sewing

The industrious thrum of the heavy-duty sewing machines, along with the workers' chatter, normally fills the plant with a reassuring rhythm.

Caz began sewing when she was 11 years old and made her own wedding dress 28 years ago but stopped for a period before her passion reignited during the Covid lockdown.

In a corner of a cavernous 1890s factory in southern Massachusetts, 15 people are bent over sewing machines, churning out specialty, hospital-grade neonatal gear.

There are dozens of her favored shirt form, each made from the same sewing pattern in colors ranging anywhere from beige to a deep magenta.

Only a fraction of some 200 industrial sewing machines on the floor are in operation, as workers make the last of the season's children's garment orders for some of the biggest US retailers.