A century ago, Baltimore had a thriving sewing industry. This company is trying to revive the trade.

The pleasant hum of a sewing machine fills a busy workspace in Johnston Square, just off the corner of Greenmount Avenue and Preston Street. It’s an industrial sound that once reverberated all over this neighborhood when commercial sewing businesses thrived here and in other parts of the city. Jeremiah Jones and his wife, Cecilia Grimm, are on a mission to restore the sewing trade that is part of Baltimore’s working heritage. They founded SewLab USA, a teaching workshop for the fiber arts. They also manufacture specialty products.