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Summer expansion update

July 5, 2021 By Alison

Our goal is to get a Beatrice into the hands of everyone who’d like one. Right now, that’s not possible. With just the two of us and one cutting machine, Nate and I can only make so many each month in our home workshop. So, we’re off to the races to expand our production capability as fast as we can.

Like we mentioned last month, we’re interviewing candidates for our production assistant role which is going extremely well. It never ceases to amaze me how many creative, motivated people are out there, especially in the sewing world! We’re hoping to introduce our new team member to you all by early August.

On the new production studio front…

We’ve assembled most of the furniture and purchased the new sewing machines and equipment. I’m still waiting on our custom cutting mat which I’m SUPER excited about. I will upgrade my personal setup with one if we end up really liking it…no more cobbled together, running off the end of the mat situation for me, WOOHOO!

The plan over the next few weeks is to move our finishing and shipping operation over to the new space to see what we’re missing in terms of supplies/equipment. Then we can sort it all out before we start training our new team member. Lots of things happening at once.

Machine #2

Until recently, having only one cutting machine was fine. It’s essentially a well-performing prototype that Nate built in the early days that got our company off the ground. Now, having just this one machine is a liability. It’s time to take everything we’ve learned with that awesome little prototype and build the next generation.

To that end, Nate’s been designing a new, mo’ betta CNC that’s got all kinds of improvements specifically for cutting foam bodices. The new bells and whistles will make production a lot easier but also just having TWO machines (and later this year, THREE) will make all the difference in increasing capacity since Nate can run them in parallel.

Nate placed his first part orders today and can’t wait to get started on the build in the coming weeks. Like most big moves at Beatrice Forms, it’s a family affair: Nate’s dad Larry will be helping with the assembly and I’ve been recruited for my type-A soldering skills. We’re hoping to have machine #2 online in a month or so.

Once we’re done, I’ll have lots of pictures for you!

We’re hiring!

June 10, 2021 By Alison

As you all know, demand for our forms has outgrown what Nate and I can make here in our barn workshop. Good problems, yes!

So, last week we took the leap and signed a lease for our first office. It’s located inside this super cool, collaborative workspace called The Studio (Boulder) that used to be a velodrome of all things! Yup, that’s an Airstream inside where we can have meetings if we want. 🌟 Our neighbors are other creative businesses and artists, as well as Sanitas Brewery and an awesome taco truck outside.

As a part of this expansion, we’re also looking for a creative, and detail-oriented custom garment sewist to join the Beatrice Forms team in Boulder, CO part-time starting in July. This team member will help us sew custom covers and finish forms, pack scan kits, and ship all those goodies out the door.

We’re a growing startup that cares passionately about supporting garment creators in getting beautiful, well-fitting results no matter if they’re sewing for themselves at home or costuming actors for a major film production. If you’re excited to be a part of something new in the sewing industry that’s solving real problems for people in all shapes and sizes, this job could be for you!

To learn more and apply, click here.

What? Draping class for home sewists?

November 27, 2019 By Alison

Back in the early days of Beatrice, when we were testing with our Early Supporters, someone purchased one of our forms who’d never used a commercial sewing pattern in her life. I was shocked. Doesn’t everybody learn to sew starting with paper patterns? Nope.

Apparently, she draped all of her handmade clothing on a dress form. I mentioned this to my friend and colleague Sophie, and she told me that’s how she came to making garments too. She draped fabric on a form to generate the style she had in her head. Granted, she went to fashion school, but still, this was how she first thought to make clothing.

Hmmm. I thought draping was an advanced technique not for beginners. Maybe, draping was just another way to explore fabric and its behavior on the body. I wondered what’s more important to understand first: fabric as it translates physically into a style on the body or garment sewing execution?

[Read more…] about What? Draping class for home sewists?

What we’re creating with our Spoonflower Small Business Grant

September 23, 2019 By Alison

Half-scale Beatrice covered in custom Spoonflower fabric

One of the goals we have at Beatrice is to inspire personalized creative expression. We accomplish this in a number of ways, like finishing our 3D scan dress forms as beautifully as we can and by making them as true as possible to the person they emulate. Until now, this has been limited to just body shape. 

Several months ago, Sophie and I started kicking around the idea of covering our forms with fabric in custom skin tones. Until now, we could never make them available in the way we envisioned because our low volume limited us to only a few batch-dyed fabric colors.

We also receive requests all the time for a draped woven cover, which is traditional for standard dress forms. Currently, we ship our forms with plain knit covers to keep them as affordable as possible. Woven covers always felt out of reach.

Could we solve both problems at once?

[Read more…] about What we’re creating with our Spoonflower Small Business Grant

Beatrice goes to Denver Startup Week

September 21, 2019 By Alison

Sharing our wares at the Physical Product Showcase

I can say with confidence that Denver Startup Week has probably never hosted another dress form startup. But against the odds, Beatrice made a rare appearance at the Physical Product Showcase representing the latest in sewing tech alongside the IoT dog collars and food startups. Nate and I got a kick out of seeing attendees light up when they finally wrapped their heads around what we do!

[Read more…] about Beatrice goes to Denver Startup Week

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