It Pays To Be An Old Sew-And-Sew

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THE PRESTIGE-SEEKERS

I confess it came as a surprise to me to learn that many women consider it a sign of status to wear custom-made clothing ... even if that clothing was made by a totally unheard-of dressmaker (i.e., me). Chances are, you'll encounter your share of "snob appeal" customers, too.

To satisfy my cachet- conscious patrons, I ordered a quantity of sewin labels imprinted with "Made especially for you by Edith Kilgo" to add to my finished garments. Although these labels cost me only a few pennies each, they were a big hit with my customers. (One lady told me of attending some society function where she took off her jacket and hung it up in such a way that my label could not pass unnoticed!)

Around status-hungry customers I always call myself a "custom dressmaker", by the way, rather than a seamstress. Why not? They're paying for the prestige as well as the stitchery.

A VERY PERSONAL BUSINESS

Home sewing can be a very personal business ... so much so that it would probably be an unpleasant occupation for anyone who feels ill at ease around strangers. Quite often, for instance, customers expect their seamstress also to be their confidant. (Some of the stories I've listened to are unbelievable!) I just listen quietly and remember never to discuss one patron's problems with another.

Often, too, customers will come to you for advice about clothing, even before they've bought their patterns and fabrics. Here, it helps to have a big pattern book like the ones the fabric stores use. But that doesn't have to cost you an arm or a leg ... or anything. The local fabric shop I sew for is pleased to let me have its old pattern book at the end of each month, when it receives a new one. (This has been a tremendous help, since it enables me to sit down with a client and- in the privacy of my home- confidentially discuss exactly which styles suit him or her the best.)

Many people cannot look at a pattern and visualize it as a finished garment. Without guidance, these folks might buy fabrics and patterns that are totally unsuited for each other (and for the intended wearer). When it comes to providing this guidance, I just try to be honest. If I feel that my size 24-1/2 customer will not be pleased with the outcome if she has me make that halter-topped mini-dress, I tell her so. (Let's face it: No matter how good a seamstress you are, a customer will never be happy with a garment that's not right for her body type.) My policy is to be outspoken and deal with the problem honestly, before a patron spends her money on something in which she's bound to be disappointed.

ODD JOBS

Many people-when they think of dressmakingthink of the glamour associated with creating beautiful evening wear and wedding gowns. All is not glamour in the sewing biz, however. In fact-although I do occasionally get calls to make something glamorous--I spend most of my time doing odd (and unglamorous) jobs.

One of my busiest times of the year, for instance, is August. This is the time all cheerleaders and school choral groups have to buy uniforms. Usually all it takes is one frantic teenager with a non-sewing mother who wants me to make her daughter a uniform, and I'm soon stampeded by 10 or 15 more frantic teenagers hollering " Me too! Me too! " (Some schools even maintain a list of seamstresses to help non-sewing mothers cope with uniform time.)

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