A professional tailor customizes clothing to meet the contours of the wearer's body in ways that are both attractive and comfortable. If you have an upcoming first appointment for garment alterations, you may be curious about what the experience entails and the skills the tailor will utilize. Get to know more about the whole process below.

Garment Assessment

One of the first steps will involve an assessment of the entire garment, the quality of the fabric, and the condition of the seams and stitching. The tailor will inspect the embellishments on the garment, such as buttons, zippers, embroidery, or sequins. All these factors must be taken into consideration to best determine how to alter the garment without compromising its integrity.

Tailors evaluate different fabrics in different ways. For instance, with denim, they will look at the sturdiness of the cotton. With leather, they check the strength and suppleness of the material and the state of the lining and stitching. With silk, they will be careful in handling the fragile garment and examining the strength and placement of the seams.

Measurements

Measurements are crucial to getting an ideal fit. The tailor will use measuring tape to learn the exact dimensions of the area of the body where the garment is worn. For a dress shirt, measurements for the collar, chest, sleeves, and waist are taken. For pants, measurements are taken for the waist, hips, thighs, knees, inseams and outseams, and front and back rises. Suit measurements involve all of these. For a dress or formal gown, dimensions needed include bust, waist, hips, and hem length.

Alterations

Once the above steps are accomplished, the tailor will perform the alterations. Depending on the fabric, this typically means removing stitching, adjusting the positioning of the fabric, and re-stitching in a new position. Simple alterations usually only require one visit; more complex ones, like those for wedding gowns and formalwear, may require more. The exact timeline for the alteration will vary as well, with more straightforward alterations often done in a few days to a week and more in-depth ones taking up to a month or two.

When you need alterations in the North Columbus, OH, area, trust Powell Cleaners. Since 1990, they have been providing alterations and dry cleaning services to customers throughout Delaware County. From work uniforms to prom dresses, they will take care of your garments as if they were their own. Call (614) 792-1118 or visit them online for a full list of services.