As a teenager growing up in England, Carol Riley always dreamed of owning a space that would function as both a home and workspace. Shortly after COVID hit, she realized her dream when she opened the doors to Tatters Handmade Clothing, her shop in the former St. Jean Baptiste Church in Warren. While a church location wasn’t part of her original vision, she knew the minute she toured the then-for-sale church that the open space could be renovated and adapted for both living and working. She and her husband, Mike, now reside there, with plenty of room for visiting family. A confessed fabric fanatic, Riley believed in the sustainability of textiles long before it was fashionable. Gifted with an eye for style and proportion, the self-taught seamstress can visualize and cut material without a pattern and repurpose fabric, be it for dresses, jackets, pillows or other items. Two years ago, Riley’s vision expanded to include a traditional afternoon tea service, making shopping and trying on clothes an appreciated escape from the busy outside world. 324 Main Street, Warren, Tatters-Boutique.com
In the town where I grew up, there was a seamstress who made custom things in a little tiny house, and lived above it. I could have been around 13, and after school I would stop in to chat. Sewers tend to be messy, leaving our fabrics everywhere. I thought, “My God, it’s got to be a dream come true to have your space where you can just leave it.”
About 35 years ago, my friend Ger [Purcell] and I had our first Tatters shop. She makes beautiful hats, and I did clothes, and over the years we were in various commercial locations. We eventually gave up the shop and just did the Brimfield Antique Flea Markets.
The minute I walked in the church, I could see I could lay it out as a shop and a living space. There were 42 oak 14-foot pews, and they were heavy. My kitchen countertop is made from upturned pews.
I was five when I started knitting and around eight when I actually started sewing. Both my grannies in Ireland sewed, and I think sometimes you’re just born with a certain skill. Don’t ask me to do math, which is probably why I don’t use patterns, because then I’d have to do something in math. I’ve got a good eye for proportion, so I just cut.
My mum got me a sewing machine when I was nine. It was a treadle – powered by foot – with the needle going up and down. When I was a teenager, I did summer jobs and got paid on Thursdays. I would spend all my money buying fabric to make dresses for the weekend.
I like simple lines. A bias cut will fit somebody who is a size six and look great on a size 12 as well. It’s on the diagonal, so it has a little bit of a stretch, and it drapes beautifully.
I’ve always wanted to do a tea room because I think that handmade clothing and a tea room enhance each other. It’s been two and a half years, and people absolutely love it. They come in, and they’re relaxed. I don’t rush anybody. I give people their space. If I feel like they want to chat, I’ll sit there and chat. But if not, I leave them alone.
It’s basically what I grew up with when I went to afternoon tea in England and Ireland. I take reservations so I can prepare everything fresh. No one likes a soggy tea sandwich. The scone and soda bread are both family recipes. It seems weird to me to put an herbal tea with afternoon tea sandwiches. It doesn’t really go, but I have a couple of flavors. I don’t serve coffee because I can’t make it to save my life.
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