I”m a firm believer in having the right clothes for the job and this extends into the work I do in the garden and on the farm. While it might seem like working in the garden would call for puttng on my dirtiest and oldest clothes, I”ve found that I much prefer having specific clothes that I wear in the garden and field that are high quality, comfortable and useful. I’ve also found that I appreciate having something with those same qualities but that looks nice if I”m attending a workshop, working an event or even picking my children up from school!
Many years ago, I came into possesion of a garden smock from England. Traditionally, these smocks were made for fisherman out of sailcloth and were unisex in size and fit. They eventually made their way from boats to gardens due to their hardy and useful nature. What made the smock so very useful to me were the three pockets that lined the front of the garment. I very much enjoyed having a dedicated work shirt and the pockets guareenteed that I could tote along tissues, seed packets, string, gloves and a million things in between. The problem? The smock was unattractive on me as it wasn’t cut for someone with any curves (read: butt) and wasn’t great for our weather here in the states as the sailcloth was just too heavy for our warmer weather. I began thinking of how I would change the smock and thus the idea for our WorkShirt was born.
I finally sketched out my idea for the shirt and sent it off to a pattern maker (that I found on the internet!) who sent me back a very professional looking pattern that I had no idea what to do with! A friend who sews came over and together we made a mock up of the smock which we both loved because it felt chic with it’s boat neckline and 3/4 length sleeves.
After asking a lot of questions and talking to many people about making a small batch of clothing, I came upon Rightfully Sewn in Kansas City. Rightfully Sewn has a mission to empower and teach women a trade so that they can be elevated from systemic situations. I loved the idea of helping women while also having my shirt made! We made a trip to their workroom in Kansas City and were so impressed by the entire operation. Jennifer and her team were so easy to work with and helped tweak our pattern to be the best we could make it.
Our next obstacle was finding the perfect fabric. I knew from the beginning that I really wanted a natural fabric that was strong, breathable, machine washable and that felt good on the skin. Linen was a natural choice! Linen is an incredibly strong fabric (far more durable than cotton) that only gets stronger when washed, is naturally anti-fungal, wicks moisture away from the body keeping you cooler in warmer weather, and allows for lots of movement due to the weave. It’s the perfect fabric for our WorkShirt. We started with a beautiful blue Belgian linen but I hope to one day offer a rainbow of beautiful hues.
The neckline of our WorkShirt is lined with a beautiful Liberty of London fabric as a small – but special – nod to the origins of the smock!
I’m so excited to finally be able to offer our Essential WorkShirt for sale! It’s something that I’m immensely proud of and hope can add some beauty and usefulness to others’ lives as it has done for mine!
Hello, I am in New Zealand and would love to order one of these smocks, but I am not sure what size I would be – do you have measurements available for each size as your sizes are different to ours. I am a New Zealand size 10 in a top. Do you ship to New Zealand and if so what is the price please
Hello Debbie! Thank you for your interest. I would love to ship you a smock but I believe it would be prohibitively expensive! We are working on size chart but in the meantime would be happy to send you measurements (I believe you would be a Medium).
Do you have the sizing/ measurements?
Good morning Noella! Thank you for asking, we are working with our makers on getting a size chart. I
n the mean time, I’m happy to send you the measurements!
Hi my name is Cherlynn Monette from Louisiana. I love the Smocks and we love very much to order one. do you all ship to Louisiana. what is the cost and I am not sure of the size 1X.
Hi Cherlynn, Thank you for reaching out. Yes, we do ship to Louisiana and we have $5 shipping right now. Would you like me to send you the measurements of the Large?
please send me the measurements. I like to wear my shirts extra large.
Thanks
suzanneraley@bellsouth.net
Yes, please! I imagine your Large is too small for me but would love to know when/if you go to an XL or Plus size. Everything about this smock suits this ol’ lady perfectly!
please send me measurements for medium and large smock
Hello! I’m sorry for the late reply, for some reason I wasn’t notified of your comment. I’ll send you an email with the measurements! Thank you!
Hello! I’ve been looking for something like this available in the US for such a long time! Could you please send the measurements for both a small and medium? Thanks in advance!!
Hi Kiely! My apologies, I didn’t see your message. I will get to that today! Thank you!
Anna