marylandbridalseamstress.com

Its been that busy here! Still getting prom gowns in, and I am getting them in for May 31 proms, so it isn’t over yet, till the last prom day.  My being on the top of all search engine, and these young adults and thier moms know how to use google to find me! LIFE is GRAND!

I dont turn away anyone that truely needs my help with thier gowns. However, there is sewing work that I turn down nearly everyday.  No longer do I create from patterns or “ideas in someone’s head” or pictures of a model or movie star in a gown.  Don’t get me wrong I can do it, and with much success!

 And there may be a time in my life where I will pick this up again. Yet I got to tell you hunny, it ain’t anytime soon!   Nor do I sew via contract work.  That is where someone has a clothing creation they want to mass produce, and ohh they need a sample first. No, not I, I am not that seamstress! 

I want to alter gowns, I LIVE to alter gowns, or ressurrect them. I do sew business, in the fall & winter months only.  Yet most of the year, its all about the gowns =)

And its all about being able to make someone’s day soooo special, and being able to do that daily?  To make a gown fit like a evening glove would. Or to take a gown that came in here damaged and be able to restore it back to new life. 

Or to take a gown so small that sometimes the zipper stresses out and breaks, and then to be able to make the gown fit, and at the same time it still looks newly bought, and the smiles and true gratitude I receive is a blessing.  And to get that blessing daily?  Awesome, Lord, Awesome ~~  So right now I’m making it happen 10-12 hrs a day, it is sew worth it.  I am honored to be able to do this, daily….

Last Saturday was amazing! I had 10 coming for fittings on thier gowns and 6 gowns in, 2 were prom gals & 2 bridals, & 2 BM dresses. I had 13 gowns leave last week, yet most of them were prom dresses! Its prom season here in Maryland =)

Its actually fun to meet new prom gals, and then they come back with thier BM dresses years later, then years later they bring thier wedding gowns to me. Its like I watch them grow a bit into adulthood. Lately I have been getting in unique designer wedding gowns with trains that are a challenge to bustle.

One style is the fishtial gowns. I rather french bustle them, yet I have one here that must be over-bustled. There is just too much tulle & crinoline netting under this gown to do a french bustle.

So I had to show the bride that is we went with the bustle you wanted ( hooks very low) then your gown is going to drag the floor on the inside. She got it right away and agreed for me to raise the bustle. Her sweet Ma, I had to explain it to a bit, and I don’t mind that at all! I would rather save the gown from getting destroyed, even if it takes 1/2 hour to explain why I need to change the bustle.

 I never in my 22, well nearly 23 years of sewing bridal got a gown in here where they had a dropped train. I’ll try to take a pic of it and place it here. So bustling this gown was a challenge only because it was new to me. I just got a similiar gown in today, however, one the outer silk layer needs bustled, and we found that one side of the fishtale gown is very decored, and the other side of the gown is plain.

So I am going to bustle not in the back, but on the plain side to dress it up a bit. I can do the side because the fabric is not heavy at all. Again I’ll try to picture that one.

 I gardened today, well sort of! I dug in dirt!

My cow doggie named Lucky has been a very challenging toddler doggie!!

Lucky, poochie, cow, the stretchman, dog of many names pic is below…

Well Lucky likes to dig holes, and though this picture was taken last September when the drought was upon us, right now the grass is very green, and you cant see the holes when your walking aorund the yard, well not until you get your foot into a hole! So my Hubby and I bought 8 large bags of fill dirt, and I played hole filler for a Sunday evening LOL ( this was after eating a nice dinner out). I used all 8 bags ( because last year he dug my real garden big time) and I need about 8 more bags ( Ughh next weekend maybe).

I need to get out there with Lucky and train him NOT to dig, yet keep in mind he is only 2 1/2 years old. So he is in his terrible 2’s right now, and he is outgrowing alot of the things he used to do last year! There is hope for this sweet as a angel dog. I feel so blessed to have him, he is very good with complete strangers, even kids!

 My Sammy is 16+ years old and is good with strangers but not with young boys. So when a young boy comes to my house with a client, I take the time to put Sammy either outside or in my bedroom. He can hardly see these days, so I try to protect him more from being stressed. Luckily I have the best clients ever, and they understand I have to take care of my babies=) Saturday I made beef stew with the new crockpot my daughter bought me for my birthday. Mmmnnn it was the best and sooooo tender!

 I just used McCormicks meat tenderizer ( the orange one), and after the meat & veggies were done I added salt, pepper & cornstach to make a gravy ( mix those 3 in milk first). If you dont have a crockpot, I suggest getting one like mine, that has 3 different size bowls to use for cooking. Well thats about it, ohh I cooked enough stew that I have a extra dinner for next week too! Yeah that will be a easy dinner! Blessings to all, Diana

Well over a month has rolled by and it has been hugely busy here! I am just finishing up with prom season, well one more week to go of that I assume, Wait the city gals have thier proms later! And last April 25-27th I had 10 weddings, whew!

 So if I had to re-schedule your appointment and your wedding is a bit later, well that why!. Plus my mom & husband & daughter have been ill, and they take turns.
I’ve become a grandma that watches her grandson some each week. So I really HAVE TO pay attention to the gowns I take on. I am always busy. This time of year, I am swimming in work, and I am not the type to rush sew. I like to make sure things are done right!
Its hard sometimes to keep up with around 100 ongoing clients, well more right now due to prom season! Trying to remember names, faces, work needing done ( which I keep black n white notes for), its all in fun sometimes! And I dont have set hrs for being awake or asleep.
Thats because emergency gowns come in every week, and I take a careful look at what I have to do already before accepting one in. I almost always accept the BM dress or Prom gown.
Now for another I have a vent post………
Just last late Friday afternoon a wedding gown came in, that the brides friend brought in, and it needed a corset. The bride could not come in because she supposedly was in a power wheel chair? So I felt bad for the bride, she actaully had 2 gowns and neither one fit!
And they said they were on a budget. Look I have a husband that is on disability pay that just had surgery. So I understand. So I offered to put in the corset, a simple bustle, & steam the gown for 1/3 of the cost. And I gifted a gown bag. I did what I could to HELP!
I told the person here I would not be able to start the gown till Sunday, wrote that on the work order for which she got a copy of. So after being so kind, why did I get 2 phone calls, Saturday, 2 Sunday ( of which I couldnt answer - clients were here) and 2 Monday asking me if Im done yet in a condesending way?
Well actually the second time Monday it was the groom calling me whom I have never even ever spoke to or met? Was that not a bit rude, considering I was the one saving thier A– ( ok I saved thier day).  Never mind the brides that did have thier gowns here…I really truely LOVE to help everyone, even if its not appreciated.
I was dumbfounded. What did I do to deserve this I asked ohh lord? Lord I did not ask them to wait till a few days before thier wedding to see if the gown fit! And surely the person that brought the gown here saw the 4 racks of gowns here ( ok so over 1/2 are done just waiting for the wedding day to come along).
And I did tell her I have one other emergency gown ahead of hers ( that I knew about months ago - a prego BM needed to fit in her gown for a Sunday wedding, last Sunday). The prego BM came from the airport to me and I had her gown done in a day’s time, with clients coming for fittings.
So I spoke my mind a bit to the groom, I told him my side, and that the person dropping off the gown was a bit wrong in assuming I would rush sew. Thier wedding is day after tomorrow, and they now have thier gown as of Early Tuesday afternoon. It takes 4-5 hrs for a corset gown to happen because I make the loops, the modesty panel, the corset strap all myself.

 I go by the color of the gown and make it look like it came that way straight from the designer, see the picture at the top of this post, of a gown I did? I supply the fabric and other supplies needed to put a corset in a wedding gown, 3-4 hrs of work, for $75.

So little of a cost when your gown doesnt fit! So if your reading this, and you need a corset for your gown, and the wedding is less than a week away, please pardon me if a takes me a few days to complete your miracle.
Back to my life has been a lovely experience post………
Have you noticed Spring has arrived in full force?
I have been cleaning off my patio that is just outside my sewing studio. I simply love to hand sew out there, not wedding gowns of course, but I can sew a hook & eye onto a BM dress, or make baby toys for my grandson. I love to sit & watch the birds flying, hear them singing - ohh and just a ways away from me is a church that plays music often, its quite lovely & peaceful !
Soon, I’ll be entering in time in my life for yard work, I dont really have “time” to garden, but last year my clients broguht me alot of potted flowers ( as a gift/tip) and I loved planting them out in the back yard! Some came back to me this year, while other spots are bare calling for my attention. It seems after I plant them and feed them some miracle grow, they do really well in spite of my not so green thumb!
Alas, I have to save those days for Monday & Tuesday, later in the week I am lucky if I have time to answer the phone! Sometimes I dont, I just let the recorder help me manage, till I can return the call. Thats why its best to email me too, yet I understand some dont use a computer at all !! I cant imagine life without one, yet some do just fine!
I promise, I’ll post soon. Email me if you need me, I am really here, loving life & swimming in sewing bridal gowns & such….God Bless! Diana

What is up with Bridal Gown Manufacturers? Really does it cost that much to put a larger hook & eye on each bridal gown? Why are they using a small silver one, that belongs on a flower girl dress? A number 1 hook & eye cannot hold a up to 50 lb gown together!!.

I offer for free to correct your mistakes, as I replace that hook & eye for free. MY customers appreciate my kindness! Alot of times the gown comes in here for alterations, and that hook & eye is broken already! So before the customer even tries on her gown for the first time here, I am sewing on thier gown, while they are here, replacing the hook, ohh and yes that lil piece of string you call a eye! How I wish the gowns brides pay hundreds for had the correct hook & eye in the first place!

If you are going to sew couture gowns, use the correct tools people! Ok that was a vent!! I have other vents about the condition of the gowns when they come here, and I’ll post them as I think of them. Ohh such as some of the hems I’ve been seng very lately on some bridal gowns.

Is horse hair history? I can still purchase it so why am I seeing bridal gowns that cost $700+ that has a serged hem that is then folded over & sewn in a somewhat straight line? It takes time to first serge the edge, then go back and fold that over & sew around again.

Do you know when a bride walks down the isle, that hem wil show the serged edge? EWWWWW! So why dont you use a larger rolled hem edge if you are trying to cut cost? That only requires sewing around the hem edge ONE time, and its much less cost in thread! If the pattern is cut properly one can get a good looking rolled edge!

Why is some gowns is there boning in the bodice that is too long? And those flimsy lil things you call bra cups? A flat triangular piece of sponge is NOT a supportive bra cup! I see these in gowns that are a size 12 or more! Come on dont put a minus size A cup in a gown that needs a C cup or more!

Just leave em out so I can sew in a proper cup, please! I am going to start naming designer names….right here on my blog=) Do the seamstress a favor and sew the gown right! Dont even make me get my ruler on you =) They used them in Catholic schools and I remember the proper way to discipline! Blessings, your Maryland Bridal Seamstress, Diana Adams

Pulled from the old blog…