Policies

Here are a few guidelines/tips for both my customers and me. Check back from time to time to see if there are any additions.

--Please do not call or text before or after the preferred calling hours (before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m.). Please do not call or text on Sundays.
--If I do not answer, please leave a message.  I will get back to you as soon as I am able.  Call/text back times are Mon-Sat 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Call back days--not times--also apply to replying to emails)

When needing a hem altered, please bring/wear the shoes you plan to wear with the garment.

I reserve the right to decline altering/mending/constructing a project or garment.

I only accept clean garments. DO NOT bring a garment that is dirty.

I check my email Monday through Saturday.

If there is damage done to your garment during the alteration/mending process, I will mend my mistake, report the damage to you, and you will receive no charge for the procedure in which the damage occurred. i.e. A pair of pants needs a hem taken down, and waist taken out. I accidentally tear a hole in the seat of the pants with a seam ripper. I will patch the hole, finish the waist alteration and hem, and report the damage. I will not charge for altering the waist, but I will still charge for hemming the pants.

I am not responsible for unsatisfactory alterations if the customer will/did not try on and have me mark the garment to be altered. i.e. If a hem is too short and the customer did not try it on and have me mark it, it is the customers responsibility and the customer must still pay for the alteration.

I will try my hardest to finish all alterations/mendings or projects as soon as possible. The time will vary depending on the responsibilities of my home and work.

Please pick up your items in a timely manner (as soon as the work is completed you will be notified). Items not picked up by 10 days after completion of the alterations/mending/construction will be donated to Goodwill, Care Channel, etc.

I do not work on weekends.

What's with the scripture?

If you're wondering why I put Mark 2:21 up. A simple explanation: My previous employer-the Sewing Goddess-had this (or Matthew 9:16...they say the same thing) posted on a wall in the sewing room. The scripture was her policy for customers who came in wanting their "favorite" pair of pants patched again...yes, again. The pants would be hanging together by a few threads sometimes. I have adopted this same policy. If I've patched it once, I ain't patchin' it again! Especially crotches.

Business cards! Hurray!

My free business cards came in yesterday! This is what the front looks like. Mark 2:21 is written on the back.

Shirt to Dress Project

I finally finished one of the little girl dresses. I made it out of an old shirt of mine that was way to small. Here is what the shirt looked like before:
and after:
I got the idea from: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=170402.0
I made a few changes on the construction, but the basic idea is the same. I will admit, my "tutorial" is rather scanty on details. The original tutorial is much better at giving step by step instructions.

First, rather than cut the shirt apart I picked it apart...more time consuming, but I wanted to get every possible inch of the fabric (it was a rather small shirt compared to the tutorial). I also had to unpick all the darts.
Once that was done I folded the front and back of the shirt in half,measured, and cut the shape. The chest needed to be at least 19 1/2 inches around, including ease. (For the front of the shirt, the tutorial taped the shirt together. I found it much easier to unbutton the shirt and then lay the two sides on top of each other to cut.)
Once the fabric was cut I then cut and basted on some plain white fabric to the shirt because the shirt was rather thin.

The blue lines are the cut edge and green are the finished edge. (for a larger view, click the photo)

With that done, I sewed the three pieces together. The back of the shirt became the front of the dress, and the front the back. I also turned the back of the shirt inside out because it had a decent looking patch that added a nice effect to the dress front. ^-^ Because I don't have a serger I did a flat felled seam on the sides so wouldn't have to clean finish them (tutorials for those seam finishes will come in another post).

The next step was to make some arm holes. I measured the width between my daughter's underarms, marked the fabric, cut, and then clean finished the armholes and top of the dress.
I took the two sleeves, which I also lined with fabric, trimmed them down and clean finished the raw edge. To straighten out the inner part of the sleeve (the side that would become closest to the neck...it used to be the outer edge of the shirt sleeve) I sewed some ribbon on, it also served as a nice decor. Because I straightened out that one edge the other became gathered
I safety pinned the finished sleeves onto the dress and had my daughter try in on to make sure the sleeve wasn't too long from front to back and also to mark the hem.

That done, I tacked down the sleeves and hemmed the dress with more ribbon.
Here is the finished product.
Pictures will be a bit less nerve racking once she can stand on her own. Again, the original tutorial is much more detailed and easier to follow. I promise to be more specific on future projects.

Tension

Experts are always saying you should never ever mess with the tension of your machine if it's all out of wack. They don't, however, tell you how to fix it without touching that sacred tension knob. The majority of the time your needle is the culprit of the wacky stitches. All you need to do is put a new needle in and that usually will fix the problem. Still having issues? Experts might haunt me for saying this, but sometimes your bobbin case is the issue. If you look on the case, you'll find a little screw, tightening or loosening that screw the slightest bit can make a world of difference. If you're still having issues, it's ok, you can touch that tension knob (especially if it's your on personal machine; if not...it'd be best for your health to just leave it be.). I honestly, don't know which way to turn the knob to loosen or tighten the thread (having obeyed the no touchy commandment), so if anyone knows please share the knowledge! Otherwise, just fiddle with it until the tension is back to normal.

There is also a way to tell whether or not you need to bother with the bobbin case. If the wonkiness is happening on the underside of the garment, then it's usually the top thread that is either too loose/tight. If it's on the upperside (the side you see while sewing), then it's the bobbin thread. I'll explain this more later with pictures (I'm getting myself confused trying to picture this stuff in my head...sad).

Yes, I know its been forever.

I realize that I haven't been posting or working on any projects recently. I apologize. I finally cleaned things up, and am able to start sewing again. I also was one of the winners for the free business cards and have been trying to figure out a cute pic to put on the card. Finally got one, just have to color, scan, upload, and then order the silly things. I'll try to get better at posting things. Though, to make more excuses, I have been trying to figure out how to execute the construction of the little girls dresses.

A look into the Pattern World

Three things to think about when buying a pattern.

Firstly, don't be discouraged by the sizes. Just as all sizes for women are different in the clothing world, so they are in the pattern world as well. For some reason the pattern making gods decided to make larger numbers for the sizes. The number does not reflect the same sizes in the clothing world. Do not let the sizing get you down!

Secondly, when trying to decide whether to get the pattern that fits your bust or waist measurements, or your hip or waist measurements (because lets face it, the majority of women do not have those exact measurements on the package), choose the pattern that fits your bust or hip. Waistlines are much easier to alter to fit you than hips and busts...though when it comes to a dress (rather than a shirt or skirt) I'm a bit stumped. I honestly can't remember whether it's the bust or hip (any suggestions from those who know?).

Lastly, when you buy a shirt or dress pattern the bust size on the actual pattern piece will always be a B cup, and if I remember correctly it will be a 34 B (though maybe it was a 36 B...I'll have to check on that). Any which way, it's a B cup. So for all you girls out there with B cup, congrats! You don't have to alter your pattern to fit your bust. But for the rest of the cup sizes, sadly you must alter your pattern piece to fit your cup size (sad and annoying, I know).

Today's Give Away

So if you don't know about Today's Give Away, you're missing out on some really cool stuff! The most resent give away is for a ton of free business cards for three winners. Check back frequently to see what new give away is going on. There's a link on the bottom left. Good luck!

Finished Product

Here's the finished product of the bridesmaid dress I altered. It ended up being a lot easier than I expected. I decided to do a pinch hem at the waist instead of unpicking the skirt from the bodice, which would have been painful...very painful. Pinching was fine and dandy until I got to the side seams. The skirt had fullness that I had take in...or so I thought. Upon trying to figure out how to take in and taper the side seams I tried the dress on to find out it looked much better if I just made gathers out of the extra fabric instead of tapering it. So in the end the style of the dress ended up changing a little, but it still looks nice (honestly, once you alter anything it won't be the same as it was when you started).

Here's the pinch before I sewed it down and trimmed it.

Now sewn down and trimmed.

The front of the dress (sorry no modeling)

The back

The side seam with gathers (between the arrows)

Next project will be a little girl's dress. Still deciding which one to do first.

Contact Info

Contact Information

Email:
amichan148@gmail.com

Cell Phone:
801-376-3070
--Preferred calling/texting hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
--My phone does not accept or send multimedia or group texts.  I apologize for this inconvenience.--
--If I do not answer, please leave a message. I will get back to you as soon as I am able.
--I do not return calls or texts before or after the preferred calling/texting hours.

Create!

Jean Zippers

I was talking with my mom the other day about a particular customer that came in once to the BYU sewing room. He was on the BYU ballroom dance team and he, and his mother, had brought in his tux to get mended. It needed a few buttons and a new zipper. Nothing special. But for some reason he, and his mom, wanted us to put a jean zipper into the tux pants. Both of them said (paraphrasing) "grandma said that jean zippers are stronger than the normal pants zipper and thus you should use a jean zipper if you don't want the zipper to break." He continued to tell me that a jean zipper would work better because he moves a lot (since it was a dance outfit), and that's why the zipper broke.* I was a bit irked, but we did as they wanted and put the jean zipper into the pants.

There is a bit of truth to jean zippers being stronger. They were made to handle heavier fabrics, like jean or corduroy, but that does not mean they will last longer in normal slacks. It just adds too much bulk and will wear out the fabric faster. An OCD seamstress would compare the jean zipper in slacks to putting a jean zipper into a lovely light weight (chiffon overlay kinda skirt) skirt instead of an invisible zipper or other appropriate zipper. The jean zipper would first of all look horrible, add too much bulk, and would ruin the dress before it broke the zipper.

The moral of this story; jean zippers are "stronger" (a better word would be heavy duty) because they are used with thicker, stronger (again, heavy duty) fabrics where a normal zipper would break faster and easier.

*The dance tux was also old. Which was one reason why the zipper had broken. That and the fact that he's a college age boy who doesn't take much thought into how to gently take care of his tux. It was not because he moved a lot from dancing.

Pressing Darts

You should press the dart from the widest end to the point. Don't press paste the point. There are two directions darts should be pressed. When it is a horizontal dart, the dart is pressed downward. If the dart is a vertical dart, the dart should be pressed toward the center of the garment. Basically, pressing them in those ways is most flattering and appealing. Here is a diagram for those who are more visual (like myself).

The dotted lines are the folded part (the bulk) of the dart underneath the garment. And the little arrows tell you which way to press.

Backstitching Darts

Let's be honest. How many of us have wanted to just backstitch at the point of the dart even though the instructions tell us not to? I'm guilty. There is nothing wrong with a tiny bit of backstitching at the tip. The only reason they say not to is because it adds unnecessary bulk at the tip. But if it's just a tiny bit of backstitching, the amount of bulk added is very unnoticeable (maybe an OCD seamstress will notice). Just as long as you start sewing from the wide end and go to the point, a bit of backstitching is fine. It's either that, or just tie it off at the tip. Your choice. ^-^

Prices

Prices for Alterations/Construction
(Subject to Change)
Please inquire if you have any questions

C-130
$25

• Comes in either regular green camo or pink/green camo
• All other color/pattern schemes are discussed on a case by case basis

Hooded Towels 
All hooded towels come with ribbon trim.
 Hooded towels come with an applique*.
Please add $2 if an embroidered name on the ribbon trim is wanted.

$40+ Hooded towels*
$40+ Non hooded towels***
$45+ for adult hooded towels.  Price varies on expense of towels.

$30 Plain Towel--Ribbon trim--No Appliques 

*All appliques are custom made.  Please allow for slight variances in each product.  Price varies on complexity of applique*
**Non-hooded towels may have full names spelled out.  Price varies on complexity of picture applique and number of letters beyond four in a name.  Please add $2 for every 2 letters beyond the initial four**

Embroidery/Appliques
All embroidery, monograms, appliques, etc are custom made and hand guided through my sewing machine.  
***I do not own an embroidery machine***
Prices vary. Estimate: $10.85/hour

Custom Creations
Please inquire: amichan148@gmail.com

Shirts
Shorten sleeves-$5.00
Shorten body of shirt-$6.50
Take in body of shirt-$6.50
Narrow shoulder-$6.50
Raise shoulder-$6.50
Reset sleeve-add $4.00

Tailored jackets
Take in sides-$9.00
Take in center back-$8.00
Shorten/Lengthen sleeves (without buttonholes)-$9.00
Shorten/Lengthen sleeves (with uncut buttonholes)-$10.00

Jackets/Coats
Replace zipper-$8.00 (please supply zipper)

Pants
Take in/out waist (no jeans)-$6.50
Stride (no jeans)-$6.50
Inside/Outside leg tapers-$6.50
Hem up (plain bottom and pinch)-$5.50
Cuff hem-$6.50
Blind bottom-$7.00
Military hem-$8.00
Lengthen any hem-$8.00
Replace zipper-$7.00 (please supply zipper)
Lined pants-add $4.00

Skirts/Dresses
Take in/out center back-$6.50
Take in/out sides-$7.00
Reset zipper-add $5.00
Replace zipper-$8.00 (please supply zipper)
Hem up (A-line/full) plain bottom-$8.00
Hem up (straight) plain bottom-$6.50
Hem up (A-line/full) blind bottom-$9.00
Hem up (straight) blind bottom-$8.00
Lengthen (A-line/full) hem-$10.00
Lengthen (straight) hem-$8.00
Lined skirt/dress-add $4.00

Misc
Sewing per hour-$10.85
Sew on patches-$1.10
Patch hole (varies on size)-$1.00-8.00
Resew button-$0.90 (please provide replacement buttons)

Note:

• Blind hems are slightly more because they are hand sewn. I do not have a blind hemmer.
• I do not shorten/lengthen tailored jacket sleeves whose sleeve buttonholes are cut. I do not raise/narrow shoulders or reset sleeves on men's tailored jackets.

Custom Srubs
Tops-$20 plus materials (trim, fabric, pattern, etc)

Bottoms-$10 plus materials

• Before buying your fabric, please contact me for any available coupons/sales.
• Before buying a pattern, please check to see if it's on sale. Never buy a pattern for full price (they usually run around $15). Patterns go on sale every couple of weeks from $0.99-2.99. I will try to keep an updated list of pattern sales.
• Sometimes I will be able to get the materials needed for the customer (rather than the customer getting them). If interested, please ask if that option is available.
• Custom patterns will be available at a future time.