Pin & Hem Alterations · Smithville, Missouri

What it costs

Every price is by the garment, and it is on this page.

Nothing here needs a phone call to find out. Bring the garment and the shoes you will wear with it, and a quote takes about a minute at the counter. Complicated work gets pinned first and priced honestly before anything is cut.

Shears, a pin cushion, loose pins and thread laid out on a scratched wooden worktable

Trousers and jeans
Work	Price
Plain hemTurned and blind stitched	$18
Original hem keptDenim, so the fade line stays where the factory put it	$28
Waist taken in or let out	$32
Legs tapered from knee to hem	$34
Zipper replaced	$30

Shirts, jackets and suits
Work	Price
Shirt tapered at the sides	$30
Sleeve shortened, no buttons	$28
Sleeve shortened with working buttonholes	$48
Jacket taken in at the back seam	$55
Jacket shortened from the shoulderThe right way to do it, and the reason it is priced like this	$140
Jacket zipper replaced	$65

Dresses and formalwear
Work	Price
Dress hem, lined	$55
Side seams taken in	$45
Prom dress hem, layered or beadedPriced by layer count after it is pinned	from $85
Cups sewn in	$45
Straps shortened	$25

Wedding gowns
Work	Price
Hem, lined, no lace at the edge	$150
Hem through lace or horsehair braidThe lace is cut apart and reapplied by hand along the new edge	$225
Side seams, bodice through hip	$120
Three point bustle	$85
French bustle, six to nine points	$140
Straps, cups and boning adjusted	from $60

Prices shown are illustrative for this mockup. A real gown quote is given after the first fitting, once the work is pinned and counted.

The workroom of an alterations shop, a sewing machine on a wooden table by a storefront window, spools of thread on a wall rack and a dress form beside the table

How long it takes

Two weeks is standard. Say so if you cannot wait two weeks.

Standard, two weeks: Everything on the price list above, at the price shown. Drop off Tuesday, pick up a week from Thursday.
Rush, three business days: Add half the price of the work. Rush slots are limited by what is already on the rack, so call before driving over.
A funeral this week: Bring it in. It gets done and it is not charged as a rush.
Prom season, late February through April: The rack fills by the first week of March. A dress brought in during the last two weeks before a dance may not be taken.

A rolling rack of finished garments in clear bags along a shop wall, blank paper tags pinned to them

Bridal

Counted backward from the wedding date, not forward from today.

A gown is three fittings, not one. Brides who book by this schedule are never the ones standing in the shop the night before.

Twelve weeks out Call and take a fitting date
Nothing is done at this point. It reserves the three appointments together so they do not drift.
Eight weeks out First fitting, and the quote
Bring the shoes and the undergarments you will actually wear. Everything is pinned, counted and priced that day. Half is due to hold the slot.
Four weeks out Second fitting
Hem and side seams checked on the body. This is the last fitting where the size can move much.
Two weeks out Final fitting and the bustle lesson
Bring whoever will be tying the bustle at the reception. They tie it here, twice, until they can do it without looking.
The week of Steam and pick up
Pressed, bagged and hung. Balance due at pickup.

An ivory gown on a dressmakers form with the hem pinned and marked, a pin cushion on the floor beside the base

Where to bring it

Downtown Smithville, on the north side of Main.

Address: 123 Main St, Smithville, MO 64089
Phone: (816) 555-0137
Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon
Closed Sunday and Monday
Fittings: Walk in for hems and simple work. Gowns, suits and prom dresses are by appointment so the room is yours.
Payment: Cash, check or card. Gown work is half down and half at pickup.