Exclusive Q&A with Sew & Stow. Sarah Grant spoke with Erica Sawdon about the story behind her fabric cutting board, what makes the latest version different, and the lessons learned building a practical tool for anyone who cuts fabric.
What inspired you to start Sew & Stow?
Erica Sawdon
I have always sewn since I was a child, and like many home sewists I cut fabric on the floor or kitchen table. Not ideal, particularly as your knees start complaining or your kids want their tea! I needed a tool to solve my problems, and as it turns out, problems that many home sewists encounter daily.
How did the idea of your fabric cutting board come about?
Erica Sawdon
When I retired from the police force and retrained to be an upholsterer I needed a large dedicated space for cutting fabric, but my workshop was not big enough, neither was my dining table (upholstery fabric is normally 140cms wide). So I designed and had 1 board made for me, to make my life easier. I could pop the board on my kitchen table in the morning, use it all day and then just fold it up at tea time. I loved it, and so did my friends, family and students, who all used my board when in class. I had so many requests from people who wanted to buy one, I decided to go into production. In 2020 ‘the-cuttingboard’ was born.
What makes Sew & Stow products unique compared to others in the market?
Erica Sawdon
To my knowledge there is only one other fabric cutting board on the market, I won’t mention any names, but it is awful! Cheap card, the creases are not made properly so it doesn’t lay flat, it’s only printed on one side, it is just a horrible product. Version 3 of Sew & Stow, which will be launched in March 2025, is absolutely beautiful! It’s made from a recycled plastic sheet that is also recyclable. I am an ECO warrior, I hate waste and to be honest I hate plastic, but knowing the V3 can be fully recycled is a real positive for me. This is a one time purchase for anyone who sews or cuts fabric with scissors (you cannot use a rotary cutter on V3 S&S), part of my ECO ethos, buy well, buy once!!
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting Sew & Stow?
Erica Sawdon
Not being a business woman, I had to learn everything from scratch, what a steep learning curve that was. It has taken a long time to develop the S&S boards, from plain card, to laminated card and now to V3, recycled plastic. I think one of the most important lessons I learnt along the way is to hire an expert to do stuff I can’t! I am not a tech person, I struggled so much with the website, ecommerce shop and social media I made myself ill. I now have an amazing team of experts who do all that for me so I can concentrate on my upholstery business and also the personal contact with my S&S customers, which is really important to me.
What other items or services do you offer that can benefit the soft furnishings industry?
Erica Sawdon
At the moment I have not explored expanding the products in my shop, working with V3 has taken so much of my time I want to get it out there for everyone to see and use. We do still have some stock of V1 (a card cutting board), this is a cheaper option but still amazing to use, I still use my original board every day.
