Story Time How I said No to a Client

Story Time.... How I said No to a client

Many of you have wondered if I say no to clients' requests. I say No all the time. Just ask the people who have tried to work with me.

Not everything can be altered and not everything should be altered. This was one of those pieces I really couldn't help with

[emilywagner]

Looking at the design of the dress, it doesn't look like anyone would be able to lift their arms higher than their shoulders, even if the rest of the dress fit properly. It's a cute dress, but nothing particularly special about it, IMO.

[bback]

As a business owner, sometimes "no" is the kindest answer in the long run.

[nlee]

I really dislike when people argue with a professional. Good for you sticking to your no.

[ighdesigns]

The dress was not designed by someone who knew anything about dressmaking.

[kellyb]

She didn't want alterations. What she really wanted was for you to make her another exact dress that would fit her better.

[susanq]

That is a dress that was made to be seen in, not to be truly worn. There’s no coherent design I can see. So refusing to do the impossible in a last-minute situation for someone with inflexible and unrealistic expectations? You did the right thing for both her and yourself.

[bernadettedevereaux]

If she is eloping, she has a lot of control over when to get married. It’s not like she’s having a wedding with 300 guests and has been planning it for the last 24 months. But if she was refusing to accept anything other than this dress then buy two of the same dress in the same dye lot. You could use the fabric from the second dress to do alterations. If she wasn’t concerned with price she could have you custom make a dress. I wouldn’t want her as a client because she’ll never be happy unless she looks like the model in the advertisement, not recognizing that she doesn’t have the model’s shape.

[Iflie]

Yeah I'm not sure if there was an actual elopement or if she just wanted to wear the dress on Tiktok while it was still trending. Making it look like it wasn't altered and still fit would be an essential part of the plan.

[cw]

I bet the model couldn’t lift up her arms either. Plus the customer was giving bad vibes. You made the right decision to say no.

[lucymorris]

Looking at the dress itself, it's giving me Tudor-England vibes. That neckline with the pearls makes it look almost like something Anne Boleyn would wear for a portrait 😂 But, y'know, all Henry VIII's wives had a whole team of seamstresses to custom-make their clothes for them. And they would have worn a dress like this mostly sitting down. I can't imagine buying a mass-produced dress with those kinds of sleeves and tight upper section and expecting it to be a comfortable fit on most women.

[WendyJoan-jz]

I think this customer would've been a nightmare to work with and not liked anything you did to the dress, had you said "yes." Sewing is my hobby. I've been designing and sewing clothing, as well as making minor alterations for myself and family members, since I was 10 years old (I'm in my 70s), but I know my limitations. You're a professional seamstress not a miracle worker!

[dorismays]

I RUN 🏃 from those clients that knows more about sewing/alterations than me, who has been sewing since 3rd grade and I’ll be 66 in a week. I hate it when they say, “ Oh, it’s simple.” Than you do it. I’m just saying ❤❤❤

[MrsBrit]

No is a complete sentence!
Your urgency is not my emergency!

[christinesmith]

I think she knew deep down it was an impossible request but was carried away by the need for clicks to go with her elopement story. Oh dear :(

[LumerasLight]

It's important to pay attention to the shape of the model. Traditional models are 5'9" or taller, flat chested with litter behind or hips. If you have curves it's best to buy the size that fits the widest part of your body and then have the dress taken in where necessary.

[peaceseeker]

Back in the day 1975 when family and friends were having babies i needed to go to a formal wedding and didnt have the money to buy a dress to use only once. I was 5" 4" and weighed 150 lb.

A frihend offered to give me a dress to wear that had been given to her. It was a lovely dark blue, the fabric draped very nicely and it had give but did not look like it did. I got compliments on the dress as did the person who wore it nrxt 2" taller and 10 lb lighter.

We followed the progression of the dress for a couple years until it moved outside my friend group and it fit tall and tiny, heavy and light, any bust size we refered to it as the Magic Blue Dessy Maternity Dress. There should have been no way a dress could do that but it did!

[JB-isej]

“I’m gonna stay true to my “no.” ” Words to live by.

[bast]

I sew and knit. I was taught in regards to picking patterns that if the model is posed in an unnatural way, it's most likely hiding design flaws and the style is probably more trouble than it's worth. Also as a tall, top heavy woman I've had to realize that the "make a dress from a men's shirt" and "make a top from a bandana" sewing videos aren't going to work on my body no matter how much I want to be part of the trend.

Good on you for sticking to your no!

[Skiis]

You can work a miracle when you have something to work with but this is a total disaster. No required.

[tanyag]

I have been sewing for 40+ years. I do not sew for anyone outside my immediate circle of family/friends and even then I have had to refuse some ridiculous request. People who do alterations are angels with the patience of Job. Sewing is my stress reliever, sewing for others is extremely stressful. Hats off to you.