Custom Dressmaking

You know the style of wedding dress you want, but can't find it anywhere. Or you've found a dress that would be perfect, if only it had...

Clothworks offers custom dressmaking services for bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, special occasion and formalwear.

I like to begin by looking at your ideas. Pictures, photos and sketches can all be helpful to envision the styles that interest you. We'll look at swatches to find the perfect fabric for your dress; I can order a variety of beautiful silks, lace and other fibers to get just the right look. After taking your measurements, I make a mock-up of the dress in muslin. This ensures a good fit in the final fabric, and gives us an opportunity to play with the style of the dress. Once seeing the muslin on yourself, you may decide the neckline needs to be lower or higher, straps adjusted, seams moved and skirt fullness added or taken away. After the muslin looks and feels how we both want, it is taken apart and used as the pattern. Then the dress is put together in the real fabric, and fittings are scheduled throughout the progress of the dress.

For a custom bridal gown, you can plan on 1-2 muslin fittings and 2-3 dress fittings. I ask for 6 months advance notice to create your dress, but can also be flexible depending on my current schedule. An estimate is discussed at the first appointment, and a 25% deposit is asked by the first muslin fitting.

Please contact us at (319) 341-3612 or sales@iowacityclothworks.com to discuss a dress for you.