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Mattress Science

October 2018

How are Artisan mattresses made?

At John Ryan, our passion and dedication are skilfully woven into the crafting of every single one of our Luxury Mattresses, to create the very best mattresses for your money. We understand that the little details really matter when it comes to getting a soothing night’s sleep. Did you know each Artisan mattress takes around 21 days to hand make? 

This is why we wanted you to understand exactly how a John Ryan mattress is made, as this can determine the difference between a restless night and a serene, supportive slumber. We want to take you on the methodical and meticulous journey of your Luxury Artisan Mattress, from the first formation of its springs, to the moment that it’s delivered to your door…     

How long does it take to make a mattress?

journey of the artisan mattress

Starting with a spring in its step

artisan mattress day one

Day 1: Your Artisan Mattress starts its journey as individual spring units. These supportive spring units are formed by our specialist Paul, using an equally specialist, spring forming machine. Each spring is then carefully cushioned and encased in individual Calico pockets, which are designed to absorb, react and adjust to the pressure and movements the shape of your body makes.

mattress spring machine

artisan mattress day three

Days 3-5: The pocket springs unit is then ready to take a short trip to the centre and top ‘tying table’, where Gordon is ready and waiting to do some tailored tying and stitching.

Every single one of our pocket springs are designed and manufactured by specialist technology and unrivalled talent, to provide exceptional levels of comfort.

gordon stitching mattress

Moving forward with a helping hand

artisan mattress day six

Day 6-7: As the pocket springs are finished being tied and stitched, Sue is handling the mattress materials.

All the high quality mattress covers and side panels are cut to size and stitched specially using the most valuable tools: a set of hands.

sue cutting material

artisan mattress day eight

Day 8: Our highly trained experts have years of experience and use the skills, which they have developed into a fine art, to individually cut and stitch the mattress handles to the mattress border.

mattress side panel stitching

artisan mattress day nine

Day 9-11: it’s time for the side panels to be aptly assembled. Once that’s done, fillings are placed and put around the side of the spring unit, before the side stitching process can begin.

Our precision hand side stitcher, John, then meticulously checks the tensioning throughout the entire process of stitching by hand. All of this helps the bed to perfectly hold your body in place, in the ideal posture. Allowing you to rest and relax even at the outermost edges of the mattress.

john stitching mattress side panels

After that, the layering of your luxurious fibres can start.

The final fulfilling steps

artisan mattress day twelve

Days 12-15: Gulam then takes up the task of building up the sumptuous and comforting upholstery layers (layering of fibres) on each side of the mattress, this is a time-consuming process to hand layer each of the fibres onto the spring unit.

artisan mattress day sixteen

Day 16: The mattress top and bottom covers are cut to size and hand stitched in our signature John Ryan fabric.

artisan mattress day seventeen

Days 17-19: Before the borders and top fabrics of the mattress can be sewn together in a process called tape edging, it’s time for Tony to expertly hand tack the top and bottom covers of the mattress. This is so that the cover and side panels of your mattress can be securely kept in place. In order to firmly secure the cover to the side panels it is then tape edged by hand.

mattress upholstery layers

artisan mattress day twenty

Day 20: Finally, the finely crafted mattress is ready to be compressed and hand tufted by Anthony for 30 minutes.  

mattress tufting

artisan mattress day twenty one

Day 21: It is time for our rigorous quality control checks. Ensuring the mattress is perfect before being then sent for dispatch.

After a total of about 21 days of skilful craftsmanship, passionate precision and attention to detail, your Luxury Artisan Mattress comes to the end of its journey with us. A journey that has only been possible thanks to our 13 years of experience and expertise in making beautiful beds.

artisan mattress day twenty two

Once it has passed through our rigorous quality control, which checks for consistently high quality. The mattress is signed off, wrapped, loaded, and ready to begin its next journey – with you.

John Ryan by Design Artisan Mattress Journey Infographic

artisan mattress journey infographic

Click here to view the Artisan mattress journey in full!

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