Hemingway Tailors & Alterations

I am very pleased with the work that Hemingway Tailors did on four pieces I brought in: two shirtdresses, one v-​neck sleeveless dress, and a khaki safari-​style jacket. The dresses were all too large in the bodice, and the very nice alterations lady pinned and checked each one for where it needed to be taken in. One shirtdress also needed its sleeves taken in, and the sleeveless dress also needed the shoulder straps shortened. The jacket was too big in the shoulders and the sleeves were too long. The lady suggested that she take in the shoulders a bit, and that would take care of the sleeve length problem. All items were made of cotton and the tank dress was lined (which makes alterations more time consuming since they would have to alter the lining as well). The jacket had epaulettes, and it was a more complicated alteration. since she would need to cut the shoulder opening, re-​set the sleeve, and move the epaulette.
I dropped the items off on Thursday afternoon, and asked if they could be completed by Tuesday morning, since I was only visiting town and departing Tuesday afternoon – not a lot of time for them, especially since they are closed on Mondays. Well, the nice lady said she could do it and they’d be ready Tuesday at 10am. I came to pick up my items on Tuesday and they were ready to go. Not only that, but they were flawless. Wow! I could not even tell where the alterations had been done. The lining on the sleeveless dress was perfect, the sleeve reduction on the shirtdress was great, and the alterations on the jacket were flawless. I was truly amazed at what perfect work she could achieve on such a short time frame.
Go to Hemingway Tailors for your alterations – they do a great job! As a side note, bring cash or a personal check, since they do not accept credit cards.

Do NOT bring in anything fancy or delicate here. For run of the mill alterations on durable fabrics, they are fine, and reasonably priced. For anything else, bring elsewhere or risk damage to your clothing.
After reading a favorable blog posting about them, I brought in two dresses to be taken in. One was a thicker silk, that needed the waistband nipped. The other was a lightweight lined silk tank dress, that needed the sides and back taken in at the seams. I was in no rush, and they suggested I come back in three weeks. I picked up the dresses, and inspected them when I returned home. The dress with the waistband was fine. However the silk tank dress was not. They:
1) stained the dress along the seam, about 10″ down the back of the dress
2) pressed the seams incorrectly (seams were uneven. along parts of the seam there was a 1/​8″ fold, along other parts none. some areas were also wrinkled)
3) the seams itself were not straight (there were pockets that they just worked around, so the dress no longer flowed outward, but rather went down, and around the pockets, and back out so the effect was a bulge around the pockets)
4) the workmanship was not what I expected — some stitching was not straight, and some areas had uneven/​lumpy threading.
When I went back and showed them the stain, they said it was chalk. The stain was not chalk, and could not be rubbed off. I showed them the seams and they said it was just a matter of pressing, and haphazardly repressed the top portion. When she returned it, it was still not straight, and it had taken on additional wrinkles. I mentioned the stain again and she kept insisting it was chalk. I was not confident they could correct any of their mistakes, so I left.
DO NOT bring any delicate items here. I came here (after a glowing recommendation) for the easy parking and hoping to save a few dollars. They are $ 20 – 30 cheaper than the Newbury St tailors, however you get what you pay for. I would have gladly paid the extra money for quality tailoring. Fingers crossed the stain will come out & the seams can be fixed elsewhere.

Fast, friendly, quality service. We’ve gotten many alterations done here and always had an outstanding experience.