Bayou Icon | Shirley Heath

article by Georgiann Potts
photography by Kelly Moore Clark

Probably many of you reading this have at one time or other had a clothing garment “rescued” by talented seamstress Shirley Heath. Whether doing light alterations such as hemming slacks, or more serious ones such as completely remaking a family heirloom wedding gown so that a daughter or granddaughter might wear it on her own special day, Shirley Heath can handle it! Her professionalism is second only to her warmth of spirit. Men, women, and children alike all trust her with their clothing that needs to be repaired, repurposed, or adjusted. Because of her gentle nature, her incredible talent, and her love for bringing joy to others through her work, Shirley Hamm Heath is our September Bayou Icon.

Shirley Hamm Heath is quiet by nature. Even so, her smile warms the room when she sees a customer obviously delighted with her handiwork. Shirley is a skilled craftswoman – a seamstress who can turn cloth into virtually any garment imaginable. Her talents are well-known, and many have depended on them through the years. How did she learn to sew like that? How did she learn to alter a piece of clothing so that – when she was finished – it looked custom-made for her client? The answers to those questions can be found in her childhood.

From Humble Beginnings
Shirley was one of 8 children – 4 boys and 4 girls — born to Huey and Sarah Hamm. Her dad was a welder and her mom was a homemaker. Home was out in the country near Rayville, Louisiana. The house was modest and had no indoor bathroom – a challenge at times, according to Shirley. The family had one car – a ’57 Chevy – that Huey would drive to work each day. “We all took turns driving it until 1980,” Shirley says. The children didn’t participate in after-school activities; instead, they spent their afternoons by doing chores at home. Shirley’s brothers would chop wood for the wood heater. She and her sisters would cook meals. All of them knew how to cook by the time they were ten years old. The girls washed dishes and mopped every day.

Though the family was poor in monetary things, it was rich with love. The children didn’t have toys, but they had each other and were very creative. “We had to make our own play,” Shirley explains. “Our butane tank was a horse in our own special world. We also had a large barn with a hayloft that we loved. We would climb up there and jump out using a rope to swing out and drop to the ground.”

Shirley’s dad had 12 brothers and sisters, and her mom had 6 plus a number of step-siblings. As a result, family gatherings were always very large and great fun for them all.  Uncles, aunts, and cousins created an extended family that Shirley loved.

Shirley’s mom faithfully collected Green Stamps that were given out every time she bought groceries. Shirley remembers watching her mom as she carefully filled up each book until she had enough books finished to redeem them for tools for her husband. Her mom would have parts of books left over and would set those aside. She bought herself a sewing machine and then taught herself to sew. She used those leftover books to buy fabric so that she could make clothes.

Watching her mother create clothes and wanting some for herself, when Shirley was about twelve years old she set about teaching herself how to sew. “I was tired of not having clothes. I didn’t have patterns so I would tape paper bags together and cut out skirts and vests,” she explains. “That’s where I got started sewing.”

The first time that her sewing skills came in handy outside of her home came when Shirley was a senior at Rayville High School. She was a ½ day student who went to class and afterward  worked as an employee from noon until 8:00 p.m. She did this until she graduated. Shirley’s job was at TG&Y. When her boss learned that she knew how to sew, Shirley was assigned to the fabric department. There she enjoyed making clothes for the store mannequins while honing her sewing skills. 

1974 Was a Very Good Year
In 1974, two very important things happened in Shirley’s life. On January 4th she married John H. Heath. Like Shirley, John was from a very large family, and Shirley loved them all. That same year, Shirley went to work at the Rayville Garment Factory where she stayed for 13 years. Later she worked at the Mangham factory for several more years. She wanted to work in the Columbia factory where designer clothes were being sewn but it closed before she could. John and Shirley had two children, daughter Kristi and son John Thomas. 

When their children were small, Shirley’s husband was seriously hurt in an off-shore accident. Because of his injuries, John stayed home and kept the children while Shirley worked. Later when grandchildren Macy Heath and Cooper Dumas came along, John kept them, too. Neither Shirley nor John wanted their children or grandchildren in daycare.

Alterations Career Begins
After staying at home in Rayville for several years and doing some seamstress work there, Shirley accepted a position doing alterations at ACME Cleaners in Monroe. Not long after, she began working at Weil Cleaners in Monroe where she stayed for 17 years. There she did alterations and worked the front counter occasionally. She and several other workers there became close friends and still enjoy getting together today even after all the years that have passed.

At Weil Cleaners, Shirley’s warm heart became apparent as she began taking an interest in many of the customers who came in. As a result, she got to know quite a few of them well. “I would listen to them and get to know their family,” Shirley says. “I learned that most people go through the same problems as everyone else.” 

Shirley has always greeted customers with a smile. “You never know what they have been through before they walk through that door,” she explains. “I believe ‘nice’ is always the best way to go.”

Stepping Out on Her Own
One of Shirley’s former employers, Jon Cormer, always told Shirley that she could make a go of it on her own. At the end of May 2007, Shirley took the leap and opened her own business.  She rented the back room of the Scrub Shop on Forsythe Avenue, paid up the rent through the end of December, took a deep breath, and started! “I figured I would either make it, or pack up and go home by then,” she says. “I put one ad in the newspaper to let my regular customers know where I was.”

By January 1st of 2008, Shirley’s business had grown to the point that she could hire her sister Pat to work with her. Six months later, Shirley added Louise Butler, a good friend, to come aboard as well.  Louise had been with her ever since.

“When I started working for myself, I didn’t have a clue there was such a demand,” Shirley explains. “I grew up sewing, so I assumed that everybody sewed. Turns out most people don’t sew. Of course, everybody’s grandmother sewed – because they had to!” Shirley firmly believes that all boys and girls should be taught basic sewing and cooking so that they can get by in life.

Shirley is convinced that there probably isn’t anything left that she and her team haven’t sewn through the years. “We’ve made everything from doggy diapers to the most expensive dresses possible!” she says with a chuckle. “I’ll try anything. Most of the time it will work, but sometimes it won’t.”

Regardless of the project, Shirley and her team always try to do the very best work that they can. Shirley is especially conscious of the fact that everything that goes out of her business has her name on it no matter which employee actually did the work. “Of course, we are human and things do get by us,” Shirley says. “But we always try to make it right.”

Life’s Most Difficult Moments
With her business established and doing well, life threw Shirley a series of challenges that brought extended pain and sorrow. In 2019, she lost her husband from complications from diabetes. Shirley’s father died in November of that same year. Then in 2020 she lost her daughter to a fatal overdose that was so traumatic for Shirley that she couldn’t even talk about it for a very long time. In November of that year Shirley’s younger brother Loyd passed away from COVID. The following month, Shirley’s mother also died from COVID. Later several uncles and aunts passed away and then her younger sister Mary also died from the pandemic. “After going through all of that, I considered changing my name to Job,” Shirley says sadly.

COVID not only took away loved ones, but it also forced Shirley to slow down some. She began making masks from scrap material to keep her business going. “I never got any of the COVID money or loans during this time. I guess I didn’t know how to apply properly.” Shirley says.

Friends and Dreams
These days Shirley is as busy as ever, doing amazing work for people who need it most. Her friends offer humor and support whenever she needs it. They fall into two categories: “work” friends and “friend” friends.

Among her “work” friends are Louise Butler, Karen Still, and Diana Anderson. “They pull together to help me with my business when I need it,” Shirley says. “I’m very grateful to them.”

Carol Mullis, Teresa Murphy, Denise Spears, Duvette Cox, and Peggy Martin are her “friend” friends. They get together with Shirley to share laughs and a meal. “We all try to come together when one of us needs help,” Shirley says with a smile.

While she donates to many worthy causes and always has, Shirley simply doesn’t have any extra time to volunteer personally. “I have never found time be a volunteer because I have always just worked.”

Not surprisingly to those who know her, the seemingly indefatigable Shirley has a new project underway. She is currently in the process of building a shop behind her home so that she can fulfill a long-held dream – designing her own line of clothes. “I don’t want to design anything fancy,” Shirley says. “Just basic dresses, pants, tops, and jackets.”

Retirement isn’t on her Radar
When asked recently if retirement is looming, Shirley was quick to respond. She says that she doesn’t think that she will ever retire. “The idea of me sitting around home is just not a good thing,” she says. “My goal is to sew as long as I can go!”

There is one temptation, however – to write a book about her experiences as a seamstress.  “I need to write a book about the things that I have heard at my business,” Shirley says.  “I’ve heard everything from some of the worst stories to some of the best. You learn a lot about people when you do their clothes.”

Claire Hunter (British textile artist and author) wrote, “Sewing is a way to make our existence on cloth: patterning our place in the world, voicing our identity, sharing something of ourselves with others, and leaving the indelible evidence of our presence in stitches held fast by our touch.”  No doubt our own Shirley Hamm Heath has left a little bit of herself in every snip, every pulled thread, and every perfect stitch. Those who have worn clothes that she has touched know that – and her talent — well.