About Us - Sails and Canvas Since 2015

sailed, saved, sewn

SAILED

In the beginning, they are sails…beautiful, billowing, taking their boats on ocean adventures.

sailed, saved, sewn

SAVED

Since 2015 we have been taking in sails that have reached their sailed by date, recycling the fabric and saving them from landfill.

about us

SEWN

We handcraft the old sails into nautically inspired lifestyle products for you and your home

THE STORY – SAILED

Our sails begin their life out on the water, soaking up the salty spray, ozone and sunshine – we believe that sails hold onto this spirit of adventure and fun when we transform them into our nautically inspired lifestyle products, bringing joy to you and your home.

Although we wash our sails before their new life begins, this doesn’t remove the essence of the cloth, it’s character, marks and imperfections are a reminder of what it once was and the journeys it has been on. This is what makes our products unique.

THE STORY – SAVED

What do you do with old sails once they have reached the end of their sailing life?

We are contacted by people from all over the country who ask that question – and we are happy to tell them that we recycle old sails, save them from landfill and reuse the sailcloth to make our beautiful bags, lifestyle products and accessories.

recycle your sail

THE STORY – SEWN

We take pride in designing and handcrafting each item in our sail loft studio on Topsham quay, Devon.

Our artisan seamstresses take time in selecting the right sail for each of our products – Stiff heavy weight sailcloth make the best storage buckets while softer sails are used for cushions and bolsters.

We carefully cut the cloth to retain the best of it’s original features, stitching details, grommets and telltales – Any unique numbers or special sail insignias make their way into our limited edition bags.

At Sails and Canvas “recycled ” and “sustainable” are part of our everyday

Staying true to the nautical roots of our products is important to us – all the thread, grommets, insignia and canvas we use is all of marine quality and where possible sourced locally – like our rope which comes from just across the river – or from quality UK suppliers.

about us

Then…

We have been friends since childhood and always talked about having our own business. When a draughty old sail loft came up for rent in June 2015 we knew it was meant to be Sails and Canvas!

We have a passion for old sails – they come in to us after a life of adventure often smelling of the sea and crusty with salt, they have been loved by their owners and then we give them a new life and pass on that love. Every sail we use means less sailcloth ends its life in landfill and that is our other passion…reduce, reuse and recycle.

Juliette & Mandi

about us

and now!