some threads we've been dabbling with...

along the way we found some Sulky threads...
and we like.

Merrow Pie Baking Contest Day 1 & Day 2 & 3

so the pie baking contest begins...
and it's a barn burner.

**update**
we have a winner:
1st place: Julianna
2nd place: Robyn
3rd place: Justin

totals:
12 pies entered
fastest eaten: justin's Meat Pie
slowest eaten: owen's medical mystery pumpkin
most manipulation during serving: robyn
best decoration: nate's UCS Pie
prettiest: Lev's Cherry
dog's favorite: owen's chocolate
best quiche: charlie's quiche
best delivery: donna's apple

Best Overall Pie: Julianna's Apple

--
congrats to all!
Happy Thanksgiving
An updated slide show from Day3:





We're writing on day two after consuming 8 pies (7 dessert, one outstanding quiche)

The rules are:
1. everyone votes on several categories
2. there are no rules
3. winner gets $100

Day 3 is tomorrow. This is awesome.

something a little un-work related

this weekend two folks from Merrow climbed up and through the white mountains-- and over 105 miles, 5h 25min. and 6000 calories.

sometimes the intensity of the week, even our weeks here, can be eclipsed by one Big saturday




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welcome: Nate Murray

Merrow enthusiastically welcomes Nate Murray to the Merrow team in Fall River.
-- Nate starts by teaching us something....


...Danielle offers him a more subtle lesson of her own (get off my turf...) --


Nate's Bio:

Nate Murray is a designer with over ten years of experience in the architecture and graphics fields. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Boston College and Masters of Architecture from the Boston Architectural College, where he was awarded the William E. Nast Scholarship Award for best portfolio. Mr. Murray has worked for multiple prestigious Boston architectural firms in both a design and architectural capacity, and served as liaison in the BAC’s initiative to implement a Building Information Modeling Curriculum with area firms. In addition to his design and scholastic duties, Mr. Murray taught Rhinoceros Software at the BAC and served as teaching assistant for the course ‘American Contemporary Architecture’ taught by Mark Brus.

beautiful merrow stitch

on the blogrolls another lovely garment with merrow stitching

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

enjoy....

the short story about the painting project at Merrow

on a southwest flight from Chicago a week or so ago I sat in the middle seat. after apologizing to the left and right I hunkered down for a couple, three hour flight back to providence, ri.

and then we start talking. an air force colonel (maybe lt. colonel) to the right and an artist to the left. He flew A-10 warthogs and stealth bombers, she had been in Albuquerque studying a technique of paint on tar-paper.

the great right brain left brain drama manifested in airplane seats. seriously, this was unreal.

he sent an email a couple days ago clarifying a sovereign airspace issue we discussed at some length.

she showed up in fall river and started painting. and we begin an interesting new project at merrow...



southwest airlines-- i've got to give you credit for the greatest middle seat flights i've ever taken.

enjoying work

taking a break from talking about stitching, or the economy: today we talk balance.

this spring i've been fortunate to work with a number of great people, and some of these folks happen to be in some really remarkable locales. when it became apparent that an important project needed to be moved ahead with some face to face meetings, i jumped a Southwest flight to Salt Lake City.

we got done what needed doing then jumped in the car for a quick trip up to Snowbird.

this summer we're working harder than ever --we have some really cool stuff going on, and in spite of a tough economy we're making progress--  but balance is key and I think everyone at Merrow understands that enjoying the process is more important than just about anything.

and to be clear -- The novelty of skiing in June still hasn't worn off ...

the Branded Stitch

we have been busy.
and we have developed the worlds first Branded Stitch.

It means a lot to call a stitch a Merrow. Merrow sewing machines incorporate a unique cam-driven technology which achieves more consistent, technically superior stitches. The result is that products, like this one, that are stitched on Merrow machines have better seams, last longer, and wear better. Stitching matters, we know it, and now so do you. Visit merrow.com to learn more about how this superior product was made.

Here's the first tag out of the box....

There will be lot's of more official stuff to come .... but the story remains the same. Great stitching exists, and there's a way to pick it out in the marketplace: find the tag!

Cashmere pullover with Merrow Seams

some more Merrow from Orvis

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Edging emblems -- or sewing a merrowed border

When it comes to emblems, we edge 'em. This week we're going to profile companies that use our machine to do this

first up -- and in no particular order is Allentown Industries

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Michael Kors ...merrow stitching on zappos.com

some merrow contrast stitching to get the day going

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thoughts on a bad economy

The turret is the hanging desk that i call home for the balance of the work day. On this desk sit a laptop connected to a monitor, a slew of papers, cup of coffee from Uncle Jon's and a bunch of other miscellany.

Here at the Turret for the past couple of weeks I've been having conversations that often include 'we're just going to wait it out -- get to the the other side [[of the recession]].' The last man standing type of thing.

Is it possible that this '..get to the other side..' idea is a responsible plan, ( considering it's offered almost unanimously)?

Can't be. It violates a simple rule I'd like to call the 'don't do what everyone else is doing' rule.

First of all there are a couple of broad stroke assumptions that, if wrong, screw you -- Let's not talk about 'the other side' as if we're crossing the delaware and there's a storm a brewin'.

Please.

What we're talking about is a future that may or may not resemble what we so resolutely believe it should be.

Second: i'd argue that the risk profile of 'waiting it out', likely is higher than the exact opposite, possibly defined as a situation where one does everything possible to influence the outcome.

In this case it is the people that take broad proactive steps to affect their future that may have the best possible chance of being in decent shape over the long haul.

The calls i'm taking seem to me one of the best indicators that now is the time to swing big. If you don't define the 'side' that you're struggling so hard to get to ... perhaps it doesn't exist.

Pirates -- data -- Pirate Data!

is this the most important data point. ever?

we're hiring

Reply to: see below
Date: 2009-02-16, 2:25PM EST

The Merrow Sewing Machine Company is a world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of quality, high-performance, industrial sewing machines. Established in 1838, the Merrow brand is one of the most recognizable in the industrial sewing industry.

We are currently looking for a part-time or full-time bookkeeper. Candidates must have strong organizational skills and an ability to handle varied responsibilities.

Responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:

- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable
- Collections
- Journal Entries
- Bank Reconciliations
- Processing Invoices

Qualified and interested candidates, please send resume and cover letter to owen@merrow.com.

Merrow is located on Bedford street in Fall River. 15 minutes from Providence.

We offer a great working environment and business culture. Please visit our website for more detailed information. http://www.merrow.com/

Custom Building 70 class sewing machines & tables

This week we're working on 70 class production.

The product line is designed to join fabric together and in an effort to create a full service line we offer a custom built table and will sew off whatever fabric will be used.

Each machine is hand-built and then sewn off on the appropriate table using the specified thread and fabric.

Below are some of the pictures of the stuff we're working on.

Merrow Newsletter - February 2009

 Monthly Newsletter - February 2009 a review of Merrow.com This month we've been profiled by Kathleen Fasanella of the Fashion Incubator. Her headline 'the best (sewing machine) site on the internet' got our attention! "I’ve been meaning to tell you about the Merrow website for a long time. This is the best example of what any industrial products website should be like as any I’ve ever seen. The landing page is friendly and accessible as you can see below." "I hope you enjoy learning about overlock sewing machines on their site as I have (maybe you’ll even buy one). I haven’t gone through but a tiny portion of the material because I keep getting side tracked with just how well all of the features are so nicely and intuitively done. The cut to the chase summary is if you ever have a question about overlock machines, Merrow should be your stop. All sites should be this nicely done." ______________ for more of this review please jump over to the fashion-incubator Merrow on Twitter A few weeks ago we started 'tweeting'. It's great. The feedback is interesting and it gives us an opportunity to shed some light on the goings-on here at command central. Follow us on Twitter! 70-D3B-2 Production February has been all about the 70 class machines. The service plan, new production, and custom set-ups have really kept us busy. Merrow agent CRM software -- beta release-- Over the past several months we've developed new software for our agents. (that's right -- this is Merrow built!) We've integrated email automation, google maps, our own CRM structure -- and have begun rolling it out on a limited basis. Basically we let our agents see where the customers are, what equipment they're running and have access to loads of email statistics relating to the last email campaign in XYZ country. If you're interested send us a note Here's a sneak peak: Communication In order to keep everyone talking we're integrating Skype with Asterisk & Merrow CRM. You can get started by hooking up with us on Skype. our username is:  merrowusa In Case You Missed It Here are some new articles and Merrow features we recently announced on the Merrow Blog: Fashion-Incubator review of Merrow.com Stewart + Brown Merrow hems new Fabric Warehouse prep the Gas Hose Heist Merrow & the HBO John Adams project dumb sewing video snow & face plants Best, The Merrow Team Overheard onTwitter kfasanella @merrow_machine You have the best internet site in the entire garment industry. I'm writing a review of it today. --- meechele7 @merrow_machine Love Ugly Betty, I think that sewing machine looks a bit scary though. --- arkadyrose @merrow_machine I'm in lust. I am also crying at the price. --- sleenie @merrow_machine For those who prefer not to sew much, pre-edged blanket fabric would be a welcome choice vs fringed fleece. Great idea! --- zugsterbags @merrow_machine The little sewing machines are so cute! (the dog too) --- violetteclark @merrow_machine Wow..sure could have used your wonderful machine on my handmade clutch to serge the edges - http://www.violette.ca/blog... --- Random Quote: from QuotationsPage.com "If you have a harem of 40 women, you never get to know any of them very well." -- Warren Buffett Translate this Email *|TRANSLATE:EN|*

merrow // technology // our role in the community

this morning i had a note on my desk, it read:

If you produce a clothing line, you'll want to see the best sewing machine site on the internet http://bit.ly/NYp2w

today we're going to repost a blog post from the fashion-incubator. Why? the glowing review of merrow's website has something to do with it...

...but that's not all. We believe that at our core we're a member of a large community, and that our job in that community is to interact with this group and bring awesome sewing machines with us. The judgment of the community matters. When you write about us we're going to pay attention --

In 2009 our website is our public face, the days of being able to visit the community are largely passe. However interaction with the community remains critical -- and perhaps even more important considering the amount of information that is available today.

That's why we use Twitter, and I spend much of my time writing code, wrestling with SQL & PHP.

Merrow has built every piece of technology (or adopted & modified) that you see. And there's a lot you can't see that our agents & distributors use.  

Merrow is a sewing machine manufacturer. We do not forget that. But our community needs more from us than a sewing machine... in many respects our job is to illustrate not just 'how' to do something but 'what *else*' can be done. 

We need to represent why Merrow equipment and Merrow itself creates opportunity for people and companies who design and manufacture sewn products.

In 2009 we will work harder than anyone in our industry to do this -- to enable people to make things, and hopefully along the way use Merrow machines to do it. We believe that we can change the dynamics of this industry by employing technology, listening to the community and building great sewing machines. 

Regards,

Charlie Merrow

Merrow Sewing Machine Co.

With no further ado: the article from the fabric-incubator (reposted from this link http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/the-best-sewing-machine-site-on-the-internet/ )

The best (sewing machine) site on the internet

Posted by Kathleen Fasanella on Feb 11, 2009 at 4:23 pm / Machines & Equipment / Trackback

Many web sites that serve the production needs of the apparel industry are awful. It’s not something most of us complain about as we’ve become accustomed to being grateful that they have a site at all when untold others still don’t. Until recently, the site amenities of the largest supplier in the industry was limited to pushing a button to make a globe spin or shoot off fireworks; the height of web site programming circa 1993.

I’ve been meaning to tell you about the Merrow website for a long time. This is the best example of what any industrial products website should be like as any I’ve ever seen. The landing page is friendly and accessible as you can see below.

Merrow manufactures industrial sewing machines; the only ones still made in the United States. If you’ve heard the term “merrowing” or merrow stitching, the speaker is usually referring to an overlock or serge stitching. Joseph Merrow was the inventor of the overlock sewing machine. Merrow had an interesting life; the family’s business was producing knit fabrics. When the family’s mill burnt to the ground in a gunpowder incident (Merrow’s dad had a gunpowder patent), Joseph went on to develop crochet sewing machines. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons.

Today, Merrow is owned by Joseph Merrow’s two great great nephews Owen and Charlie Merrow (Joseph never married or had children). They are also, coincidentally enough, great grandsons of Lena Bryant who is better known as Lane Bryant. I suppose with a family history of innovation, it’s not surprising their site is so great. By the way, the company is really tiny with only 26 employees. The owners are also quite young, in their early to mid thirties. I can only imagine their youth is one reason the site is literally designed with today’s entrepreneurs in mind. In addition to the multi-faceted site with podcasts and videos, they have a ning forum, blog and they even twitter! I’ve never been wild about ning forums, they’re pretty but not as functional as other options but all in all, I’m not about to argue about it since no one else does anything approaching this magnitude of accessibility.

With most suppliers sites, you really have to wade through cryptic menu options to find out anything, or even to discover whether the information is to be had at all. Or what you even need, or what the thing does. For example, have you ever tried to find a sewing machine manual on a supplier’s site? It is the biggest headache ever but not so on Merrow’s site. Here’s a screen capture from their site with instructions on how to locate a manual:

I hope you enjoy learning about overlock sewing machines on their site as I have (maybe you’ll even buy one). I haven’t gone through but a tiny portion of the material because I keep getting side tracked with just how well all of the features are so nicely and intuitively done. The cut to the chase summary is if you ever have a question about overlock machines, Merrow should be your stop. All sites should be this nicely done.

The spanish sensation -- with free stuff

Sometimes it feels good just to give it away.

In spanish.

Stewart + Brown goodness

lot's going on this week. seems that this time of year is about planning, traveling and software development. All good stuff. In the midst we might take a moment to admire some made in the US S+B merrow hemmed hotness.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

we dig. we dig.

when i grow up I want to.... wait. what?

So we are big fans of the blogs. And twitter -- and every once in a while we turn a corner and BAM! something we couldn't have anticipated.

Like this new blog
http://aniadesigns.blogspot.com/

Self Described as:
A fashion designer and business developer with an aim to fight injustice in the world and to help the orphans and the widows. 

 We wake up every day and try to do well. Sometimes a good day, sometimes not. But our bar, well how shall we say this.... might not be as high as Ania Designs.

We genuinely hope she clears it  -- and if we can help with a little purl stitching...

Readying the fabric warehouse... pics of the 'overstock'

What we're thinking is:

1. lot's of people can use fabric
2. we have mucho fabrico
3. let's let people order said fabric in whatever quantities they want

we're working on an application that catalogs and offers what you see below (and a lot more...) for sale. We should be up and running with it by next friday.

on Etsy... the bayou olive scoop neck with Merrow hems

another nice piece of clothing on Etsy with Merrow hems (or edges), this posted by circularaccessories.

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the Great Gas Hose Heist

this is the Merrow corporate blog. Therefor the coverage of officers of the company is an appropriate and perhaps a requisite element of the blog.

Today our subject is none other than the eponymous Owen Merrow. His daily contributions to the company are many, and the hours he logs almost unmatched.

On Wednesday night he drove off from a gas station without first detaching the gas nozzle from his auto. The result has been captured in drawing and soon song, to be remembered for all time.

The epic almost ends with the pimply faced Cumberland farm employee running down the highway after his gas hose.

but Our story only begins there... as once word of the Great Gas Hose Heist leaked, it has become a twitter entry, a blog entry and the subject of a drawing contest.

As of this morning we're not quite sure why he tried to steal a gas hose from the pump ... but rest assured that with constant attention and relentless ribbing, we Will get to the bottom of it!

stitch samples

 the process of sewing stitch samples involves finding the right needle plate. we have an estimated 10,000 in our inventory of modified and new plates.

the hunt begins here:

From misc

Merrow on Artfire -- a 'tiny merrow hem'

It don't have to be big. In fact we do tiny better than most, the most subtle of edges is the Merrow edge and here we are rounding out a lovely scarf available on Artfire.

Artfire looks a little like Etsy and seems to share traffic. We, at Merrow, are big proponents of the small market craft shopping portals like both Etsy and Artfire and we wish the folks at both lots of luck...

In the mean time warm up your neck: 

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

John Adams on HBO and Merrow

Congrats to the John Adams project!

Last year we were asked to participate in the set development. Merrow offered the HBO production our line of Crochet sewing machines.

Next thing you know the show is a runaway success.... to point out the obvious, we believe that the critics were heavily influenced by the quality of the stitching.

Here are some pics, followed by a letter from the John Adams show

I am attaching some pictures here of an exterior scene

of the Boston streets draped for a funeral of the

Boston Massacre victims. You cannot see the work of

your machine, but we edged all of the wool draped on

the buildings with the blanket-stitch Merrow. I have

also included an interior shot of the Adams'

children's bedroom. The wool blankets got the Merrow

treatment as well. I am afraid I do not have any shots

that are close up enough to see the stitch work, but

at least you know it is there!

Thank you for your compliments, I have heard from many

people how good it looks (and how good it is!),

unfortunately I do not have HBO available where I am

now, so I will have to wait for it's arrival on DVD.

All the best, I am sure I will be contacting your

company again for sewing needs!

Regards,

Helen Rasmussen

draper for "John Adams"

We are always grateful for the opportunity to participate in these types of projects (keep your eyes peeled for Merrow and Ugly Betty...), for more information about how to get a 'loaner' for some on or off screen work send us an email.

For more information about the line of crochet sewing machine click here, and for more sewing machines click here.

Thank you John Adams, and once again -- Congratulations!!!

corniness. we're all about getting people to sew...but

seriously.
this is the good stuff....


The Sewing Movie from on Vimeo.

snow + need for excercise + impending face plant

things we should all try...

Etsy Cashmere scarf

on a cold day in the northeast, it stands to reason that being outside would be better with a cashmere scarf. It would be improved of course, if said scarf was edged with a Merrow stitch.

It will keep you warmer. Promise. ;)

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the dark horse

Merrow makes a wide variety of machines; the sexy stuff is here and here and here.

The dark horse of the line is our 70 class machine. Used to join fabric together it is found in almost every textile mill. Most of the material that you're wearing, sitting on, looking at, was at one point rolling along a gigantic finishing machine where it invariably passed a Merrow 70 class machine.

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These machines are subject to some of the toughest conditions. They are often nickel plated to avoid corrosion.

Imagine dropping your sewing machine, hitting it with a hammer now and again, soaking it in bleach and running it without lubricant ..... for years on end. Would it still work?

That 70 class machine does... quietly and without incident

twitter

so twitter.

we're here: http://twitter.com/merrow_machine

_____
now why we're there, what we're doing there.... these are good questions. And we don't have good answers. It's fun and for the time being, we're there because it's the place to be (and in the last two days 18 people started following us... which feels great until you realize that the balance of these folks follow thousands of people)

twitter. the future of short attention span communication SASC

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an etsy combo by zorya

As we work each day to build sewing machines...we become fond of people/companies and websites that appreciate a great stitch. Estsy is getting the award this month.

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the Scissor Warehouse

welcome 2009.
it's about time. that's all i've got to say about that.

--this year we're going to be doing many different things. Some small, others not so small. Today's experiment is the former. A long time ago i championed the idea of microsites. Personally I find them easier to use etc. Just so long as they don't pretend to be independent.

Here is the first of our peripheral stores. It is a first draft, the sandbox single. Can we isolate non-branded product in a way that makes sense to Merrow people and non-merrow people.

Wiss Scissors

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Feedback as always is welcome. The idea scales, the concept is to simplify those things we do that are peripheral (NOT sewing machines etc...) and make the interfaces as navigable as possible