Sew Plus Tailors & Cleaners

“SIMPLY THE BEST”

Sew Plus Tailors — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:43:45 +0000

Sew Plus Tailors & Cleaners has been doing this work for 30 + years, no one in the NW suburbs does better work than us.
Remember, there is no governing board for Tailors, anyone can put up a sign and say they are a tailor; however, it is the time and experience spent doing this work that qualifies an individual or shop. You will see ads saying “award winning tailor”; you
will need to see the award, because there are very few awards given to tailors. Some of our clients have to leave for various reasons, like moving away from the Twin Cities; however, they come back here to have their tailoring done. That tells us something! And we are pleased to see them. Our best is the least we can do!

Fashion for Real Women

Sew Plus Tailors — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:55:03 +0000

The fastest, easiest way to look younger and classy.

Usually, I favor simple classic pieces instead of trendy clothing. Here’s how:
* Start by looking at current fashion magazines or by clicking around at places like Style.com. Instyle.com, Elle.com to see what’s hot and get ideas.

* Look for accessories that show off your best parts, like cute earrings, a bangle bracelet, killer shoes, etc.
Skip the department stores and head to places like Overstock.com, TJ Maxx,
Loehman’s, Smart Bargains.com, etc. to get them as inexpensively as possible. Don’t spend a lot on things with a short shelf life.

* Pair them with classic clothing pieces so the focus goes to the trendy accessorie, and by default to the body part you’re showcasing with the accessory.
* Enjoy the attention. If you keep your clothing age appropriate yet add a sassy accessory trend, you’ll get respect from the young fashionistas in your life while the women your own age will envy your panache!

Try it yourself and see. !

Sew Plus Tailors Featured on Brooklyn Park Television

Sew Plus Tailors — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:42:32 +0000

Brooklyn Park Television recently featured Jeanette and Sew Plus Tailors in this profile piece.Click here to watch.

Sewing in Brooklyn Park

Sew Plus Tailors — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:08:53 +0000

Serving the City’s Tailoring Needs One Thread at a Time
As written in Park Pages, May-June 2008

Growing up, Jeanette Bestland was always told by her sister if she wanted new clothes, she’d have to make them herself. So when she wanted a white wool two piece suit, that’s exactly what she did. She made one, and to her surprise, it fit perfectly! That’s when she realized she had a special talent.

Her talent has turned into a career. She originally started her business in her home, but soon decided she needed to “get out of the house” after going through a divorce. “It was my younger son who pointed me in the right direction, he suggested I take a job at a major dry cleaner doing their tailoring. Several years later, with the support of a woman’s group, I decided it was time for me to open my own shop,” said Bestland.

The long time Brooklyn Park resident owns Sew Plus Tailors & Cleaners on Welcome Avenue near Brooklyn Boulevard and Zane Avenue. She’s been in that location for eight years and likes it because it’s a large space and the rent is reasonable. It’s also close to major streets and easy for her customers, who are from all over the northern suburbs, to find her.

She admits she’s always looking for new customers, and while she relies on old fashioned advertising in church bulletins, she is also very technologically savvy. In the middle of her shop, she has computer equipment that drives the business and manages the paper work. She has a website where she tracks who’s checking out her business and says the internet is the biggest driver of new customers to her shop.

She alters hundreds of pant hems, wedding and prom dresses every year. She’s a stickler at making sure clothes fit a customer’s figure perfectly. “None of us has a perfect body, so it’s my task to alter that garment to make it look custom made,” insists Bestland.

Some of her business is military driven, sewing emblems on uniforms. “I follow strict guidelines set forth by the various branches of the military. Everything has to be measured and sewn in a particular way. It’s meticulous work and there aren’t a lot of tailors able to do that. I love it.”

Bestland recently was profiled in the December 2007 issue of Minnesota Monthly Magazine as the Best Tailor in the North Metro Area. She says after all these years “it’s thrilling” to have that kind of recognition.

The next time you need something altered, Bestland invites you to visit her shop and check out her services. She’s got a passion to make sure your clothes fit well and promises she’ll make you look good!

Download the PDF of this issue of Park Pages

Your Visual Resume

Sew Plus Tailors — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:28:03 +0000

Dress at or above industry standards.

It is not wise to go overboard to upstage the interviewer, but you do want to be seen as competent. Be well groomed and dressed. When you are, it is easier for people to see you as a leader in your field and within their company.

Fit in with out standing out.
Wear a suit, but give yourself a different look with interesting textures, colors, and accessories – you will be remembered. Men: it is a good idea to wear a colored shirt with a coordinated tie; this tells the interviewer you have an eye for details.

Appear pulled together without effort.
Some of the well-dress men and women spend some time behind the scenes to show up at any meeting more relaxed and confident, allowing them to connect more easily with others. Develop an organized approach to dress, which means having a good handle on what goes together in your closet, as well as developing good relationships with your shoe repair person, tailors and the like. They see many people, so they can quickly define what is ordinary and what will get the attention of the interviewer.

Steps to Great Dry Cleaning

Sew Plus Tailors — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:05:53 +0000

Dry cleaning starts with proper techniques that enhance a garment’s life. A good dry cleaning service will provide the following:

1. Check all labels for care instructions for each specific fabric

2. Inspect your clothes for spots and stains, specifying what the stain is

3. Remove spots and stains using appropriate products

4. Use distilled, odor-free solvents

5. Hand finish each garment in order to restore original appearance

6. Inspect to ensure every issue has been resolved

When dry cleaning is done right, it can actually extend the life of your clothing. A tip for customers: do not let your stained clothing sit in a hot car, as that can actually ‘set’ the spot.

Marks of Quality Tailoring

Sew Plus Tailors — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:58:16 +0000

The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten. With that in mind, we offer a list of things that every good tailor should do.

1. Use matching thread

2. Overcast and trim seam edges

3. Press altered seams thoroughly

4. Level skirt hems on the customer

5. Measure both sleeves and/or pant legs on the customer

6. Tack shirt/pant linings to hems to hold lining in place

7. Add interfacing to jacket sleeves when shortening

Guidelines for a Proper Fit

Sew Plus Tailors — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:40:39 +0000

Do your clothes stay in place throughout the day as you sit, stand, walk, or bend? Or do they work their way up, bind, or spin around? If you are always tugging things back into place, it’s a red flag: what you are wearing doesn’t fit. Here are some guidelines what you should be looking for when you try on clothes:

Blazer or Suit Jacket

• It should lay flat against your body with no puckering or gapping, particularly when buttoned. If you cannot get it buttoned, it doesn’t fit.

• The shoulder of the jacket should be ¼” to ½” wider than your shirt or blouse shoulder, so it can accommodate that first layer.

• Sleeve length of the jacket should reach to the wrist bone, allowing ¼” to ½” of the shirt or blouse sleeve to peek out. Too long a sleeve looks sloppy, too short looks ill fitting.

• The side seams of the jacket should fall straight.

Blouse or Shirt

• The neckline should hug the base of the neck without wrinkling, gapping, or making you feel like you are being strangled.

• The top of the sleeve seam should sit at the top of your pivot bone. (The pivot bone: If you put your right hand on your left shoulder and raise your left arm straight out, the bone you feel moving is your pivot bone.)

• Sleeve length should reach ¼” to ½” beyond the wrist bone.

Slacks

• There should be enough wiggle room in the waist band to slip in two fingers.

• You should be able to pinch a little fabric at the fullest part of your hips.

• Side pockets should not gap.

• Pleats should lie flat. Better yet, skip the pleats and buy a flat front, which tends to be less bulky and more flattering on most women.

• Crotch depth should be a comfortable length whether you are standing or sitting. Without enough ease in this area, this is when the binding occurs, but it should not be hanging to your knees.

• Any creases should fall straight.

• Full length slack, the hemline should stop halfway down the heel in the back. This will allow a “break” in the front of the pants, but if that is not your comfort level, go to the top of the shoe midway down the foot. One other idea is to have a front to back slant, to allow the back to be longer than the front. This ends up with little or no break in the front.

Skirts

• Just like slacks, there should be “wiggle room” in your waistband.

• The side seams should fall straight.

• The hemline should be even with the floor, and not riding up in front or back.

• Any pleats or vents should lie flat.

Signs a garment doesn’t fit:

• It is too tight or too loose.

• It is uncomfortable to sit.

• It fits one part of the body (shoulders or hips) but not another (like tummy or waist).

• It rides up during normal wear.

• Movement of the arms or bending knees is restricted.

• Puckering or strains a the widest part of the body, like the chest, belly, hips or thighs.

• It’s too short or too long.

If you have clothes in your closet that you’ve worn once or twice, only because they don’t feel good when you wear them, chances are that they don’t fit correctly. Either have them altered, sell them or give them away. There’s no sense cluttering your closet with them. What can you do if you can’t find clothes or brands that fit you well?

1. Have your clothes custom made.

2. Buy ready-to-wear and have it altered. Of course, that is what we are very good at. Sew Plus Tailors and Cleaners has 30+ years of fitting and altering clothing.

3. Make or alter your own clothes. Or keep a good list of ready-to-wear apparel that fits you best. Once you find the brands that suit you best, you can return to them again and again.

Good fitting clothes are like a good set of skills, they take time to acquire. But you will always look your best, it’s worth the effort. Looking good gives you confidence.

Six Ways to Recession-Proof Your Closet!

Sew Plus Tailors — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:16:18 +0000

Before your closet becomes a landfill of things you don’t really need – or it ends up having potential to clutter your sanity – here are tips to focus on your needs:

1. Before you head to the mall, review what you have, what needs to be replaced, and write a priority list – you’ll be better able to stay focused at the store and make better decisions despite the sales tag pressure.

2. Before you shop and add more, downsize your wardrobe. Better items can be consigned, castaways can be donated to charity (a nice tax write-off). A lot of what stays in our closets will not be fashionable in the future. However, if the item has sentimental value one day in the future may be a better time to let it go.

3. Vow to add and release. Vow to release a piece of clothing every time you add something to your closet. This is a way to change your relationship with material possessions, eventually spending less money. Your closet can then be a source of calm when you get dressed in the morning. When something new comes in, something hanging should go out.

4. Remember the hall closet. Look at your coats, jackets and handbags. Anything out of date or you just don’t wear anymore? Consider adding a scarf to get a little more wear out of them. Citrus shades of lemon, tangerine, and lime are all popular now and will dress up black, navy, and beige coats. Do you use all the handbags and totes, or are they looking worn? Upgrade them when they are on sale.

5. Shells and shoes – less may be more. A few new tops and shoes will update your wardrobe. Department store shoe departments are constantly overstocked and some items must go. This can be to your advantage. Check it out. When you are looking at shell tops, buy them in classic sleeves, necklines, and fabrics that will last past the recession. Some of the overly exposed necklines aren’t for everyone and will eventually fade from the fashion scene. These two item – shell tops and a new pair of shoes – are cost effective ways to update to the next season.

6. Coupons and charge cards. Check the websites of the stores you will be shopping and download coupons. Keep them close at hand always – in case you find yourself in the store’s neighborhood you can save on gas and driving time. We all have enough credit cards, but when you are spending a lot in one store the extra 10% off will be worth it. This will also put you on the store’s preferred shopper list, allowing you to receive future store promotions.

Being vigilant about protecting what goes in your closet keeps it from becoming a mess of things you don’t need. When it comes to clothes, a bargain is only a bargain if it works for your lifestyle and figure, fits into your day-to-day clothing storage space and doesn’t put you in debt.

Great Tailor and Dry Cleaning

Sew Plus Tailors — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:57:49 +0000

I have used Sew Plus Tailors for all my dry cleaning and clothes repair/alterations and have had nothing but good experiences. I would highly recommend the business for any of your clothing needs.

- Jon B