Alterations by Kym

09/20/2026

I did a thing today!
The makerspace where I teach intro to sewing classes was having an open house and needed me to represent my area to prospective members. That meant that I needed to have a project bro work on for the 5 hours I’d be there.
5 hours to sew something for ME?! Amazing!
I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed bag making. And I’d recently inherited some fabric and supplies from a friend’s mom that made me realize I need to use the good fabric now. I don’t want to leave my kids with the problem of finding homes for all of my unfinished projects and unused supplies.
So I made myself a bag. I used my ridiculously expensive embroidery machine and some of my hoarded batik fabrics and made something just for myself. And it gives me so much dopamine every time I look at it.
Is it perfect? Nope! Will I probably take it apart and add more internal structure? Yeah. But it makes me smile every time I look at the fun embroidery and the gorgeous fabrics. They look so much better as a bag than they did on my shelf 🥰

06/15/2026

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for … at least 10 years if my Facebook memories are to be believed! 😂
I’m allergic to wool. All animal fibers actually. Which really sucks if you’re someone who loves funky, hand dyed yarn. The marketplace is full of wool and wool blends. But because plant based fibers require a different … well a different everything, it’s not as easy to find. Finding dk weight wool-free sock yarn is almost impossible.
But knitting is fun and keeps my hands occupied. I really started knitting during the pandemic as a way to keep myself focused during the interminable, endless, almost daily zoom meetings I found myself in. And I now have a collection of hand knit cardigans (most of which don’t fit, but that’s a separate issue 🤣). But do you know what’s hard to mess up the sizing on? Socks!
Now, none of this yarn is sock yarn. Sock yarn needs the addition of nylon to give it the elasticity you need in socks. That’s why helps it mold to the shape of your foot and stay up. And I’m not sure I can actually get any of this exact yarn again anyway because the company is in Canada and isn’t currently shipping to the US 🫤. But I did find a company that specializes in *vegan* yarn that has a sock blend I’m really excited about. Pretty sure they’re also in Canada, but … So hopefully soon I’ll be able to get back to sock making. 🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾
In the meantime, I finished my first test batch of hand dyed cotton and cotton/bamboo yarn. I’m super excited about it! I can’t wait to see how my 2nd batch turns out ❤️

06/12/2026

I travelled to NYC in January to shop for fabric for a prom gown that didn’t end up happening. My prom girl chose embroidered mesh lace that was going to be $300 just for the outer layer, plus lining and notions. I know I completely underestimated my time in my initial estimate, but even then it was going to be WAY too expensive to have a custom prom dress.
Most people simply don’t realize how expensive it is to create beautiful garments. Fast fashion that pays its worker slave wages has ruined it for everyone who pays their workers a living wage.

07/12/2024

I’m so thrilled with how this modesty piece is turning out! Once I found the right appliqués it’ll be seamless ❤️

04/26/2024

I can’t get away from the sequins!!! 😭😭😭

02/12/2024

It’s always hard to talk about money, and everyone always thinks custom items are too expensive. But even if I only charge $25/hr for my time plus supplies it’s going to add up to a lot more than you’re expecting.
How can they make things cheaply enough to sell them so much cheaper in the stores? They’re not paying their workforce what we would consider a living wage. It might be more than adequate in whatever country they’re working in, but I can’t survive in $10/day. Even $10/hr wouldn’t pay my mortgage 🥺

10/04/2023

09/29/2023

I’m finally done with my glitter bomb dress! I’m amazed and the sheer amount of glitter left on my floor! My fitting area is carpeted, but this is the reason my sewing area is still bare concrete.
I know I’ll vacuum my fitting area several more times and still have glitter left! There was a literal pile of glitter at the bottom of her garment bag. And it never failed, as soon as I took her skirt out of the bag there was a shower of glitter 🤣
But even with all the glitter, this was one of the hardest dresses I’ve ever had to work on. I ended up taking the dress completely apart and rebuilding it. This bride had lost an entire person and her bridal shop did not listen to her and ordered the wrong size dress. I know we all hear brides tell us that they’re going to lose weight. But when you have weight loss surgery you’re GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT!!! I don’t know what the shop was thinking.
Over the months I’ve been blessed to see this bride blossom. From the first appointment where she cried just putting on the dress because her dream dress had become a nightmare, to her final fitting with her bridesmaids buzzing around her like bees tending to their queen. Her mother and I shared a toast when we saw how beautiful she was in her fully reconstructed dream dress. And I can’t wait to see her and share in her joy as she walks down the aisle toward her future.
All the left over glitter was totally worth it to make this story have a happy ending. ❤️

09/21/2023

… and when you finally finish that last dress, and everything is covered in glitter, you hang it on the rack … and the hanger breaks 😭😭😭

08/19/2023

I learn so much in the Bridal Alterations Anonymous group on Facebook! One of the women introduced the lobster claw bustle and someone else took it a step further by finding these clear loops and lobster claws on Amazon! There’s nothing better than a super easy bustle that’s secure and easy for both the seamstress AND the bridal party! ❤️