Hemmingway Tailors & Alterations

Sep 2023

I can sew so I tend to do basic mending myself like patching a tshirt or darning a sweater but a full length silk gown for a wedding guest dress was above and beyond my abilities. Hannah did a great job on my husband's trousers so I brought my gown (though Nordstrom's offers free tailoring the fix I needed seemed above basic fitting) and I brought the tiny ellie "nap dress" my baby will wear for a lining. We asked to bring in a slit that was way too high and exposing for a formal gown and to fix the length. We also asked to line the ruching of my daughter's dress with cotton. Hannah cleverly designed a way to use all of the extra length of my gown to add a thigh covering panel that looked like the dress should have been designed with that perfectly matched the one other visible bias running seam. She selected a really nice cotton and in a few weeks perfectly improved my daughter's dress to her measurements (I didn't know ruching could be lined and be easy on easy off for a toddler) and reconstructed the side of my gown. When I needed a minor tweak I thought I would have to leave my gown again for another week but Hannah expertly fixed the hip area of my gown before I could change into my street clothes. I highly recommend Hannah at Hemmingway Tailoring for formalwear and clever and professional fixes.

Oct 2015

I am very pleased with the work that Hemingway Tailors did on four pieces I brought in: two shirtdresses, one v-neck sleeveless dress, and a khaki safari-style jacket. The dresses were all too large in the bodice, and the very nice alterations lady pinned and checked each one for where it needed to be taken in. One shirtdress also needed its sleeves taken in, and the sleeveless dress also needed the shoulder straps shortened. The jacket was too big in the shoulders and the sleeves were too long. The lady suggested that she take in the shoulders a bit, and that would take care of the sleeve length problem. All items were made of cotton and the tank dress was lined (which makes alterations more time consuming since they would have to alter the lining as well). The jacket had epaulettes, and it was a more complicated alteration. since she would need to cut the shoulder opening, re-set the sleeve, and move the epaulette. I dropped the items off on Thursday afternoon, and asked if they could be completed by Tuesday morning, since I was only visiting town and departing Tuesday afternoon--not a lot of time for them, especially since they are closed on Mondays. Well, the nice lady said she could do it and they'd be ready Tuesday at 10am. I came to pick up my items on Tuesday and they were ready to go. Not only that, but they were flawless. Wow! I could not even tell where the alterations had been done. The lining on the sleeveless dress was perfect, the sleeve reduction on the shirtdress was great, and the alterations on the jacket were flawless. I was truly amazed at what perfect work she could achieve on such a short time frame. Go to Hemingway Tailors for your alterations--they do a great job! As a side note, bring cash or a personal check, since they do not accept credit cards.

Jan 2014

I came in to get a dress taken in for a big party at work. The lady was very nice, and did a great job. The pricing seemed reasonable to me, although I don't get alterations done very often so I can't say for sure. There is a bit of a communication barrier, but the work speaks for itself. The only reason I mention it is because when I went in to pick up my dress, there was another customer in front of me that was quite rude to the owner. She didn't think she was being understood, and she was rather mean. So, if you're the type that needs to have a lengthy discussion with your tailor, maybe this is not the place, but otherwise, I would definitely recommend Hemmingway.