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Messages - Daffodil

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Hello All

A few months ago I started a thread about my wedding dress being cut too short before I tried it on. I have a different set of questions and so thought it better to start a new thread. You can find out more here: https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,10934.msg195892.html#msg195892

If anyone is willing, it would be so helpful if you could PM private message me with your honest thoughts on (even one or two) of following. The person I had been working with would answer ‘yes’ all of these points and says that they are reasonable and standard practices in the dressmaking industry. I’m trying to get a clearer unbiased understanding.

1.   Would you ever rely on the length of the calico / toile sample to cut the bottom of the silk dress (with no hem) before the silk dress has been tried on?
2.   The dressmaker relied on the calico for the length of the silk dress. She told me I had put on weight which is why the silk dress seemed shorter. I did not put on weight, but if I had, is it true that one dress size larger would make the hem about 5 to 7cm shorter?
3.   If the customer did not make comments in person at the first fitting in the silk dress (because she was fighting tears!), but emailed the same day asking for amendments, would you refuse a further fitting? (Three fittings were contracted).
4.   If a customer’s body shape changed, would you refuse further fittings? (My shape was not noticeably different but she’s claiming it was).
5.   If you relocated during lockdown before you completed the job, would you expect full payment and ask the customer to get the job completed elsewhere at her own expense?

It would also be helpful to know:
6.   If a wedding was postponed due to lockdown, would you agree to postpone your services? How many months do you think is reasonable to postpone your services for? Or would you negotiate a price reduction for some of the fee for services not used (e.g. fittings / amendments)? Or would the customer still need to pay the full fee even though the dress is not complete?
7.   How many fittings in the silk dress would your quote include?

Thanks so much for your help. Your answers to even one or two of these questions would be so useful.

Daffodil

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Sewing Professionally / Dressmaker directory
« on: September 21, 2020, 21:57:52 PM »
Hi. Anyone know if there are there any good dressmaker-specific directories out there?

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Taking our seams in silk crepe
« on: September 21, 2020, 21:54:04 PM »
Thanks Everyone. I'll start a new thread on the 'sewing professionally' board to get some ideas about how I can find a reputable dressmaker. Thanks for all your help.

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Taking our seams in silk crepe
« on: September 21, 2020, 18:59:32 PM »
Yes - I'm feeling that way at the moment.

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Taking our seams in silk crepe
« on: September 21, 2020, 18:02:46 PM »
Yes - the dress is too tight - so it might help a bit. Just not sure if the seams will have enough in them to resize properly to get the length right and without the fabric fraying. I'm just weighing up if it is worth paying her the final amount at all if the dress it too ruined to be redeemed. Even if I get the dress off her, I might have to buy more fabric (different fabric roll batch might also have a slightly different colour) to at least get the front of the skirt re-done. I've got the toile and pattern, and so it might be a better job / almost equivalent price to just start from scratch.

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Taking our seams in silk crepe
« on: September 21, 2020, 17:07:56 PM »
Thanks for all the advice again. I have taken everyone's advice on board. A legal letter will cost £300. I doubt that the dress maker will respond to a lawyer's letter even if I sent one - I've already sent her a notice of intention to take her to small claims. This has had no impact.

I think that I'm effectively forced to make the payment if I do not want to lose what is in part already my property (the fabric and embellishments that I paid for) and the investment I’ve already made in her service. I could still take it to small claims - but this will take months, cost more than the final payment she is demanding and I might still battle to get her to send me the dress even if I do win small claims. And then there might not be enough time to do anything with the dress before my wedding.

The dress was made before lockdown and so the stitching has been in the fabric for 6 months and the dress has spent a bit of time hanging. I'm worried this will affect the size of the holes. I'm also unsure how much of the seam would have to be taken out (the main reason is meant to be to make the dress longer).

Thanks for everyone's support.

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A bit of a 'do' / Taking our seams in silk crepe
« on: September 19, 2020, 16:44:07 PM »
Hello All

I need a silk crepe morocain wedding dress to be adjusted (seams taken out) and the supplier who has the dress, insists that this can be done without damaging the silk. I would very much appreciate your opinions on this as I am unable to obtain the dress for a second opinion until I've paid for it.

Please find attached three pictures that the supplier has sent of a swatch of the silk crepe morocain (https://www.pongees.co.uk/marocain-cream.html) that is 1. stitched, 2. stitches removed and 3. steam ironed. She is using these images to illustrate that taking out the stitching will not damage the silk.

The dress is lined in silk crepe backed satin: http://james-hare.com/search/silk-crepe-backed-satin-gold. If the seams on the morocain might be okay, is there any chance that the seams in the lining might not be and might show through?

Thanks for giving some thought to this.    [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]    [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]    [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Wedding dress too short
« on: September 02, 2020, 20:31:32 PM »
Thanks so much for all of your support.

Can anyone give any advice on where can I find a reputable dressmaker / tailor? Is there a directory or association that checks / accredits the trader?

Thanks

Daffodil

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Wedding dress too short
« on: September 02, 2020, 16:04:49 PM »
I really appreciate all of the advice. Thanks so much. I hadn't thought of the idea of redoing the front panels. I very much doubt that I'll get them to do a thing. They just want payment now are refusing to negotiate anything.

Could anyone guess-timate how much it would cost to get the front panels done again and how much fabric (width 140cm) would be needed? I imagine I would have to pay extra for the fabric and the work.

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Wedding dress too short
« on: September 02, 2020, 14:58:38 PM »
Thanks so much - I hadn't thought of household insurance. I will give that a try.

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Wedding dress too short
« on: September 02, 2020, 12:31:05 PM »
Thanks for all the replies. I paid with Paypal, which doesn't have Buyer Protection for bespoke items. So I can't claim back this way. I also don't have wedding insurance. If I do pay the final instalment, I might be left with a wedding dress I can't use / am not happy with and be hundreds of pounds poorer.

My wedding got postponed from April this year to May next year, and the company is saying that they will not and can not postpone fittings to the later date. They relocated during lockdown. I think that they did not want to do the contracted three fittings as they had to make a trip to London to do them. And so they hemmed the dress in the hope that the first fitting in the silk would be the last.

How usual is it to hem a wedding dress of this type with no hem at all? Is it usual to rely on the length measurements of the toile to go straight to the silk (with no hem) without having a fitting in the silk first?

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Wedding dress too short
« on: September 02, 2020, 11:36:46 AM »
The design company will not give a price reduction. They have the dress and want me to pay the full final installment before they release it for me to get a second opinion on what can be sorted out. I'm worried this might be wasted money if the problem can't be fixed.

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A bit of a 'do' / Re: Wedding dress too short
« on: September 02, 2020, 11:27:45 AM »
I was not wearing my wedding shoes as I had been expecting the measurements for the length to be taken in final silk. The hem was cut to short with no way of letting any hem seam down. Any other opinions on loosening the dress from the front seams (about 2cm in each of the front seams)?

My wedding shoes cost about £300 with no way of returning now and the heels are only 6cm. Any lower than this I'll practically be wearing flats and my posture would be different. I really hope that this isn't the only option  :(

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A bit of a 'do' / Wedding dress too short
« on: September 02, 2020, 10:52:41 AM »
Hello All

I’m new and joined this forum as I would really value some help from all the expertise and passion I’ve seen on these boards.

I’ve been having a wedding dress made by a design company which is relocating from London to Salford and can no longer complete my dress for me. The most recent fitting was the first fitting I had done in the actual dress with the silk fabric. The dress is too short at the front and I asked for the hem to be taken down as my shoes were clearly visible. I have been told that the hem has absolutely no seam at all and that the only way of lengthening the dress is loosening the dress from the front seams (there is a zip in one of the side seams).  I believe that there is about 2cm in each of the front seams and the dress is too tight anyway (including at the back).

I am not by any means familiar with dress making and I’m worried that taking out the seams might not fix the length by very much, might be expensive to do, and might compromise the rest of the dress. I’ve attached a picture of the dress skirt in the toile just before it was made in the silk. I’d be very interested in having any opinions / advice / comments / signposting.

And thanks for your help.

Best wishes

Daffodil

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