Comparing seamstresses

[zoebartlett]

The salon where I got my dress gave me a list of seamstresses who do dress fittings. I''ve finally called the two who are closest to me and I''ve made appointments with both. I did that in case I decided to change my mind -- I wasn''t sure how one goes about choosing a seamstress to do alterations on a wedding dress. I couldn''t compare based on price because it just depends on how much work needs to be done.

What did you do or are planning on doing?

 

[gtn]

I haven't gotten that far in the game yet, but I would think the most important factor would be to get recommendations from other brides. Wedding dresses are complicated things to alter and you want to go with someone who is competent, quick, and affordable. The only way you could find that out is to see what other people have to say. I would specifically look at dresses they altered. Hemming pants are a lot easier than dress with lace, embellishments, etc, so make sure you look for recommendations close to the work you need done. Also, cost will depend on where you are. It might be worth your time and money to go farther away from a metropolitan area as the seamstress might be cheaper for superior work.

Where are you located? Maybe someone on PS could recommend someone they used and give you a ballpark figure of how much their alterations cost.

ETA: Make sure the recommendations are current. Someone can have glowing reviews from 10 years ago, that say "Great work and quite affordable" and you find out out that they are 3 times more expensive than the next guy....

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks gtn!

I''m located in NH. My dress should be fairly simple to alter, I would think (it just needs to be taken up at the bottom and in at the bust), but it is made with a lace overlay. I wish I had thought to order more lace so I could see if a bolero could be made but I think it''s too late for that.

I''ll ask around and see if there''s anyone who can be recommended. I''m fine with going with someone the salon recommended but it''s hard to compare people when they''re both strangers to me.

 

[gtn]

If you feel confident in both seamstresses since the salon recommended them, I would use my gut. Which person would you rather work with? Who will be able to accommodate your schedule best? I remember reading on PS about having to find a new seamstress since she seamstress hours of operation did not fit into her schedule. some things to think about.

 

[swimmer]

Zoe,
You could check with the better business bureau to check credibility. Just checked and there were 10 alterations places listed there for NH. Then again, I love my alterations lady in Wellesley, MA who is in no way a BBB listed operation; she barely speaks English. So, eh, go with your gut. But I have to say Josiah Bartlett IS still my president Love your name.

 

[Sabine]

Haha, I think that was me that talked about the seamstress''s schedule not working...but I''m going to end up taking a special trip to Pittsburgh to accomodate them because I couldn''t find any other seamstresses that had done any wedding gowns and could give recommendations. I know you won''t get an exact price until the work is done, but both places should at least give you an estimate that you could compare.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 1/9/2008 7:04:29 PM
Author: swimmer
Zoe,
You could check with the better business bureau to check credibility. Just checked and there were 10 alterations places listed there for NH. Then again, I love my alterations lady in Wellesley, MA who is in no way a BBB listed operation; she barely speaks English. So, eh, go with your gut. But I have to say Josiah Bartlett IS still my president Love your name.

Thanks Swimmer! I''ll try to ask around and see who others have used.

Ahhh, I STILL mourn West Wing. Seriously. I think that was one of the best shows...well acted, well written, etc. I may have to buy the DVDs jsut so I can get my fix whenever I want.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

The hem should be very easy but the bust can be a little more complicated. If there is a lot to be taken in up there, they should do it in 4 places, at the seams. If they try to tell you they just want to do itin the back, then you have a problem.
Ask how often they do wedding dresses and lace. Also, if you dress is silk or satin, ask about their experience with it. When I was a seamstress, that was one thing amatuers came to me a lot with, problems with those fabrics.
You should ask as many questions as you want and they should be able to answer them. If they can''t tell if your dress is bias cut then they certainly can''t work with it well.

 

[gtn]

Hey Zoe and Swimmer,

BestBuy has the whole series in a collectors set for $250. I try to hold off to buy complete series, but sometimes it is hard to wait.

 

[Harleigh]

zoe,

I am absolutely NO help when it comes to seamstresses, but my FI LOVES The West Wing. He was so upset when it ended that he ran right out and bought the entire series, and I know he got a heck of a deal at Costco, but I can''t remember the exact amount. I know they also had it at Sam''s Club, too.

Every Friday I go over there, I can almost bet you he will have an episode of The West Wing playing...it nearly drives me bonkers as I can''t stand to come in in the middle of a show that I haven''t seen yet as it was a series I didn''t watch at the time! I enjoy watching them now, but I hate not knowing the history of the characters, storylines, etc... Maybe I''ll just steal his boxed set and watch them one by one...

I must say, though, now that he got his new HD-DVD player that I gave him for Christmas, he mentioned he''s been watching all of his new HD dvd''s he also got as much as he can, so we may be watching something different this Friday, but we shall see!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Hey, Zoe!

I went to three Boston-area seamstresses before settling on one--all of them were recommended by local bridal shops, so I feel your pain. I''m glad you made multiple appts., I''d go ahead and go to both of them. I talked with all three of the seamstresses that I saw about how I wanted my dress altered and all of them were going to go about altering it in different ways. I was able to quickly weed out one that I thought wasn''t going to do a good job (she only wanted to alter on two seams of the bust instead of all of them, which was a red flag to me). The other two seemed really great, so I just went with the one who I felt would do the best job. She was over an hour away, but oh well.

I think that after you visit both of them, you''ll have a good idea of which one you think will do the best job. If they seem the exact same, go with the cheaper one

(PS, I found that visiiting multiple seamstresses really helped me to negotiate--I know your alterations are minor, so they probably won''t be much anyway--I just found that they were much more willing to come down on price when they knew I was looking at more than one option for a seamstress.)

 

[divinebridal]

I am a seamstress who specializes in wedding gown alterations and formalwear. I found this site by typing in nationwide alteration costs ha ha

I think from experience that you should ask how much experience they ( the seamstress) has in bridal alterations.A lot of people think that they know what should be done to a dress because of the way it fits That is not necessarily true there are many considerations.

Also the cost of your alterations has nothing whatsoever to do with the cost of your dress. It is two entirely different aspects of the wedding. It is like comparing the costs of your flowers, or decorations , or your catering bill to the cost of your dress. It is a separate bill.

 

[divinebridal]

I replied again just to see if my picture had changed Yikes!!

Also to add this .....I would not lower my prices just because a bride told me she was "shopping" around for a seamstress.

You get what you pay for and if they were willing to lower their price I might think they were not confident. I have a set starting price for hems and I won''t lower it just because someone tells me someone else said they would do it for less. I am willing to give them a loose estimate over the phone but I never say what the actual estimate will be until I see them in their dress.

Altering a wedding gown is a lot of work and it is also done well by some and not so well by others. ( I have fixed nightmares that brides have brought me from someone else doing their dress cheaply!)Seamstresses are not paid by the hour ....they are paid by the job ....and their paychecks reflect their work
I am blessed to have been gifted by God at a young age to sew and to grow in my gifts along the way
I started sewing Barbie doll clothes when I was 8 and my passion grew from that. But I am not apologizing for my prices This is my profession and I strive to do it professionaly

I pray that you find someone who has knowledge and professionalism