Prom Season: The Year of the Jewels

So prom season is officially over here in the studio and with numerous alterations going in and out our doors, we noticed a huge trend this year: JEWELS and BEADS.  While all of the dresses were beautiful, as we mentioned in our How To Spot Quality: Formal Attire Edition blog, they are much harder to alter.  Since the alterations are complicated to do (and visualize!), we thought we'd do a little picture book expansion for you guys!

Dress before any work was done.  The safety pins mark how much the dress needed to be taken in.

After determining which beads can stay and which have to go, we hand stitch each individual bead onto the dress to help stabilize them.  Because the beads are all sewn on in long strands, if we were to just cut them off without resewing the remaining beads, all of the beads would fall off.  This photo was taken after the surrounding beads were stabilized and we had begun to take off the extra beads.

One side done!!  See the threads coming out of the rows of gold beads?  Those are the threads that hold all of the gold beads like I mentioned above.  Imagine just cutting them and all of those tiny beads falling off!!  Also notice the pilers in the picture: we use those to crush beads as well to keep their threads intact.  If the threading will be hidden, we can keep it, ensuring that the remaining beads won't go sliding off.

All of the extra stuff taken off!!  Because this dress in particular had to be taken in so much, we ended up with a huge pile of beads.  The tiny needle and thread I pointed out in the picture are what we use to stabilize all of the bead.  See in comparison to the beads how small it is?  It's tiny size is so it is able to thread through even the smallest of beads.

Both sizes stabilized and extra beads removed so this dress is ready for taking in!  

So after all of that tedious work, we are ready to actually take this dress in!  See the added time it takes to alter it?

In the end, jeweled and beaded gowns always look AMAZING, but the time it takes to get there is a bit longer.  In line with our How to Spot Quality series, this is just something to think about when out shopping for that perfect formal dress.  You go girl and get that jeweled gown!  But keep in mind, if it doesn't fit off the rack you could end up paying for it again in alterations...

How to Spot Quality: Formal Attire Edition

It's getting warmer and greener outside, and people are coming out of their winter doldrums, which means formal events are soon to follow. Oh yes folks, wedding/prom season is upon us once again. So here we are again with the latest installment of How to Spot Quality: The Bride/Prom Queen Edition. (And check out our previous posts, Part I: Fiber Content and Part II: Shopping Online/Taking Measurements.)

One of the most common phrases we hear in the studio is "these alterations are costing almost as much as the dress!" Well if you got your dress for a bargain, there is often a reason... and many times that reason is what stands between you and a custom fitted garment. In order for clothing to be made cheaply, it must be made quickly, and on a massive scale.

This is not to say you need to spend a grand on a perfectly made-for-you dress every time you need to attend a formal event. There are, however, many immediate indicators for how expensive your alterations will be, and you can decide from there whether you really want the dress. Think of it as an emotional as well as a monetary investment, not unlike purchasing a new car. You want to check out all the features and quirks of the vehicle before you buy; you wouldn't just walk off the lot with the first flashy red sports car you see just because you look really good next it. You would want to know things like the MPG, how expensive the tires are to replace, and whether any parts are currently on recall, so you don't find yourself at the mechanic in two months giving over your vacation money to fix all those little unseen problems.

This same logic can be put toward a dress, and there are a few key things to keep in mind when considering your purchase (or your bridesmaids' purchase.)

CHIFFON
We all love the drape and flow of chiffon, but let me tell you it is a pain to hem, and it can quickly get expensive. The most prominent issue with chiffon is when it does something called "dripping" after it has been hemmed. This often occurs overnight or in the hours between hemming and pickup, in cases when several inches have been trimmed off. With the weight of those trimmed inches off, the fabric can bounce back up or sag down in a different way than it was when the hem was marked, making an uneven hem. And then when the hem has been evened out after it has dripped, dripping can even occur again if the garment has not had enough time to hang undisturbed and properly get used to gravity at its new weight.

This is common because almost all floor length dresses made in a factory are purposely made several inches longer than even the tallest person would need, partially to ensure the dress will be floor length for anyone, but mostly because it is a lot faster and easier to indiscriminately cut hems without having to worry about whether they are straight or even. Which brings us to...

HEMS
How many hems are in your dress? Unless you are looking at an unlined sheath dress, you have at least two hems. If you have a chiffon overlay, tulle between your shell and lining, and/or multiple layers on your shell, those are all separate hems. If your dress hem is more than 75" around, that usually costs a little more. Chiffon hems can cost a little more as well, due to the issues described above. Just because it is one dress does not mean your seamstress is only taking it up once. Count your hems, and multiply your estimate by that many. And the opposite of hems are...

SEAMS
Do all your seams line up? Seriously, take a close look, because it is quite possible that they don't. Another common victim of factory-made garments are seams, especially at the points where several seams meet. If you have a patterned dress the likelihood that the seams will not match up increases tenfold. There is also a keen possibility that the side seams and/or waist seam are not even or in the same place on either side. If your seams do not match up in a way that flatters your body (and everyone is different; know what works on you and makes you feel beautiful) my recommendation is that you RUN AWAY. If the pattern doesn't match and it bothers you, there is nothing that will salvage that dress after you notice it. Run away!! You could almost get a custom garment with the amount of taking apart and remeasuring and putting back together differently that is required to fix an uneven seam on a formal garment, because it usually has so many...

LAYERS
How many layers are in your dress? your shell is one layer, but then you may have an overlay, and lining, maybe some interfacing, and likely some boning in the bodice. All of that has to be taken in evenly, and if there is boning that has to be removed and then stitched back in. Modern bodices have a good deal of structure to give the silhouette we all think of when we think "bridal" or "prom," and in order to have structure you need several layers to create the stiff skeleton and then put the softer decoration on top. And if that decoration includes...

JEWELS/BEADING
Now we're really cooking. I love sparkles as much as the next person, maybe even more. But if you find yourself falling in love with a beaded bodice, do absolutely everything in your power to ensure that you purchase one that fits. Taking in a jeweled or beaded bodice requires hand-stabilizing each bead along the new seam line, individually crushing the beads inside the new seam allowance, and often (though not always) taking in the entire seam by hand. Hand stitching is a specific and extremely time consuming (not to mention more physically demanding) art, so the more hand stitching is required, the higher the alteration price. Speaking of taking bodices in...

ZIPPER
Where is your zipper? Is it on the side or the back? If it is on the side and the bodice needs taking in, save yourself some grief and move on. It is impossible to take in a bodice with a side seam zipper without removing and repositioning the zipper, much to your wallet's chagrin.

Alright ladies (and gentlemen) when you are out shopping for a formal dress and you are looking for the perfect fit with the perfect price tag, please take this advice to heart. While it may be easy to buy a gorgeous dress off of the clearance rack, it is not always so easy (or cheap) to alter. If it's the dress of your dreams, we are happy to alter it for you, but if you don't want to be the next victim of "my-dress-cost-less-than-these-alterations!" syndrome, be prepared to pick up your garment and investigate it! Remember: chiffon, seams, hem, layers, jewels, and zippers! Good luck!!

#WhatsUpToday December to January

At the beginning of December, we started a weekly series on Twitter that we've been tagging #whatsuptoday, and we recently reviewed all the pictures we've been taking.   What resulted is a slice-of-life trip down memory lane that we hope you enjoy as much as we did looking through it.    Our pictures range from Christmas decorating to ipod listening, from retail to custom to costumes.  Since we finished the 1812 project we have worked on inventorying our rental Closet, updating a vintage mink jacket, altering two different Inaugural gowns, creating several geisha costumes for a local production, and so much more.  We look forward to bringing you more slices of studio life, and we hope you look forward to seeing it!


December

 January

Looking forward to what February has in store? Check out our Twitter feed for real-time updates, or check back at the end of the month for our next #WhatsUpToday review.

The Studio Goes to the Inauguration (By Proxy)

Everyone is talking about the fashion at the inaugural balls:  the who, the what, the "wear."   We had a personal investment in the inaugural balls, so that was what we talked about most!  We altered two very different beautiful gowns on their way to two different balls.

The first was for a woman who needed a dress bought several years ago to be taken in.  We pulled it in at every single seam to show off her new trim body, and added some bling to the back of her jacket to bring it up in style.  She dressed it up with a bejeweled necklace and bracelet brought over from India by a friend.

depending on the light, this dress could be green, bronze, or silver

The second was a brand new dress that needed hemming; our lovely lady was already a perfect ready-to-wear size, but the four hems of her stunning mermaid dress needed shortening, and the edges of her scarf needed evening out.  When she came in to pick it up, we had some fun helping her style the dress with a chunky, sparkly necklace and earrings.

all the right statement pieces work together to make a beautiful whole

Then we watched the inauguration from the warmth of the studio.  How did you mark the occasion of our 57th peaceful transition of power?

How to Spot Quality Part 1: Fiber Content

This summer's Olympics began with quite a controversy over our athletes' uniforms, and it has opened up discussions all over the country regarding imported clothing.  We at the studio all agree that it's not the imported-ness that was so upsetting; it was the fact that our athletes just looked sloppy!  None of the garments seemed to fit properly, which gave our athletes a much "cheaper" look, one that more than once was described as looking like flight attendants.  Yes, there were 529 of them, but a little custom fit and care would have gone a long way for a televised event the entire world was tuning in to see!

We have noticed a recent uptick in imported bridal garments as well, in which the manufacturing quality is shockingly low.  There are several very important things to know when buying garments, especially for special events.  We have found that many people who come through our shop were unaware of these key topics because, of course, most of us don't deal with custom-made garments on a daily basis!  In an effort to help stem the tide of poorly made garments in this world, we will be authoring a series of posts over the next several weeks on how to spot (and avoid!) poorly made garments, and which questions to ask before you buy.  We hope that this little bit of advice from people who see it all the time will give average women the tools necessary to pick out the best possible garment for their budget.

We will be discussing fit and construction (the biggest, most noticeable difference between beautiful and sloppy garments) in this series, but first a quick lesson in fibers!

Always, always, always (did we mention always?) look at the fiber content before you buy.  By law there there has to be a label in every garment listing the country of manufacture or origin, fiber content, and care instructions.  If the garment doesn't have those labels it could be illegally imported!

If at all possible, avoid acetate fabrics for bridal or other special event garments or in situations in which you may be sweating (altho in the South, women "glow").  Acetate does not breathe, it doesn't wick moisture from your body and it can water stain.  In a wedding with an outdoor ceremony, the extra sweat it causes to trickle down your back may literally leave water rings.  It is not used much in blending with other fibers, depending on the other fiber, so the fabric is usually 100% acetate or none at all.  A garment made of acetate cannot be let out because the stitch marks, and by proxy any holes, are often permanent.  But if your dream garment happens to have a very low percentage of acetate, you will probably not see the issues we just described.

The manufacture of synthetic fabrics has improved a lot over the years; some synthetics are so good they can fool even an experienced eye.  This can be a really good thing if you want or need a high-end garment on a budget, but it is always important to know exactly what you are buying.  We recently had a client ask us to make some hair wrap ribbons for her from fabric she had purchased at a well-know chain fabric store.  She believed it to be the 100% silk she needed, but a burn test proved it to be 100% saran, a synthetic fiber.  When I showed her a swatch of real silk to compare to her fabric she could literally feel the difference.  (Real silk has a "crunch" to it)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with synthetic fibers, and buying a garment that is partially or 100% synthetic can be a good way to get the look of a much more expensive garment for an affordable price.  But there are a few things to be aware of when it comes to synthetics: synthetic fibers do not breathe, meaning they do not allow air to flow freely through the fabric, and they do not wick, which is when the fabric absorbs and helps moisture evaporate off your body so you are less likely to sweat profusely while wearing it.  Some examples of natural fibers are cotton, wool, and silk. Some examples of synthetics are polyester, rayon, and acetate.

As we mentioned before, there is nothing wrong with synthetic fabrics, but we have often seen women come in our shop thinking their dress or other garment has a fiber content that it simply does not have.   We believe information is power, and if women know exactly what to look for when buying, they are most likely to get exactly what they wanted in the end.   Remember! look for the Fiber Content label!

Tune in next week for our next installment of How to Spot Quality!

I finally got the estimate done for the Rainbow wedding the other day and am waiting for the bride to get back to me. I'm so hoping we come to agreement on it because I really want to create a Rainbow wedding gown!
I've been doing a lot of alterations for the past few weeks for a lot of people. One of my alteration customers came in yesterday to pick up her jacket and then asked about a 1980's costume for a dance party she and her husband are going to next week. We went thru the racks of costumes and tried on a bunch of stuff, finally settling on a 2 piece ensemble of black sequin knit. There's a high slit in the skirt and we agreed that for her the slit didn't work so I came up with the idea of filling the slit with a gusset and letting it fall handkerchief style at the hem. It will look fabulous on the dance floor and will give her all the space she needs for various dance moves. She will be back on Wednesday to pick it up.
With all the alterations going thru here, I've been seam ripping, pinning and stitching my fingers to the bone. Yesterday I had some of Maggie Sansone's music playing and sort of went into "the zone". I love it when that happens; I lose track of time, get really focused, everything just seems to flow.
As I write this, Click and Clack the Tappert Brothers just came on with Car Talk. They do NOT put me in "the zone" (or at least not the right one). I am about to get up and put Maggie back on since I HATE Car Talk. I think the brothers are too full of themselves. To me they are chalk on a blackboard.....there, done!! Now I'm surrounded by sweet dulcimer music of the Celtic variety.
And with that, I'll end this and go to my work table to "zone out!"

The (now pink) Edwardian gown arrived in Maine today and my customer absolutely loved it. She gave me fabulous feedback about it on my Etsy site (www.multitalentedmama.etsy.com). If you click on feedback it will come up with a photo of the dress before it was dyed rosy pink.
I have a new client (who's also going on a cruise) and I will be making 5 pieces for her! Fortunately, we focused on mix and match pieces in non-wrinkling fabrics so I will be able to make the deadline for her. She's going to be wonderful to work with!
Kevin is home on leave so I'm trying to balance spending time with him and family with meeting deadlines at work. Not so easy!
The Dutch Country Market finally opened in its new location which is so conveniently across the street (sort of) from my Studio. I went to the Grand Opening this morning in my capacity as Vice-President of the Laurel Board of Trade. It was wonderful!!! I certainly plan to adjust my grocery shopping habits and go there. It's interesting, I just finished reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver describing her family's experience with eating local for a year. It reminded me so much of when I was a country wife in Chautauqua County, New York. I've long felt uncomfortable with buying stuff from around the world and in a half-hearted way have spent the past couple of years focusing on shopping more local, no big box stores, shopping at Mom and Pop stores, reading labels for where something was manufactured or grown and dreaming about gardening and canning. I've always felt there was more value in something that was hand made, especially if I knew the maker. After this book, I am firmly re-committed to the whole concept of the locavore lifestyle. We did get a garden going this year and next year will be better. I have put some stuff up, not as much as I would like, but enough to feel good. I buy produce from the farmers market as much as possible and shop along Main Streets throughout the area looking for the small sole proprietor, family owned shops for everything. I'm back at the thrift and consigment shops for things. I'm back where I used to be in life philosophy and this time I won't let myself be led astray. So, Dutch Market, expect to see me a lot! Local, organic, family farms (locovore radius 250 miles maximum).
Gotta go, alterations to finish and fabric to shop for!!!

Summer's Over!

Well, Labor Day is now behind us and the tempo of life is picking up as kids go back to school, vacations are now memories and the march towards the end of the year is almost complete. Each year seems to go by faster than the one before, but this year has done triple time so far. I'm still not used to writing 09!
The pace of work at the studio is also picking up. There is one project from this summer that is still waiting for completion, but over the weekend 4 old and new clients brought in repairs, alterations and renovations. The answering machine this morning delivered a new sewing student and a dress by early October. Looks like I'll be busy!
I was really excited today to check my Etsy store and find a request for information about the Edwardian gown. It's had almost 700 people look at it and a few ask about bust measurements (36") and I hope it sells today. There are some new items up there as well and many are suited to the cold season coming up. Check it out at www.multitalentedmama.etsy.com.
I've spent much of my sewing time today working on extensive repairs on Poe. His poor bird suit is literally falling apart at the seams. Just for the record, it was made by a company in Canada that specializes in mascots. What I do for Poe is to maintain the costume and make all the clothes he wears over it. Since I first started working with Poe I've made him a closet full of clothes and hats. Right now, it's all repair work and all stitching by hand with doubled buttonhole thread. I think by the time I'm done, I'll have restitched the entire thing, and if you've ever seen Poe on TV or at an appearance, you know that's a lot of seam!