Hi - Rosie here, welcome to Dear Lil' Devas :-) I'd like to share with you the way we make our items so that you have an understanding of what you are ordering, and the process that happens between the time that you place your order and when we send it out to you.
Dear Lil' Devas' process is unique - we design and make everything that we offer to you in our studio in Markham, Ontario. After operating for more than a decade, we have honed our production process so that it is (almost ;) perfect. The importance of our Good Vibes Manufacturing Policy is always foremost in my mind; efficiency and consistency are key factors in maintaining a happy and relaxed work environment.
We keep our various industrial sewing machines set up permanently so that we can work with the fabrics that we need to make our apparel items. This permanent set-up means that the needles and stitch gauges are consistent for each machine and the width of the binding that we use for our t-shirts, sleep masks and the strips of fabric for the bamboo braids are always the same. With industrial sewing machines, making changes to the set up can be a very time-consuming process, in fact, very big clothing factories have mechanics on staff who are in charge of making changes to and maintaining the machines because it requires a professional!!
We're Small - But we too have a Permanent Mechanic!
This permanent set-up is what allows us to produce many of our items "just in time". The "just in time" principle is dear to us because we find that it allows flexibility in customizing items for you - such as length, bottom pant leg style and thread colour. It also ensures what is most important in terms of our environmental footprint; little to no excess inventory.
Another factor that contributes to little or no waste for us is that we save any scraps that are generated to make our smaller items. The linen pants scraps are made into tea-towels or handkerchiefs, the bamboo items scraps make our braided bamboo headbands and sleep masks, the original dream pants, thicker dream pants and hemp pants have no waste fabric because they are made in a special way so that all except tiny bits of fabric is used up by the pants.
Easy-Load Yoga Mat Bags. Many of you know and love our yoga mat bags - they preserve your serenity :-) What makes our bags unique is that we designed them so that you can place your mat in the bag and then zip up around it so that it is not difficult to pack up after your class. They were our second major item after our Original Dream Pants back in 2005. But making the yoga mat bags does not allow us to conform to the Permanent Machine Set-Up, and therefore we cannot produce them "Just-In-Time" and they are not available on dearlildevas.com (only very rarely in the Clearance Section).
I must mention our customers in this explanation of how our items are made. The input that we receive from you is of the utmost importance to us in the development and continuity or changes to our product-line. Over the last decade we have had so many of you cooperate with us on the development of our items - most recently the Blissfully Dark Bamboo Sleep Masks. We have a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, and this is not only so that we can be absolutely sure that you are happy with your Dear Lil' Devas garment or accessory, but also so that we can know what we need to consider changing or making available. If you are new to our website, we welcome you and urge you to email any questions that you have to me, rosie@dearlildevas.com and to please not stop communicating after you've received your order. We want to know how you like your new clothes, how you like them after you've worn for a while, how they wear over time, and we would love to hear any suggestions for improvements or alternative items!