Time management key for custom dressmakers

There was a time when many women sewed their own clothing. And while custom dress work is far less common these days, local seamstresses say it is not yet a lost art form.

Leia Hinz, a seamstress with more than 25 years experience and current owner of Leia's Dreamworks in Hiawatha, has been in business - handling primarily alterations and some custom dressmaking - for about seven years. She said that while alterations provide steady work for her as a seamstress, customers still come to her for custom work.

'It really goes in spurts in terms of custom dresses,” she said.

'Last year, for instance, I made two prom dresses and two mother-of-the-bride dresses. Things can get crazy during prom season because it's also prime wedding season. It's a balancing act to make sure I can take care of the prom girls and my wedding customers, too.

'Years and years ago when I first started it was more common to make custom bridesmaid dresses,” Hinz added. 'Now there are so many different styles, vendors and manufacturers making those now. Even department stores carry those now. You just don't see as many custom made dresses.”

Katya Boltanova, owner of Moda by Katya in Iowa City, has been sewing all her life and started her business about 10 years ago. She does a variety of custom clothing work and alterations from a studio in her home.

A mother of three young children, Boltanova recently took time off from her business but started back up slowly this summer.

'I didn't sew for a year and I had to say no to a lot of projects during that time,” she said. 'When I sew I need to concentrate and can't have kids running around.”

She is working on creating a wool cloak, a velvet suit and a dress for three clients.

'That is all that is in the house right now,” she said. 'Before I had kids I would have 10 or 15 projects going at once.”

Being selective about projects is something Boltanova has learned over the years.

'I used to think there was competition and I had to take all the projects I got called on,” Boltanova said. 'But then I realized I had too many projects at one point …

and started hand picking my projects. Now I do so many referrals to other seamstresses because I am overbooked or want to spend more time with my family.

'There is no competition in it any more. It is a network and we send our clients to each other depending on what they need or the time they have.”

Time management and flexibility are major business challenges, these professional seamstresses said.

'It is crazy busy during spring - really, March through June until after prom season,” Boltanova said. 'And it's not first come, first served always.

'If my clients don't have a deadline, those projects go on the back burner. Sometimes people come and say I need this tomorrow.”

The amount of time each piece takes to create varies, she added.

'Some projects take a small amount of time, say two to three hours. Then sometimes they take ten hours or others may take 40 to 80 hours. It all depends on the garment.”

Hinz agreed noting that her flexibility is important as well. 'One of the dresses I made for prom last year I had two weeks to make,” Boltanova said.

A seamstress' schedule must remain flexible to accommodate customers, Boltanova and Hinz said.

'I try to be flexible enough, especially when working with high school girls because they have precious little time to take for fittings,” Hinz said. 'But my customers do understand that I also have a life and I have things that come up and have to rearrange schedules at times.”

When doing custom work, Hinz said she typically will meet with a client about five times.

'First, I meet with people to get ideas of what they want. I always ask them to bring my pictures so I can visualize what they are wanting,” she said, noting that social media sites such as Pinterest have come into play. 'That initial consultation is about getting an idea of what it is that they are wanting.

'From there I take their measurements, go to fabric store and help them with their choice of fabrics. Then I can mock up the piece to make sure I am on the right path for fit and what they are wanting. We will one or two more fittings after that to finish the dress.”

'That's the fun part, being able to be creative like that,” Hinz added. 'They will have an idea of what they want but they trust you to do what will look good.”

Pricing on custom dress work is based on the amount of time needed to create each piece.

'I always give them an estimate of the time and supplies it is going to take,” Hinz said. 'It all goes back to how involved it is. And a lot of people come with the idea that it will be less expensive than shopping off the rack but it is not for obvious reasons. It's not mass produced. It is a one-of-a-kind design for you.”

That is the exciting part for Boltanova. 'I enjoy creating things from scratch,” she said. 'I really like how the flat fabric becomes something that has shape.

'The most excitement I get is seeing that garment on the person and how the person looks really good in it. I have a sense of ownership in the piece because it has my name on it.”