But It Should Fit!

[earl colby pottinger]

Welcome to the forums, your skill set is impressive.

Honestly, I've considered doing commission work but stories like yours scare me away every single time.

Don't let that stop you if you are any good at what you do, just note how the OP did a fine job of CYA.

By asking 75% up front you get rid of most of the scammers and cheapskates who leave you with an expensive job that you were not paid for. Even if this woman had walked away I am betting the OP only loss would be the waste of time and possibly making a profit on a different commission.

Get a deposit, get a proper signed contract and take lots of photos if that will match with your work. You should do okay.

[dalesys]

I'd use the "Procrustian" method of dress-fitting.

[Chromatix]

The "Mr. Nice" and "Mrs. Mean" trope even fits my parents. Not to nearly the same degree as the OP, but...

[taxguykarl]

Slightly off topic, but I have seen this a lot. One is super nice and the other is super mean, regardless of gender.

I grew up two doors down from a couple just like that.

[notalwaysright]

"The Husband" is actually.. astonishingly nice. Like, the kind of nice where you want to pat his shoulder and go "Dude, you can do better than HER." Really, I think I could be friends with "The Husband" if it wasn't for his wife.

Slightly off topic, but I have seen this a lot. One is super nice and the other is super mean, regardless of gender.

Even if I could sew good enough to sell, I don't have the personality for it. People repeatedly complain about their seamstress to me. Not usually about the quality, about stupid stuff. Like price. Or how long they have to wait. Oh, my favorite is when they complain that the upholsterer told them to buy X amount of fabric, and "that's way too much!" Nice, ignore the professional who told you what to buy. I bet they offered to provide the fabric, but you said that it cost too much.

[Golden Phoenix]

I'm doing the opposite, losing a lot of weight.

We were planning a big white vow renewal (got married in street clothes at the registry office due to tight funds) And we have postponed our plans because *gasp* there's no way we can get me a dress that we know i'll fit into or that could be altered enough if i lost too much/not enough weight before the big day!

Hell, i've been doing it for less than 2 months and already i'm down one dress size.

Common sense, it ain't so common.

[greek_jester]

First, welcome to We're a friendly bunch here, you just have to get used our tendency to pun at the drop of a typo.


In all seriousness, the woman pays out what must have been thousands to change her appearance to make it look "better" (I'll leave my rant on unnecessary plastic surgery on the shelf) then expects no-one to notice? What's the point of it then?


I won't go into the idiocy of not telling the tailor making the incredibly expensive custom-made dress, as much more eloquent authors have got there before me.

[Gilhelmi]

I have dabbled in sewing in my younger days, I rather enjoyed it. Sadly, I have neither the time nor the finger dexterity to sew for any length of time.

I also will agree that you are awesome. I also hate the fact that we live in a world where you have to ask for 75% up front. Who in their right minds would commission a work without paying for it (oh right, forgot about customers).

[FerrousBueller]

In Florida.

[Words4theWorld]

I've read your story and the comments from all the others and I still can't wrap my head around the fact that that woman really thought noone would notice the work done, because sssshhh, if you don't tell, they won't see it. Kind of like playing peekaboo with a one-year-old.
Still speechless, but I still have enough words to say that I greatly admire your skillset, especially as it's something I could never do and hubby is active in a field where I know what that kind of custom made things can cost. Also congratulations on your willpower for not strangling her right there and then. :-)

[HiddenMica]

.... >_>

Where do you live? I need a dress for my wedding (I'm short, curves in the right places, and can never find something that fits. Also doing a themed wedding so custom is likely going to be needed.) and knowing someone local with that kind of skill set would be AWESOME.

If that other dress is paid for... what are you going to do with it? :general curiosity: I mean I'm assuming you will pull the beeding for the new dress or is that too time consuming?

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Welcome to the forums, your skill set is impressive.

Honestly, I've considered doing commission work but stories like yours scare me away every single time.

This was one of those SCs where logic is totally lacking. She was thinking that tailors can do anything with a garment and no matter how the person changes, they can make it fit.

This is the mark of someone who does NOT understand how thinks work.

As for how she ended up with such a nice, sane Husband...my guess is she puts out for him whenever he wants it.

[XCashier]

Now, now, XC. You know SC's are impervious to logic...and common sense (which will be redefined as a superpower in our lifetime).

You mean I'm a superhero?! COOL!

FB, I sure hope you can make yourself something really, really nice to make up for putting up with her stupidity and suckitude.

[Thana]

How the heck did you keep your brain from breaking when all of that happened? 'cause I think my brain just broke trying to figure out the logistics of it. I... I just... Why get your (general) measurements taken and an expensive dress made to those measurements if you know for sure, for damn sure! that they're going to change?! I mean... it's not like those procedures happened on whim...planning went into having those surgeries done just like planning went into the dress that you made! Gaaaaaaaaah. My brain is broken.

[Argus]

So, we have Customer Standard Time and now... Customer Standard...er...Measurements?

What I can't help but wonder: What happened to her normal wardrobe during that interval?