FIT & ALTERATIONS

Two small holes at the top of a grey knit polo placket, needle and stretch thread ready

TWO HOLES IN MY HUSBAND'S POLO

Ten minutes, a long needle, and the one thread choice that stops the whole repair popping the first time he pulls it over his head.

TWO HOLES IN MY HUSBAND'S POLO

Ten minutes, a long needle, and the one thread choice that stops the whole repair popping the first time he pulls it over his head.

Black knit sweater with scattered white fabric bows, laid flat on cream background — After Stilettos alteration repair

RESCUING A BLACK BOW SWEATER

No clever technique, no dramatic reveal — just the quiet, fiddly, invisible side of alterations. How I hand-stitched fifty-something tiny bows back onto a client's sweater so it looked like...

RESCUING A BLACK BOW SWEATER

No clever technique, no dramatic reveal — just the quiet, fiddly, invisible side of alterations. How I hand-stitched fifty-something tiny bows back onto a client's sweater so it looked like...

sewing at a Bernina machine in her home sewing studio, surrounded by fabric and thread

WHY I DO ALTERATIONS

Pinning things on myself nearly drove me mad — so naturally, I ended up doing alterations for everyone else instead.

WHY I DO ALTERATIONS

Pinning things on myself nearly drove me mad — so naturally, I ended up doing alterations for everyone else instead.

Fabric pattern pieces laid flat on cutting table with pins and tape measure — After Stilettos pattern correction

ALTERATIONS vs PATTERN CORRECTIONS

Taking in a seam and correcting a pattern aren't the same job — one fixes a garment, the other fixes the problem causing it. Here's the difference.

ALTERATIONS vs PATTERN CORRECTIONS

Taking in a seam and correcting a pattern aren't the same job — one fixes a garment, the other fixes the problem causing it. Here's the difference.

Bodice black in progress showing darts and contour lines

WHAT A BODICE BLOCK ACTUALLY IS

Made my own bodice block, got it mostly right, emailed a photo when it wasn't — and learned why fixing the block matters more than patching whatever you make from...

WHAT A BODICE BLOCK ACTUALLY IS

Made my own bodice block, got it mostly right, emailed a photo when it wasn't — and learned why fixing the block matters more than patching whatever you make from...

White collared blouse held up in a sewing studio with dress form in background — After Stilettos fit alterations

WHY HANDMADE CLOTHES DON'T ALWAYS FIT

Made a toile, the shoulder seam was too long, the back gaped — one of about a hundred fit frustrations I've had, and the course that's actually helped me sort...

WHY HANDMADE CLOTHES DON'T ALWAYS FIT

Made a toile, the shoulder seam was too long, the back gaped — one of about a hundred fit frustrations I've had, and the course that's actually helped me sort...