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Custom Sewing and Alterations
If you want clothes that fit!

Alterations

Here are some examples of alterations that I have done. Click on a thumbnail to see a picture.

Alteration sample 1 thumbnail  Alterations sample 2 thumbnail  Alterations sample 3

There may be garments in your wardrobe that no longer fit in the way you would want, or that have minor damage to them.

Have them altered or repaired so that you can continue to wear and love them.

Tips on Alterations

When can a garment be altered?

When you love a garment but it doesn't fit quite right, it may be possible to alter it within reason. Before deciding to alter something, think carefully about the practicality and the amount of effort involved, and compare this to how much the garment is worth to you.

Simple alterations like shortening sleeves and hems are, of course, the easiest. When looking at whether this will be possible, look at the details of the garment to determine if they will be spoiled by the shortening process. For example, shortening a skirt with a split may make the split out of proportion to the rest of the skirt; however, the shortening may remove the need for a split, and in this circumstance it might be sewn closed.

It is usually possible to make something smaller, as there will be fabric available. However, a large difference in size will mean that sometimes it is more practical to take the garment apart, recut it, and make it again from scratch. I would therefore only recommend altering the size (width) of a garment by a maximum of two sizes. If, however, you have lost a great deal of weight and are thinking of having your suits made three or more sizes smaller, I would recommend against this.

The feasibility of making a garment larger depends on the size of the seam allowances, and whether fabric can be taken from another part of the garment (e.g. the hem) to insert.

With some ready-to-wear garments, the fit may be almost right, but require one part of the garment to be altered. In this circumstance, the important thing is to find a construction detail (e.g. seam) that can be used to make the alteration. If there is no convenient detail, it may be possible to introduce one, but this will alter the look of the design.