Hi Everybody, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but I’m still here, sewing sewing sewing!

Here’s a long answer to a couple FAQs, what is your turnaround time for alterations, and what is the *price?

As a one person sewing business, turnaround time is really more subject to my current workload at any given time, as I have to prioritize sewing jobs by hard deadlines (i.e. wedding date, job interview date, homecoming dance date, funeral date…) vs no hard deadline. So if you need alterations done in time for a particular event, I can tell you whether I can meet that deadline or not. If you don’t have a hard deadline, I can give you an estimated turnaround time that folds your sewing job into the roster of my existing jobs. For example, a customer recently needed his suit jacket sleeves lengthened within a couple days for his job interview, which meant his sewing job jumping the workload line, and I happened to be able to accommodate. But I can’t always promise that I have that flexibility to deliver. It also depends on how technical the requested alteration is. I’d rather underpromise and overdeliver by saying, for example, give me two weeks and I may have it done sooner.

Regarding price for alterations, I always say I can give you the most accurate price estimate in person with a fitting, taking into account the fabrics and construction of the garments, and any design flourishes, if any. To illustrate this point, as it is raining bridesmaid dress hems and adjustments this time of year, I recently had multiple concurrent bridesmaid dress sewing jobs, with different prices on the finished jobs due to the different materials and dress styles to be hemmed:
– a more casual linen-type dress that needed to be hemmed from the waist seam;
– a 360° full-skirted chiffon dress hem with two acetate linings that also needed hemmed;
– a polyknit dress with a not-very-full skirt and one polyknit layer that also needed hemmed;
– a semi-full chiffon dress, with a slit, and two less full acetate layers attached at the slit, that also need hemmed…

So if you say how much is it to hem a bridesmaid dress, I will give you a long answer for clarification, followed by a request to schedule an appointment for a fitting to give the most accurate estimate.

–>That being said, for most concise inquiries, with minimal back and forth Q & A, please tell me what you need adjusted on your clothes, and whether you need them done in time for a particular event. Extra points if you can tell me the fabric/s, and or share a photo of you in the garment so I can see the style of the garment as it relates to the adjustment/s needed to fit your frame.

For a pretty thorough alterations price list by another company, based in Colorado (I compare my prices against theirs for reference, but the list does not account for all of these type of variables outlined above), you can get an idea of price-ISH, of what I would charge. This can help you decide whether or not you feel it is worth the trouble to alter a garment.
http://www.tailor-studio.com/price-list.html

* Please note that alterations prices in the US are way different from clothing prices when buying new (aka alterations may cost more than you paid for the garment), as most clothing sold in the US is made/assembled in foreign countries exploiting lower wages but marked up for the retailer to profit. When you find new clothing on sale in the US, it is due to overproduction and overstock, as it is cheaper to over order and markdown or destroy (burn or landfill) than to place smaller orders or return unsold items. Read a more exhaustive and depressing explanation here:
https://www.thesustainabilityclub.com/…/how-not-to-go…

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO DRESS UNIQUE AND SAVE MONEY AND THE PLANET

Buy secondhand garments made with quality fabric that will sustain years of wear and washing, and have a seamstress tailor the garments to your specific body shape. Every BODY is different!