Artisan Made for Enduring Quality

There is no mass production at Manor & Nest. All of our pillow covers are made by one person, in one room, on a handful of both vintage and modern sewing machines. Just like at an artisanal bakery or vineyard, our products are made in small batches, with great attention to detail paid to each item in production.

Each pillow cover begins with the purchase of upholstery remnants and bolt ends at our local upholstery fabric store. As we browse the remnant tables, we look for fabrics which might play well together, as well as textiles which are usually only offered to the trade and not available at retail. We are excited when we find fabric by Thibaut, Schumacher, or Kravet, and by designers we love like Mark D. Sikes, Jill Seale, and Marion McEvoy. We pay particular attention to how the different textures, patterns, and colors will complement each other. Most of the time we are able to source fabrics which pair nicely and often with a surprising synergy. However, every now and then we find something irresistible that we’ll buy even when we are unsure what it will become. Then we just store it safely, knowing that we will eventually find its match and the best way to put it to use.

Once we’ve got the fabric back to our workroom, we measure it and log it in our inventory system. We built our inventory tracker with formulas to help us figure out the optimal size and quantity of pillow covers each cut of fabric allows. That said, some patterns or textures just suggest the size and shape which show them the best.

We cut each piece for each pillow cover individually, using either a rotary cutter or upholstery shears, depending on the fabric, and all our cuts are along the straight grain of the fabric. And while our product descriptions all state that design placement will vary, we pay particular attention to the balance and symmetry of patterns and weaves, the nap of velvets, and how each individual cut will fill the face or back of the pillow it becomes.

All of our seams are both sewn and overlocked, or serged. Sewing machine thread and serger thread are not the same. Because sergers use four strands of thread at a time, the thread is typically spun at weaker strength than the thread made for sewing machines, which only use two strands to create a seam. The seams on our pillows are first sewn for strength, and then overlocked to control fraying. This double seaming ensures a product which will last. We overlock on a new Juki serger, and sew your pillow covers on a variety of new and vintage Singer and Janome sewing machines.

With the exception of our indoor/outdoor pillow covers, all of our pillow covers are lined in prewashed, unbleached muslin, and we only use concealed (also known as invisible) zippers on all of our pillow covers. These are two more steps we take to guarantee you receive a high quality product each time you order from us.

When we ship your order, we use only sustainable packaging manufactured in the United States. Our shipping boxes are made from 100% recycled content, and can be biodegraded or recycled with your paper products at the curbside. Before we place your order in cardboard, we wrap it in an acid-free glassine bag made without poly or silicone additives. This bag, actually made of paper despite being translucent, can also be recycled curbside with your paper products.

While we are a relatively young small business, we are not new to the processes we employ. Behind each pillow cover we sell is a lifetime of sewing and upholstery experience, and a passion for creating with textiles. We love beautiful fabric, and we love sharing it with you.

To read more about what's inside our pillow covers, click here

To read more about thrifting for the home and sewing room, click here

To shop the traditional styles in our Everyday Elegance Collection, click here

To shop our newly expanded Clearance Section, click here