BASIL - SAMPLE CUTTER
This interview is with Basil, a sample cutter I worked with at Karen Millen. He has a wealth of cutting knowledge and experience, which he generously shared with me. He is also a talented tailor and machinist (is there anything this guy can’t do!?) and has his own menswear label DENTON. Oh and if that’s not enough, he pretty much makes all his own clothes too. You can see his work here
What is a sample cutter?
My job is to cut all the samples that go into the fit meetings or the selection meetings. I also do costings for first and second samples to assist the Product Developers to achieve their margins. This means that I do the layplans to calculate how much of each fabric and fusing the garment will use, so that a garment can be accurately costed along with the trimmings, factory costs etc.
Why did you want to be a sample cutter?
When I was 15 years old, my mother used to work in a factory doing five thread overlocking. During the summer holiday she said to me "come down to the factory, they need a hand on the cutting table" and I said okay, because it was the summer holiday, and I wasn't doing anything, and thought I could earn a bit of money. So I went down there and started working on the cutting table and got hooked. I just loved it, and that was it from there.
How and where did you learn your skill?
I learned by going from factory to factory, you learn various different skills each place you go to. I've worked at so many different places, so I know a lot about cutting basically. I wasn’t specifically taught how to match when I was cutting. At the age of 15 I was making my own clothes and I would make patterns, for example, a shirt and if it's a check shirt then I just knew it had to be matched. Nobody taught me how to match up, it was just pure instinct, knowing that's the best way to make it look good.
How long have you been in the industry and where have you worked?
I've been in the industry for 34 years. The bulk of that was working in various different factories, cutting many different things from dresses, coats, jackets, trousers. I've been everywhere as far as cutting is concerned. In one of my jobs I worked solely on making markers. (A marker is a cutting guide used in factories, to minimise fabric wastage) It was a very big factory, I was instructing the other cutters of how many to lay up of each size.
Then the garment industry started to go abroad. I would be working in a factory and then the company who uses them would decide to use factories abroad in Europe. So then obviously the factory didn't get any work and it has to close, so I just skipped from factory to factory, when one closed I jumped into another when that closed I jumped into another one and so on until there were no more to jump into. At that point I went onto agency work and they gave me various different jobs. I've been to River Island, Nicole Farhi, French Connection, too many to mention! Then finally I joined Coast in 2003 (Coast, Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen were all part of the Aurora Fashions Group, but now Karen Millen is a stand alone brand) and that's how I'm here today, cutting for Karen Millen.
What is the difference between working at a factory and working as a sample cutter?
At factories we would cut a docket of say, 5,000 units. It is very different to sample cutting in house. Here, I'm just cutting singles, but in the factory you're cutting thousands and the responsibility is on you as the person who makes the marker. If you put two left sleeves in, then you're in trouble, so you really had to check the markers thoroughly, because it was crucial. Mistakes understandably get made, I've made a couple, thankfully nothing too serious. But it's all a learning process. The other difference is speed. At a factory, you start a job, and someone's asking you is it ready yet? So I learned to be quick. When I started sample cutting, I got a call from my agent, she said I gave her company such a great reputation because they'd never seen anybody cut garments so quickly!
What is the best thing you were taught when you were starting out?
I worked with a guy called Ernest. I used to work there during the day and this guy used to come in the evenings to do cutting. It was a Bridal Wear company and the woman who ran the company, she used to say to me "Ernest is coming down this evening, why don't you give him a hand" because I was so eager to learn. I didn't want any money, I just wanted to see how he did things. I learned quite a lot by observing him work and helping him as well. Then when he got paid, he always left some money for me with the boss, which was very nice because I didn't ask for it, I was just doing it to learn. He was a very good cutter and I learnt a lot from him.
“Get a decent pair of scissors, with a balance bolt. It really balances the scissors so you're able to move them quickly”
What is your top tip for home sewers to improve their cutting?
The first thing is get a decent pair of scissors. I can't use small scissors. I just cannot use them. A good pair of scissors as far as I'm concerned has got to be 12 inches or more, and a balance bolt is important. It really balances the scissors and so you're able to move them quickly. I've used a lot of scissors that are extremely sharp, but if they don't have balance I have to go slower along the line. When I'm cutting with scissors that have got balance, then I can just go quick. I have so much confidence that I just cut against the paper and not cut into the paper.
The second thing is I hate working in places where I've got no space to work. So I know home sewers might not have much space, but clear everything off the table before you start.
These are Basil’s scissors. A pair of Wilkinson’s that he’s had for over 10 years. The ‘balance’ comes from the bolt sticking out either side of the blade (which also allows them to stand on the table) and the thumb rest on the ergonomic handle is designed for comfort. As he’s had them so long I cant find this model anywhere online, but I found these which are similar. As you would expect, they are rather expensive, but a solid investment and these ones are endorsed by Saville Row tailors!
What is your favourite tool to use at work?
This sample cutting machine is called a DCS 1500 and it's by Gerber Technology. It's basically a single ply cutting machine and this is the best thing that I've ever seen in the industry. When it first came out I was so shocked, the amount of work that it can cut is quite amazing. It is Laser guided, but there is a 'pizza wheel' blade that cuts the fabric, then there's another tool next to it that does the notches, and one that does the drill holes.
What is your favourite garment to cut?
Not necessarily a certain garment, but I have a favourite fabric to cut. I like cutting tailoring, like trousers and jackets, because it uses quite sturdy fabric. These types of fabrics are quick to cut and I like cutting things quickly and getting onto the next job. With something like georgette you're going to have to put underlay paper underneath it, because it will not keep still on the table alone. You have to rip the start of the fabric right across so that you get a straight grain and then you lay it on the dot and cross paper as straight as possible, at a right angle to the selvedge. You then have to pin it down very carefully so that it doesn't move off grain.
What is the most exciting project you’ve ever worked on?
It was one of my own garments. It was a quilted jacket, there's 3 rows of topstitching on each square. That was done on a single needle sewing machine. So I had to print a grid, and I had the quilting and the fabric, and then the grid on top, and then I sewed all the rows of stitching. I gave good space around each piece because when you quilt it, it's going to shrink a bit. Once you've done all that then you can start matching it up as well.
What is the best part of your job?
Cutting checks. I just like a challenge. I love when I've cut it and it's made. Sometimes I take it from the machinist to have a look at it, because I want to see exactly how my cutting went and if it's all matched up perfectly.
A Karen Millen check jumpsuit, perfectly matched at CF crotch, inside leg seam and outside leg seam, waistband, with a full check falling exactly on CF. Not as easy as it looks! Image credit: Karen Millen
“You must be passionate. You have to love it ”
Final words of advice from Basil