Your feedback is welcome - and if you have any questions, please do feel free to contact us. We have listed some questions below which we've been asked before, however if you cannot find the information you require on this page please do let us know!
Once an order has been placed, if we require your measurements you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to submit your measurements.
For existing customers, we should have your measurements on record already. In some cases, we may ask you to re-submit this information so we can ensure our records our up to date.
For larger orders, we'll contact you directly.
Strictly - no.
Bishops & Clergy Cassocks, Readers Cassocks and Vergers Cassocks are all made to measure - but most other items (though all are made to order) are made to measurements provided but are cut from "stock patterns", selecting the pattern that is closest to the given measurements and amending as necessary.
When we take measurements for our garments, these are done over normal/everyday clothes (e.g. shirt and trousers) - as the Clerical Robes we make are generally worn over clothes.
All the items we make are made to order and this gives us the opportunity (wherever possible) to accommodate individual requirements. We do not have sufficient storage facilities to keep "stock" items so we have very little by way of "off the peg" garments.
For Average Sizes we require approximately - 2 metres x 150 cms wide
or 2½ metres x 115 cms wide
For Larger Sizes we require approximately - 3 metres x 150 cms wide
or 3½ metres x 115 cms wide
Please do not hesitate to contact us for advice regarding our different Blouse Styles if you think this would be useful before placing an order.
It's a good idea to get in touch as we may have made it in the past. Our website doesn't show every available option, and if you would like something to similar to a product you can see we can usually accommodate this.
Yes, we operate from one site in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Though most of our orders are placed by email, post or through our website, we do of course welcome visitors to our showroom (which also acts as our office and production space), where our Customer Service Staff can help you discuss requirements, show sample garments, explain the relevant fabrics and take measurements for your order.
Apart from Maundy Thursday and the Tuesday after Easter - and for approximately two weeks over Christmas (depending on when Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall) our usual opening hours are :
Monday to Thursday - 8.00 am until 4.00 pm and Friday - 8.00 am until 2.00 pm
We are also closed on all Bank Holidays.
If you would like directions, please enquire, and we can send you some appropriate notes, depending on how you intend to travel. We do request an appointment is made in advance to avoid any dissapointment in speaking with the correct member of team for your requirements. Thank you.
We are committed to conducting all aspects of our Business in accordance with Ethical, Social and Environmental best practices, so that our work remains sustainable. A copy of our Policies in these respects can be provided on enquiry, together with copies of written statements from the main Suppliers we use for our raw materials.
Our standard Terms and Conditions call for full payment of the balance of an order however in certain circumstances we can arrange that a deposit can be paid for orders £250.00 and over.
However, our website requires all orders to be paid in full at the time of ordering. These payments are processed securely (away from our website) via World Pay (a Global Payment provider similar to PayPal).
Alternatively if you would rather discuss all the details of your order with us via email first we can confirm your order via email.
If you are overseas and wish to place your order via email the necessary deposit can be arranged by a World Pay on-line Link - with full settlement required before despatch.
For UK customers, an invoice for whatever remains of the total cost will be sent out at the time of despatch for settlement by whatever means is most convenient. We accept cheques or card payments (by telephone or on-line link) and we can also accept on-line banking payments (details are printed on all our Invoices).
If for some reason (e.g. if ordering for a Cathedral, Church, Choir, or College) payment by Card is not appropriate, you can inform us to whom you would like the invoice addressed.
Our order turn-around period does vary throughout the year.
It is affected by several factors and it is therefore not possible to give a definite answer.
We are always busier in the run up to the major Festivals of Christmas and Easter - and also in the few months prior to the Petertide Ordinations, when we give priority to Ordination Orders. We do ask Ordinands to place their Ordination orders well before their "required by" date - as often certain items can take between 8-12 weeks during this busy time.
We do try and complete most orders within four weeks, and sometimes less - but it does depend on what is ordered and how many items are ordered (e.g. 30 or 40 sets of robes for a Choir would obviously take longer than a a few garments for an individual).
Sometimes, we are affected by delays in the supply of fabric, which is outside our control. If this will affect your order we will contact you directly and may make suggestions of an alternative fabric that would allow us to complete your order quicker if necessary.
Whatever the time of year however, we will always do our very best to meet any deadline dates given to us, so when ordering, if you have a preferred delivery date then please do let us know. Our Customer Service staff will inform you at the time of ordering how busy we are at that time and if we feel it will be realistically possible to complete your order to your time scale.
The cost of Postage & Packing depends on what is ordered, the address for delivery and what items are despatched in any particular parcel.
For overseas orders, the cost of Postage & Packing is calculated according to the weight/volume of each parcel, and an estimate can be given at the time of ordering if required. The final amount is calculated when the order is complete and ready to be despatched, we will then contact you directly for any payments required prior to the despatch of your goods.
Within the UK, we use a next working day Parcel Force delivery service for our larger orders of approximately £100 or above, as this provides a tracking facility and requires a signature upon delivery. The current cost is £17.48 per parcel to mainland UK; Northern Ireland and the Highlands/Islands areas will cost more, please enquire.
For smaller value and lighter weight parcels within the UK we tend to use ordinary Royal Mail, or sometimes Royal Mail Special delivery. The cost of Postage & Packing is always itemised separately on our Invoices.
We understand that completed Orders that we send to countries in Europe do not attract any Customs Charges after "Brexit" – though we do anticipate that there could be a VAT Charge (or Import Charge) levied in the destination Country - and that this could be roughly equivalent to the UK VAT at 20% we are no longer obliged to include in what we charge at source (that we used to include in our Invoices for items sent to Countries in Europe when the UK was part of the EEC)
So, in addition to the UK Shipping Charges that we include in our Invoices, there may well be additional charges that will need to be settled locally in certain circumstances.
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to estimate the level of those extra costs for completed Orders sent to our Customers in European Countries.
Most of the orders completed by J & M Sewing Service are despatched on completion via Parcelforce - either within the UK or abroad - and an invoice for any outstanding amount will be included with the parcel for settlement on delivery for UK orders. Overseas orders must be paid in full before we despatch them.
An online tracking facility is available for all parcels sent by Parcelforce.
Certain items (that are more urgent or of higher value) may be sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery, where there is also a tracking facility available.
Smaller value or lighter items are sometimes despatched via ordinary Royal Mail 2nd Class. For these orders the invoice will be sent by separate post.
Normally, no separate advice of delivery is sent to the customer (unless specifically requested) and the separate posting of the invoice when using Royal Mail is intended to act as a confirmation of the posting date, in the event that a parcel is delayed. There is no tracking facility with ordinary Royal Mail.
For all Orders from overseas we do ask for payment to be made before despatch.
Feel free to get in touch and we'll reply as soon as possible by email.
