewingMachinesPlus.com’s San Diego shop location as we visit with Blaine, a well-known face for the SMP business! With over 50 years of business, SewingMachinesPlus.com operates the largest sewing machine and vacuum cleaner website nationwide. Located in Southern California, you can visit one of their two retail locations in San Marcos and San Diego, both offering 10,000 square feet of showroom with giant classrooms to host weekly Sewing classes and monthly events!
Follow along below for the transcript version of our interview with Blaine from SewingMachinesPlus.com
Hi, I’m Blaine Austin and I’m with SewingMachinesPlus, and we have two retail superstores in the San Diego area, and we also have a big online presence that we ship nationwide.
What is the history of SewingMachinesPlus.com?
The company was founded by Ron Martin, and he’s been in probably the sewing business for probably over 50 years. SewingMachinesPlus itself, the concept of online business has been well over 25 years, and that’s kind of how the company started. He’s got his two sons involved in the business as well, and I joined the company in 2018. We’ve been going strong ever since!
What can customers expect when shopping at SewingMachinesPlus.com?
One of the things at SewingMachinesPlus that we strive on is customer service, and in customer service, one of our core values, the number one, is to be customer driven. I know that’s easy for companies to say, but to do it is a completely different thing and you have to work extremely hard to make sure that you’re giving incredible customer service.
One of the things that we have at SewingMachinesPlus.com that we instill in all of our employees, is finding a way to say yes. That’s our number one policy. So we do whatever we can do, through training, through support with our machines, we do new owner classes through Zoom, so we find a way to make sure the customer is happy with their machine, that they can use it, and grow with it.
What machines can customers find at SewingMachinesPlus.com?
We actually, at SewingMachinesPlus.com, carry every single brand of sewing machine out there, and naturally, JUKI is one of our top brands. and we carry every single JUKI machine, including the industrial machines, and residential machines. And so, you can basically see at our locations and online presence, every quilting, embroidery, and sewing machine that is made.
Why did SewingMachinesPlus.com choose to carry JUKI?
Well, one of the reasons we chose JUKI, is you know the number one thing, is just the quality. You know, when you get a JUKI machine I pretty much steel everybody, “It’s bulletproof.” it is such a great machine, and it’s pretty simple to operate too, so that’s one of the things we very seldom have any problems.
What I like about JUKI is they have a machine that’s gonna fit just about any job you can come up with for sewing, and so you know that’s one of the things.
The number one machine we actually sell is the 2010. We have sold thousands of those things, and the customers really love that straight stitch machine but you know, we also introduce the new RICOH printer that JUKI has in just the last couple of years and we’ve sold more of those than anybody in the country. Then we also have the TAJIMA 8-needle embroidery machine that JUKI is distributing, and that had been a big seller for us as well.
We really love all the different things that JUKI has, and the different machines that they carry that give you the versatility of pretty much anything you want to attack in the sewing world.
What do you see for the future of SewingMachinesPlus.com?
Well, that’s kind of a loaded question! You know we are continuing to try and reinvent ourselves. You know a lot of stores during the pandemic struggled, but we strived, we actually figured out a way to do things more virtually and did a lot more visual classes. So we found ways in social media to get more customers in and you know we’re doing that every day.
We’re looking at technology and things, where we can get more of a customer base, and that’s the thing we’re continuing to strive for and to continue to build that customer base and give them great customer service. You know that’s the number one thing.
One of the things we’ve done too is developed a network of repair techs nationwide, so now we can send somebody to your house nationwide to do installs and repairs, and that’s been big for us as well.
So one of the things we’re continuing to do is just try and think outside the box to come up with new and better ways to do it.
How can customers find SewingMachinesPlus.com?
We welcome everybody out there to come and check our website out its www.SewingMachinesPlus.com, and also, give us a call at 800-401-8151. We have a huge call center of operators standing by that can answer pretty much any question you have in sewing. One of the things that w really do, and the reason we encourage people to give us a try is that everybody we hire has to go through an extensive training program with sewing machines so they are very knowledgeable, and our live chat agents have to be sewers and quilters and embroiderers before we’ll even hire them.
So the people you’re talking to at SewingMachinesPlus are very knowledgeable about every single product and that’s the number one thing we try to do, try to give you great customer service and great prices!
To learn more about SewingMachinesPlus visit their website or socials down below! Thank you for joining us today in getting to know Blaine and our National Account SewingMachinesPlus. We hope you get a chance to visit the next time you’re in the San Diego area.
Don’t miss out on SewingMachinesPlus.com updates by following their socials below!
When it comes to birthdays, we love to give the people in our life things they will enjoy! One of the best gifts people can receive is something made with love, so today, we wanted to talk about some great ideas for what you can make for upcoming summer birthdays!
For the Kids
When deciding on gifts for kids, we can never have too much fun in being creative for them! A fun gift if you have a child who enjoys having friends over is a floor seat cushion. Fabric choices that make this a comfort to have, such as cotton or faux are great options when designing your cushion. Get creative with loud colors or prints! Check out heavier fabrics for the bottom to create something long-lasting like canvas or denim. Look into JUKI accessories like our piping presser foot to add a clean finish around your cushion. The HZL-NX7 offers plenty of throat space and comes with features like zig-zag, and free-motion sewing that will make this project a breeze. Make summer enjoyable with this fun project!
For Travelers
If you have a family member or friend who’s always going to travel or moving around, look into creating a duffle bag for them! Perfect for bringing their books, sports equipment, and other personal items with them everywhere, they’ll have a safe place for all their things. Add features to their duffle bag like pockets for their chargers, essentials, and more. Look into nylon or polyester fabric that’s durable and keeps items safe from water. Finish off their bag with Velcro or a zipper. Add this final touch with JUKI accessories like our zipper presser foot. A machine like our TL-2010Q is perfect for creating duffle bags and gives you that clean finish every time.
For the Golfers
If you have a family member that loves golfing, look into creating a beautiful vinyl cover for their golf club! Vinyl is a great fabric to use when creating projects as it’s a strong material and can handle being moved around or taking a hit out on the golf course. Look into accessories like our cording and embroidery presser foot, and piping presser foot for some pieces you’ll want to when it comes to decorating your project. A machine like the DX-2000QVP is perfect to work on when it comes to embellishing and designing your club cover for personalization!
For the Techies
Every day more people go out in the world and purchase a tablet! No matter what tablet you own, you know how important it is to keep it protected on the go. A great gift you can create is a padded tablet case! Always start by making sure you have the right measurements for your tablets, and try to go up to about an inch to leave a little wiggle room so it’s not too snug. Add features like pockets on the front or inside the bag to hold chargers and accessories. Look into adding bag handles for easy movement when you’re on the go. Accessories like our tape binder are perfect to have on hand for that clean professional look you want. Using a machine like our TL-2010Q is perfect for creating carrier cases! Add their name or place beautifully embroidered designs with the JUKI Tajima Sai.
Whether you’re giving a gift to your family or a coworker, handmade is always the most fun way to go! If you try one of these products post it on your social media and tag us! We can’t wait to see what you design for your upcoming summer birthdays this year.
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