Hey Fashion Not Fear readers! Life has been pretty busy (in a good way) so I haven’t had time to do a lot of blogging. But I’m back…hope you missed me! 😉
Nevertheless, I was deciding on whether or not to share this story because I feel like I’m developing PTSD from this dress trauma.
The best way to get through it is to talk about it. At least for me. So, here’s it goes…
A client reached out to me about making a custom dress for an event. I happily accepted, created a sketch, she approved it and I was off to work!
This was my first time working with sequin but I was up for the challenge. Along with this dress, there were other clients that I was also making dresses for. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I’d taken on too much.
Between this dress, dresses being made from other clients and my other responsibilities, I hate to say it but…this clients dress kind of fell through the cracks. So many issues were left undone and/or done shoddy. From the fit to the zipper.
No fittings were done (big mistake!). Additionally, I attempted to connect with the client when I took the dress to her. She wasn’t available. So, I ended up dropping the dress off to the without even seeing her. I didn’t even realize there were so many issues with the dress until she contacted me. Admittedly, it was ill-fitting and needed some work.
I reached out to her and offered my sincerest apology. I also offered to repair the problems that day. Unfortunately, she never got back to me. Which I can understand because she was probably pretty upset about it.
When I tell you that I stressed about how to resolve this…I STRESSED ABOUT HOW TO RESOLVE THIS. After much stressing, I decided to offer a partial refund and be done with it. Mistakes happen and I really wanted to resolve the issue.
Here’s what I learned…
– Don’t take on more than you can do. It’s okay to say no.
– Don’t finalize any custom garments without a fitting.
– Be open and upfront with the client.
– Don’t beat yourself up. Do your best to resolve the matter and move on.
This whole thing turned out so bad that for a second I thought about no longer making dresses. But why quit doing what I love because of a mistake? I have to be fearless, learn from my mistakes and push forward.
Thanks for listening! I hope you learned something too. Have a similar horror story?? Share it in the comments. I can’t be the only one. 🤷🏽♀️
Stay Fearless 💋
Fashion Not Fear 
“To err is human” – we all make mistakes. Sewing is a challenge and too stressful for me. I used to sew in my sewing days but soon realized it was stressing me too much. I made plenty of mistakes, and sometimes felt like I was spending more time undoing stitches than sewing.
I admire you for your talent and agree with your advice – not to take on more than you can do.
My most difficult sewing project was making a suit for my brother and I was only 16. The story is here…
Happy sewing!
❤️carmen
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Thanks for reading! I’ve had those days of feeling like I’m undoing more stitches than I’m sewing. It’s part of it. 🙂
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