About Purple Thread Labels

We are Focused on Building Goodness in Three Areas:

  1. You: You are the rock star who dedicated the time, mental energy and skills to create your project. That is amazing! We want to celebrate and honor YOU and your hard work. 

  2. Our Earth: We are mindful of how our business impacts the environment. We are committed to using sustainable materials wherever possible. As a very small start-up, this hasn't been easy or even possible in the ways we had hoped. However treading lightly on the earth is important to us and, as we grow, we are continuing to look for local, sustainable options in every part of our business. Starting in September 2022, the carbon emissions from shipping your order will be offset by us. To read more information about how this works, click here. 

  3. Community: It is important to us that the people who make our labels are paid fairly and work in safe working conditions. We have selected manufacturers who have made a commitment to treating and paying employees fairly. In addition, a percentage of your purchase is donated to different organizations on a regular basis. To see a list of who you are supporting with your purchase, click here.

 

Our Story

I, Kathleen, come from a long line of women who have worked with textiles. Generations of my ancestors wove linen in mills in Dunfermline, Scotland, and I grew up in clothes and with toys made for me by my mum, aunt, grandma and great-granny. They often included woven labels, and it was on a search for labels for my own projects which led me to launch this business in 2021.

For a number of years I have worn a thread wrapped around my wrist to remember my matrilineal ancestors. The name Purple Thread Labels is another way I can honor my connection to these women and their lives. Their fingerprints are all over my own craft and my business. Plus Grandma and Granny really loved purple!

Two photos. A black and white photo of eight white women sitting outside on a grassy hill. The women are dressed quite formally in long dresses and hats. My granny is on the top left of the photo and looks quite serious although the rest of the women are more jolly. Three white women are standing outside in a front garden. Me, the youngest one shoulder length curly hair, and is wearing a long, deep blue dress with a blue scarf at her neck. I am being hugged by two older women on either side of me. One has short grey hair and is wearing a blue skirt and white top. The other has short, white, fluffy hair and is wearing a matching floral skirt and blouse. We all have their arms around each other and are smiling.

 

 

Left photo: My granny on a day out with her fellow seamstresses in Dunfermline, 1908.

Right photo: Me with my mum and my grandma in my high school graduation dress, made for me by my mum, 1998.