Author Topic: Turning down business  (Read 1537 times)

Hanna

Re: Turning down business
« Reply #30 on: December 12, 2019, 10:24:44 am »
Here's a link with double and single breasted jackets. As you can see, the entire front of the jacket is different. Pockets wouldn't fit in the same place, especially if you're cutting it down from a coat. Depending on whether she wants a short or long jacket, pockets might not even be possible, moved or not. The lapel won't look like it does now, and she wants to keep that.
Can cut in pockets be “moved”? Wouldn’t you have a big seam where the pockets previously existed?

Sometimes, but it'd be a nightmare of a job. My mom does seamstress work on the side and can construct garments from scratch with no pattern, but I'm telling y'all she'd laugh herself silly at the request and tell the person to buy a new coat. She's done some pretty insane cosplay ensembles for people, so she's got the skills.
My point was if fabric is cut you cannot exactly uncut it. The seams from the pockets are always going to be there. Some seamstresses might be able to work magic and cover them up or else make those seams almost invisible, but it’s pretty unlikely.

bopper

Re: Turning down business
« Reply #31 on: December 12, 2019, 10:43:36 am »
'I would only take on a project I feel  100% confident I could do a good job for you. I do not have the skills for this, and would not want to leave you with a pile of cut up fabric. "

TootsNYC

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Re: Turning down business
« Reply #32 on: December 12, 2019, 10:47:16 am »
I showed the description of the work your customer wants done to my sister, who runs an alteration shop and does do custom work (she does a lot of work for re-enactors, for example, and she's made a few wedding dresses), and she said she would turn down the work for the reasons VorFemme cited.  She did say that she once took apart a very nice kilt that no longer fit and was able to make another garment from it (another style of skirt), but there are yards of fabric in a kilt to work with.
I learned about how much fabric there is in a kilt watching the Great British Sewing Bee. All those pleats! This whole conversation has also made me think of that show, because the first challenge of each episode was to convert an existing garment into something completely different. As you can imagine, some were more successful than others. If you like sewing, highly recommend checking the show out online (same producers as the Bake Off).

One way a person could deal with the cut-outs is to piece or quilt them together.

A friend of mine made a kilt; it is amazing how much fabric it takes!

Aleko

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Re: Turning down business
« Reply #33 on: December 13, 2019, 04:13:30 am »
Quote
I showed the description of the work your customer wants done to my sister, who runs an alteration shop and does do custom work (she does a lot of work for re-enactors, for example, and she's made a few wedding dresses), and she said she would turn down the work for the reasons VorFemme cited.  She did say that she once took apart a very nice kilt that no longer fit and was able to make another garment from it (another style of skirt), but there are yards of fabric in a kilt to work with.

Plus the fact that a kilt is - apart from the waistband where excess material in the pleats is normally trimmed off to make it less bulky - basically just a very long rectangle. If you can manage to steam and press the pleats  out, it's no different from starting with a new length of cloth.
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Soop

Re: Turning down business
« Reply #34 on: December 13, 2019, 07:04:50 am »
I showed the description of the work your customer wants done to my sister, who runs an alteration shop and does do custom work (she does a lot of work for re-enactors, for example, and she's made a few wedding dresses), and she said she would turn down the work for the reasons VorFemme cited.  She did say that she once took apart a very nice kilt that no longer fit and was able to make another garment from it (another style of skirt), but there are yards of fabric in a kilt to work with.
I learned about how much fabric there is in a kilt watching the Great British Sewing Bee. All those pleats! This whole conversation has also made me think of that show, because the first challenge of each episode was to convert an existing garment into something completely different. As you can imagine, some were more successful than others. If you like sewing, highly recommend checking the show out online (same producers as the Bake Off).
Oh!  That sounds good.  Is it on Netflix?
Sorry, no (at least not in Canada). I watched it on Youtube.

oogyda

Re: Turning down business
« Reply #35 on: December 13, 2019, 11:16:11 am »
Here's a link with double and single breasted jackets. As you can see, the entire front of the jacket is different. Pockets wouldn't fit in the same place, especially if you're cutting it down from a coat. Depending on whether she wants a short or long jacket, pockets might not even be possible, moved or not. The lapel won't look like it does now, and she wants to keep that.
Can cut in pockets be “moved”? Wouldn’t you have a big seam where the pockets previously existed?

Probably.  But one could make seam part th design.  Straight across, slanting up or down.  It would add some structural interest.

Hanna

Re: Turning down business
« Reply #36 on: December 13, 2019, 11:24:14 am »
Here's a link with double and single breasted jackets. As you can see, the entire front of the jacket is different. Pockets wouldn't fit in the same place, especially if you're cutting it down from a coat. Depending on whether she wants a short or long jacket, pockets might not even be possible, moved or not. The lapel won't look like it does now, and she wants to keep that.
Can cut in pockets be “moved”? Wouldn’t you have a big seam where the pockets previously existed?

Probably.  But one could make seam part th design.  Straight across, slanting up or down.  It would add some structural interest.
Yes, that’s what I meant.  Asking a seamstress who specializes in alterations to redesign and remake a coat is just odd to me. Like asking my mechanic to build me a new car out of an old one. Someone can do it, but that’s not what they do there!
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Copper Horsewoman

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Re: Turning down business
« Reply #37 on: December 15, 2019, 10:48:00 am »
Oh, this. I am a silver jewelry maker, mostly wire wrapping, some bezel work and basic soldering. I get asked to repair costume jewelry by soldering all the time. If it isn't silver or gold, generally speaking it is what jewelers call "pot metal", sometimes plated brass, sometimes some form of tin, sometimes no idea what alloy it is. It is NOT going to result in anything usable or pretty. Also, I could not re-plate it if I did manage to put it back together. Plus, popping rhinestones or crystals out prior to soldering would run a high risk of damaging either the stones or the settings for them. I have told people to go to a jeweler who can cast pieces and have the piece entirely remade. Even if they choose to have it remade in something like brass, they are astonished at how expensive it will be. Sorry, one-off work is always going to be vastly more than mass production.