Customers Guide to Alterations

I wanted to provide my readers with some tips and tricks for things you should know when going to get things altered.

If you are getting a pair of pants or a skirt hemmed up a little there are some simple steps for what to do.

• Put the garment on
• Have a friend (NOT YOU) put safety pins places like the side seams and the front and back to show where you want the finished hem. 

NOTE: If you do this yourself it will be wrong because your movements cause those spots to move too.

• Then take them to the seamstress and be done with it. 

Source

If you are having a special garment fitted to your body it is a little more difficult. By special I mean things like wedding dresses and formal attire.

• These are the types of meetings that you should COME ALONE! Having a crew with you is just a bad idea in so many ways
• First you need to understand that the seamstress will want you to put the garment on so she (or he) can see how it lays on your body and where adjustments need to be made.  

NOTE: Do not be embarrassed if the seamstress assumes that she should be in the room to assist in getting into the garment. She has seen more than one naked body and is a professional like your doctor. She isn't taking pictures to post on the internet. They respect modesty, but it isn't 1895 some please give them a break.

• You MUST be honest with what you want! Do you want your boobs to stand up and say hi again? Maybe you want to lie about that back fat not actually being there. Or that beer belly what beer belly.
• When she starts pinning HOLD STILL! If you fidget like a small child you might get stuck. 
• Sometimes the process of making alterations changes other things in the dress and when you return for a fitting you have to make little tweeks. This is normal don't panic! 

NOTE: Again a seamstress is like a doctor. Ask questions voice your concerns. Also is she says no that won't work trust her.

Getting things altered is a tricky situation and requires skill and time. If you are not happy then you need to say so at that time! DO NOT call the lady later and talk about how you weren't happy! Most seamstresses will work to get things fixed so you are happy right away.  If you have body issues then you need to tell her that too because what you see in the mirror is very different from what is actually there too.

I want all of my customers to be happy. I strive daily to do whatever it takes to make sure that everyone walks away with exactly what she wants. I have made things for ladies I have never seen face to face and they fit perfectly. However altering a finished garment that was made by someone else is a more detailed process and can be difficult too. Think of it this way it is like taking apart a car engine to fix something and when you put it back together it has to run. The 15 billion layers of fabric are that in depth. 

I hope this has been helpful to those of you that may be getting garments altered in your future.