Anytime Alterations

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Oh my goodness! Maria did BEAUTIFUL work on my dress. I bought a very simple dress with a cowl back that I brought in for alterations. I walked in thinking that I just needed a bustle, and maybe to have it taken in. But after meeting with Maria, I had a totally different vision in all the best ways. The top of the dress didn’t fit perfectly — Maria noticed right away and came up with a solution that I didn’t know was even possible (dropping the front of the dress 2 inches). And when we looked at the cowl, she suggested adding some sparkle — gorgeous crystal appliques on both shoulders of the gown. The results were gorgeous. On my wedding day, I felt beautiful and everyone said I looked like a princess. The dress was perfect and completely unique. I couldn’t be happier.

I admit that I’m at annoying bride that was paranoid about gaining 5 lbs and not fitting into my dress– but only because it did happen! I bought my dress lightly used and brought it to Maria over a year before my wedding. It fit almost perfect and just needed some tulle and beading fixed on the bodice. Fast forward 9 month and I went back to try it on and the dress barely fit! I went into panic mode and started to workout and diet. Three or so months before my wedding I went back to Maria who let me try on the dress again and Thank God it fit! Maria was quite honest that I looked like a stuffed sausage in it last time I wore it! haha She did some minor tweaks and told me to come back a month before the wedding. A month before the wedding we finalized most of the alterations and it was perfect! I did my final fitting two weeks before and setup a pick up date. In the meantime though I had a minor panic that maybe I had gained weight and the dress wouldn’t fit even though I saw it a week before! Maria was kind enough to let me try it on again and ease my worries! My dress looked amazing on my wedding day and I could not have been happier!

Oh WOW! I have nothing but amazing things to say about Anytime Alterations and working with Maria. At the initial appointments, Maria gave suggestions on what she thought was necessary. At first I didn’t want to have a lower sweetheart cut and I wasn’t planning on wearing cups either (I am a bit of a plain jane and don’t know fashion). She convinced me of both and I am glad I listened. Maria knows her stuff !! Maria has been doing this a long time because she knows everything and anything about your wedding dress and how to make you LOOK YOUR BEST! The price is also amazing. I had a bustle put in, a hem, my dress taken in at my chest and hips, and cups inserted. All of this was under $ 500. AMAZING. Also, on my final fitting Maria gave me advice on how to travel with my dress (since I would be flying) and tips for my dress on the big day. I plan to use Maria for all future work. I would also recommend her to anyone!

I wanted a seamstress that could alter my bridesmaid dress in a proper and quick manner. I found Maria on
and decided to go to her based on her positive reviews and location. She is very experienced in formal ware and gave me her expert advise on how to alter the dress. She did this in a timely and price conscious fashion. I will definitely use her services again on my next formal ware or anything that needs alteration

I used Unilocal to find Maria and I’m so glad I found her. I went to her with my wedding dress that I had bought a year prior and had had a baby in the mean time… needless to say my body was not the same and I needed some major help! I was so nervous and anxious and from the first meeting with her she put me at ease. My dress fit perfectly after 3 sorry months of her alerting it and I’m so happy. Do not hesitate to bring your gown here!

Maria was nice however, she WAY OVERCHARGED me. I had a little piece of fabric taken off the dress and she estimated it to be over 50 dollars. Other tailors in the area only charged the other bridesmaids 14 dollars for the same little piece of fabric to be removed.

I used Unilocal to find this place, as it had good ratings. I needed a maid of honors dress for my sisters wedding altered to fit my curves/​bust and waist as it was a size larger than I usually get. I was planning on wearing a corset underneath, but was told by Maria that it was not necessary and would not make the dress fit right anyway. Maria instead built the corset/​boning and bust support right into the strapless dress.
I was more than impressed with how PERFECTLY the dress fit, after putting in the rush order on a Tuesday and picking it up that Friday. I have never had a dress or anything fit me so perfectly and supportively (with my large bust), I was more shocked that I was able to go Bra-​less, as Maria worked miracles. I even had to hug her right after trying it on because of how absolutely perfectly the dress fit with her alteration magic.
Bit Pricey, but only because it’s DEFINITELY WORTH IT! (And I payed extra rush fee)
HIGHLY recommended.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Maria did a great job altering my BFF’s wedding dress which needed A LOT of alterations, cleaning, etc. I was excited to have her do mine.
My dress was purchased brand new, in my size needing basic adjustments to fit my body (I wanted it form fitting) and the height. Overall, I am happy with Maria’s work and feel that she does a good job. However, I never tried my dress on when it was 100% complete, at my fittings there was always something else left to do. I trusted all would be well when I picked it up and unfortunately the cups (I could not wear a bra with it) never were put in. The reason for my reviews now is that I just received our professional photos back and I notice it in every single photo… it just did not sit right. While I had a wonderful wedding day, if there is one thing you don’t want to have to worry about it is how you look! I did notify Maria and she reimbursed me for the cups ($ 35) and offered to clean/​preserve the dress for free but I had already purchased these services when I bought the dress. For as much as you spend on alterations in addition to as much as I spent on my photos, I am just disappointed. Everyone is human, but I think anything relating to your wedding day deserves a little extra time and attention… I always felt like she was rushed.
Also, my bustle kept coming undone all night even with double knots… eventually I just stopped having someone re-​do it so I could enjoy the evening.
While I would recommend Maria to others in the future — I would suggest requesting a final fitting before the dress is pressed so you can make sure it is exactly how you want it.

First of all I’m very happy with my experience and will definitely return.
I bought an expensive Belstaff leather jacket made of soft Napa leather. The jacket fit very well except the sleeves were too long. Most tailors will not touch leather and the tailor I have had for years who does a great job tailoring my suits and dress pants told me the same thing.
I took it to Maria unsure if I was going to leave the jacket or not and wanted to feel out the store and be convinced it was the right choice. I was worried considering the price of the jacket, I wanted it done perfectly.
The jacket has zippers at the bottom of the sleeves so you couldn’t just cut the sleeves at the ends. The zippers had to come up with the rest of the sleeve. I thought maybe she’d do it at the shoulder’s so I asked her about this. She immediately told me that wasn’t the way to do it since the shoulders wouldn’t fit if we moved the more narrow part of the sleeve up. I liked her confidence and she suggested to move the sleeves up in the middle where there were some seams from two different textures of the leather. I decided to leave it with her but still concerned which she noticed.
She told me not to leave it if I wasn’t sure. So Maria wants you to feel confident about leaving your item with her rather than just trying to get your business. This honesty is important and gave me even more confidence.
When I came back to get the jacket it fit perfectly, and looks so good. I definitely would take something back to her. Once you find someone good, stick with them because getting clothing right especially expensive pieces is so important.

I didn’t know people like Maria still existed. I called ahead of time to find out if someone could sew on a button that had fallen off of my coat — I was leaving to go on a business trip to Europe within a few hours on the same day, so I really didn’t have any time to waste. I spoke with Maria on the phone and she said «Sure, come on in». So I did.
She not only sewed on the one button that had fallen off, but also repaired the other 2 that were a bit loose and sewed them back on securely… all in probably about 5 minutes. She could probably have done it with one hand tied behind her back!
Maria, if you read this, thank you again!

Okay, so I really want to give Maria a good review. She came highly recommended from a friend and gets great reviews on Unilocal.But, I did not have a good experience. I came here to get both my rehearsal dinner and wedding dresses altered. My first appointment started off very well and I felt like she understood what I wanted. I did not need much done to either dress. The rehearsal dinner dress needed to be taken in a little bit, needed a ruffle removed (a peplum layer), and needed cups put in. My wedding dress, which has a bow in the back, needed to have the bow reduced, the waist taken out a bit, and hemmed a bit shorter.
I came in for my second appointment. The rehearsal dress fit perfectly, but the cups were not put in yet. She hadn’t even begun to work on my wedding dress. She told me she would need to cut into the waist and then create a band to go around the waist of the dress so you could not see where she had cut. I told her the next time I was coming in would be my last appointment, as it was a Saturday, and I was leaving for my wedding the following Tuesday and she told me it would be done by then.
Well, I came in for my «last» appointment and the dress was not ready. The band had not been created and the cups still had not been put in my rehearsal dinner dress. She told me she needed me to be there to make this band, but we had talked about it at the last appt, so I am unsure why she didn’t measure me then. So, even though I was supposed to leave with my dresses that day (and paid for them that day), I was told I had to come back again. She wanted me to come back on Monday, but I had a dentist appt in the morning and had to go to work. I think she knew she made a mistake, so she did offer to drop the dresses off at my office. She dropped my dresses off and ran off before I got a chance to look at them. When I got home that evening, I saw the cups were never put in my rehearsal dinner dress and that the band she created looked cheap (it truly looked like something I could have sewn on myself) and did not flow with the dress.
Luckily, I had her cell phone number. After calling several times and not receiving an answer, I had to text her. She did respond quickly and told me I could come in the next day. I had to take off of work that day, as I was leaving that evening for the wedding, which was out of town. Luckily, my boss is very understanding, but it still cost me an unplanned vacation day and a lot of stress! To «fix» my dress, she took off the band and sewed where she cut at the waist — I had lost some weight, so luckily the waist no longer needed to be taken out. But, during the reception this «layer» kept folding up (the original one), as she did not do a very good job sewing it back on. I don’t think it was noticeable to anyone else, but it was bothersome to me and not something a bride wants to notice on her wedding day, especially after paying very good money to have the dress altered. I would have been better off never having it altered to begin with!
My feeling is that Maria rushed when she did my dresses and it resulted in poor work. She did not offer me any sort of reimbursement for the stress or hassle of having to come back nor did she apologize. I would not recommend her or use her again.

Horrible!!! Bad attitude and arrogant from the start and ridiculously over-​priced but I could have forgiven all of that if the workmanship lived up to the reviews! I have been a clothing designer for 20 years and needed something small done in a pinch. Based on the reviews in Unilocal,I went here. I have never seen more shoddy work in my life! Two pockets on the front of the jacket were sewn differently, ragged edges were left on all the seams inside and out but the worst part was they sewed a panel of the dress UPSIDE DOWN despite a very clear animal print! The animals were upside down!!! C’mon really? Professional? Not in attitude and manner or work! Do not trust this person to alter your wedding dress and save yourself from being treated poorly.

I got married in May and Maria did a SPECTACULAR job on my dress. She took the dress I bought made of the changes I wanted, and the dress turned out than my own vision! She is professional and is truly a master if her craft. She will give you her honest opinion about your dress and if you trust her she will not steer you wrong. I found her on Unilocal after moving here from NYC and I’m so glad I came to her. Not only is she a good tailor but she has a heart of gold that is rare to come by. One piece of advice… if you are getting married in the high season May-​September you need yo get your dress to her 4 – 5 months before your big day to give her time to focus on your dress.

Anytime Alterations is an absolute wonderful business. Maria is a really talented and wonderful seamstress. I recently got married and had a wedding. I had one dress for the ceremony and another dress for the reception. She did such a great job on not one but both the dresses I wore for my wedding. I bought them both from another store. Neither fit real well when I brought them to Maria to alter. When she was finished tailoring them, not only did they both fit well but she made each dress more spectacular by making the changes to them I desired. When she was finished altering the dresses, they look beautiful. She also did a press and steaming of the dresses a couple days before the wedding. That process gave the dresses the right amount of flouncy flow to them. The steaming and pressing added an extra special touch to the look of the dresses. Maria handmade my veil to match my dress for the ceremony. It was very nice. She made it cathedral length and she put little bling rhinestones throughout the length of the veil. After the wedding, my family and friends later told me it looked like my veil was sparkling like the candles around me on the alter. It made for a nice effect to have the bling on the veil. That was Maria’s idea. Maria also handmade the vest and tie for my husband’s tuxedo. He looked great. Both he and I were very satisfied with the service we received from Maria. She is very easy to communicate with. She is willing to honestly answer questions and give suggestions. It can be very stressful to plan a wedding but I was never stressed when dealing with Maria. From the first time I met her, I had full confidence in what she would do to help my husband and I look great. God bless Maria. Maria really knows what she is doing. I am thankful I worked with her for my wedding.

Maria was a godsend! Not only was she close to our house (always a bonus when fighting DMV traffic) but she was able to get us in quickly and worked with our schedules. During the first fitting, she asked specifically what I did and didn’t like about the dress’s fit, giving me a chance to explain in my own words the issues I was having (too little on top, mostly). All of the fittings were FAST — only about 10 – 15 minutes, which I appreciated on a busy Saturday morning. Maria was also very willing to move a fitting around last minute, so my mother could attend while in town.
When we picked up our dresses, everything was pressed and ready to go. Maria even helped me get them in the car properly so they would not wrinkle.
We love Maria and will continue to use her for our everyday seamstress needs!

After reading reviews for this place from numerous wedding websites and on Unilocal,I decided getting my dress tailored right would be worth several 45+ minute drives from NoVA. The verdict? She definitely did a good job — the alterations were seamless, my strapless dress stayed up without me having to constantly tug at it all night (a problem I usually have with strapless tops), and Maria was really nice — doesn’t pressure you to make decisions in a hurry, and has lots of helpful accessories at the store for you to try on with your dress — shoes, veil, even some jewelry that you can hold up.
She was very professional and was always super busy every time I went — people were coming in back to back. Appointment is definitely needed. Parking out front (right in front of the store).
I had the tulle inside my dress completely removed so that it would lie flatter, length shortened, the waist and hips taken in, the top/​neckline of the dress taken in, and a 3 point bustle added — all cost about $ 450. Made 3 trips total for the fittings. I didn’t get quotes from other places for alterations, and have never had such extensive alterations done before, so not sure if that’s a good price or not. Some of my friends have paid close to $ 800 for their alterations at other places, though.
Would definitely recommend this place!

She was amazing with the alterations of my dress — which included re-​applying some of the bling from one place to another, and gave me great advice related to the wedding and my outfit in general.
But really the cleaning of the dress was outstanding. My dress was a Filene’s running of the bride dress and she was able to make it look untouched for the wedding ceremony. That day I tramped through a garden in the rain — and then brought it back to Anytime for another cleaning prior to my wedding reception. The bottom of the dress was 100% black.
And I got it back looking pristine again. Total magic. 100% recommend.

I went in to see Maria to get an estimate for wedding gown alterations. I told her I just needed the gown shortened and a bustle. Admittedly, I had changed my mind at the last minute and decided I wanted a «real» wedding gown instead of the evening gown I had planned to wear. I bought a sample dress at David’s, but didn’t have much time at all (2 weeks) to have alterations done. Maria was nice enough on the phone and told me she could fit me in early the next weekday morning, right before work, but warned me she usually asks for 8 weeks to do alterations.
Once I got there and tried on the gown, she told me I needed to have cups and boning added to the top of my dress. The top of my dress is perfectly fine. I’m not saying it wouldn’t have looked better to have that work done, but I had limited time and money. I assured her I just wasn’t wearing the best bra and I’d get a much better one to wear with the dress.
When it came time to get the cost estimate, I was shocked. She wanted to charge me $ 750! Granted that included a $ 200 «rush fee.» I asked how much it would be to just do the alterations I *asked* for — shortening the gown and adding a bustle. She said she wouldn’t do that because my dress «needed» the other things.
My dress was only $ 400 — there was no way in hell I’d pay nearly twice that for alterations! I am having a small wedding with a limited budget. If I wanted to pay over $ 1,000 for a gown, I would have gone to a fancy bridal shop, not gotten the dress at David’s & paid through the nose to have alterations done. Plus, I don’t want boning in my dress — even though I know it makes it look better — because every single one of my friends who has had boning in her dress complained about how uncomfortable it is.
I’m not doubting her skill as a seamstress, or that the dress would have looked better with all the stuff she wanted to add to it. I’m simply saying she didn’t seem to care one bit about my budget or time line.
In the end, I left with my dress and went to a dry cleaner in my neighborhood who charged me $ 85 to shorten the dress and add a bustle — no rush fee.

The business has since moved to somewhere near Wisconsin Ave rather than Silver Spring.
I’m glad that so many other people on weddingwire have had positive encounters, but I for one have not. Does she delete the negative ones? I absolutely think so because I tried to post this there… and it’s for some reason not visible. It was a nice space that she worked in, but would be concerned with anyone continuing to use her services.
Unable to provide any details regarding quality of service for work performed as it was decided that I would not do business with her. I’d called to make an appointment a few times, most of the time she answered but not to friendly nor did I ever get the impression she actually acknowledged the appointment we just set.
I was proved right when I showed up to the appointment on time, the store was not open — I called and she was unaware of the appointment we had set the previous week, and insisted that it was not in her book.
Fortunately she was not too far and showed up about 20 mins later.
Agree with another posters on Unilocal when they said she was pushy. She actually lifted my breasts into the cups she wanted to insert in the dress without telling me and was not the slightest bit friendly in providing guidance on how she wanted you to move or what to do. It was as if I were her child being reprimanded. (Mind you I was not the one that was late.)
When I’d decided I didn’t want to have my alterations done by her, she removed pins from the dress and placed it back into the garment bag. Not too thorough of a job because I went home with a few keepsakes that were still intact. Had the pins actually caught something it could have certainly ripped the delicate cloth that remained pinned or otherwise drawn blood.