I am SO great full to have found Barb. I moved here to Pittsburgh from California and needed to desperately find a alterations person for my wedding dress. I searched and found Barb I literally needed someone to not only take it in and hem it but I needed the back to be lowered the sleeves to be removed, the neckline taken down we pretty much recreated my dress, so that says a lot. She's also made my veil and belt and very reasonable price! I can't wait to put it on for my wedding day! I'm so excited! Barb did everything I wanted and then some. The fit is perfect and I couldn't be happier. Do yourself a favor and go to Barb she is so sweet and kind and really listens to what you want. read more

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Barb is a lifesaver! I bought a "custom made" dress for my daughter's wedding from a store, and when it was shipped the proportions were totally off and it did not fit at all. The store flat out refused to fix it and I was in a bind. When I brought the dress to Barb I was not optimistic that it could be salvaged but I was totally wrong! Barb is extremely talented - she did an incredible job and it turned out perfect! The beading made the fabric difficult fabric to work with, but Barb worked her magic and it came out wonderful. She even added sleeves and a back, finding the perfect material and designing it so it matched the dress perfectly. I highly recommend Barb to anyone looking for a custom-made dress, a re-make like mine or alterations. read more

Barb is a miracle worker. I (foolishly) ordered 2 wedding dresses online without ever trying them on. When they came, they looked like lacy potato sacks. After only 2 rounds of alterations, Barb had these dresses fitting like they were custom made for my body. I wish I could post the before and after pictures here. I read her negative review below because honestly I couldn't understand how someone could be dissatisfied with her work. I think people have to keep in mind that she's been doing this for decades- if she tells you something isn't going to work or won't look right, she's probably right. And the best part about her is she actually WILL tell you if something doesn't look right (unlike bridal shop sales people who will tell you you look good in any hideous dress). Then she'll show you how she's going to fix it. You just have to be open and trust her- like I said before she's been doing this for decades. Lastly, not only is she an amazing dressmaker, she's AFFORDABLE! I got several estimates for altering my 2 gowns that started at $400 each and quickly went up from there. She did BOTH for $400, essentially deconstructing both dresses and retrofitting them for my body. If I could have given her 10 stars, I would have. I highly recommend her. read more

Bridal Alterations Pittsburgh - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Barb was recommended to my daughter by the the she purchased her dress. Barb messed up the bustle, did finish the hem, and there was dog hair all over the dress. She also did not have the dress ready 4 day before the wedding. Her bridesmaids spent the morning of the wedding removing dog hair. The bustle fell out at the reception. Do not use the woman!! read more

Do not go to Barb for alterations! She ruined my lace wedding gown, and I ended up having to get a new wedding gown! To make matters worse, she agreed to reimburse half of the up-front (total) cost when I decided to split ways with her, but did not send it when she said she would. She had agreed to send it several times and then did not send it. I had to keep asking her for it and threaten to get a lawyer involved before she finally sent the half reimbursement payment two months later! Truthfully, the dress was ruined, so it should've been a full reimbursement. Two other seamstresses' professional opinions on the dress since pointed out irreversible mistakes with both the hem and how the gown was taken in at the bust. On my first visit, I did not leave feeling great, as she could not clearly answer the questions I had about the plan of alterations on the dress. She also began pinning up the bottom hem on the first visit. I reminded her that I did not have my shoes yet, but I would have them for the next visit. She wanted to just show me what it would look like at the appropriate length, so I was okay with that, but reminded her again before I left to please not hem it due to not having shoes yet. Plus, there were many other areas to work on as the dress did need significant alterations due to sizing. Upon arrival on my second visit, I was very alarmed! My dress had been hemmed (horribly by the way) despite two reminders not to! She tried to downplay her mistake like it was no big deal. The way she had taken in the dress looked terrible in the back. It lost it's attractive V-like shape in the back and the lace fabric had been pulled in a way that it did not lay appropriately (wrinkled/puckered when I was standing at rest). We split ways due to her poor craftsmanship and inability to answer questions and resolve issues. read more

Was recently in a wedding and needed a bit of work done on my dress as it was too large. She was very helpful, and the day I picked up the dress (Monday before the wedding), it was fine. Length was great. I'm a busty girl, and the bride did not want straps. The bride and I had bought long line bras to be sewn in. When they were sewn in, I was not told that the bra would be an issue. Wednesday I tried the dress on, and to my utter disbelief, the hooks of the bra were showing, as well as the piece of bra in the chest area, and 2 side pieces were showing. I did nothing to the dress to cause it. I called Barb, and asked to come in. Thursday, I went in and showed her the issues. We tried fashion tape, which didn't hold (even though it was a small piece), and she recommended I wear the straps because we "should've gone to the other boutique to get the right bra", and that the" bride shouldn't have picked these type of dresses" due to a few of us being busty. Koda specializes in plus size dresses, and I was upset. The other bridesmaids with big chests didn't have bras sewn in, and they had NO issues. My bra kept rolling up, and I was really upset. The fact that my best friend's selection of dress was criticized really upset me. She had enough going on, and having to hear that 2 days before her wedding was not okay to me. Barb sewed and altered the dress again as a few seams had come loose. She also took more in on the sides of my bust, which did help a bit. That dress was so carefully held to avoid stitching issues, and laid flat until Saturday.. Saturday, 20 minutes before we walked down the aisle, my friend zipped up my dress. And AGAIN, the seams in the back were showing, as well as the cups even though we taped it with fashion tape and surgical tape. Nothing worked. I had no time, so I pinned where I could and my friend had to sew me into the back of my dress. I should've been having fun with my friends, but alas, I was infuriated. The pictures friends took show the cups, and I am incredibly upset. I was told no one wpuld notice unless it's from the side, and there were side pictures all over! Funny thing is, my friends who wore the dress without the bra had no issues. Their dresses were taken in tightly as their bust and had no issues, whatsoever. The fact that I was pulling up my dress all nite is unforgivable. One of the other bridesmaids had her straps sewn in and wasn't aware of it (as I overheard her and her daughter while they were getting ready), and the bustle (which the photographer, a friend and myself tied) was crooked on the left side, despite us tying it correctly, and all at the same tightness/length. Hopefully the professional pictures will hide these things, because guest pictures showed them. The length was perfect, but that was it. I have never been so upset in all of my life, and I will seek another business to have my alterations provided by next time. I don't appreciate paying all that money, just to find problems twice last minute, and being lectured on how it was the bride's fault that I had this issue. 3 of us did, so it wasn't just my experience. Very unhappy. read more

Barb is an absolute genius at what she does. I found Bridal Alterations after purchasing my wedding gown from This Magic Moment Bridal Studio. They were unable to refer me to any alterations places due to how new they were when I purchased. So I called Barb, and she booked me for her home studio to go over what alterations I needed. In the meantime, my matron of honor had ordered her dress from Alfred Angelo. Oh boy, was that a disaster (which I covered in another review) - and they over sized her for her gown, and completely botched her alterations. During one of my trials, I mentioned my concerns to Barb and she suggested that since I would be bringing my MOH into her studio to learn how to put my bustle together (since it was fairly involved with several layers) she suggested that I bring the MOH dress with us and she would eyeball it and make sure that it would make it through the day (my concern, since I saw the seams and was skeptical) in one piece. She did an AMAZING job on my dress. It was a corset, strapless that didn't move once in the full day and night I wore it. Impressive since I insisted we visit Blush Nightclub for lap dances after the wedding! My dress did not BUDGE. In the meantime, she corrected a seam in the breast area that had my MOH looking like Madonna in that cone bra getup from that one tour from the late 80's early 90's. She also replaced the cups and cleaned up the MOH dress, and didn't even charge a single solitary dime. If you have to buy your bridesmaids their dresses at places like David's or Alfred, at least take them to Barb to do your alterations. She charges much less, and does a much better job. I told her that I was planning to tell everyone I know how great she is, and if you're reading this - please tell her you read my review. I think she's just amazing. I intend on posting dress photos once they come back from the photographer. read more

Bridal Alterations Pittsburgh - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Highly recommend Barb! I had a very pleasant experience, excellent service and turnaround time!

I was in a pickle and yes barb "helped" me out and fit me in but, she RUINED my $3,000 Millanova gown. It had a tear in the beaded area, she never made the line straight and clean cut where the sheer was against my chest, she replaced the shouldee straps when I specifically asked her not to and also replaces the zipper on the back which resulted in my dress having to be RIPPED off of me at the end off my wedding night. I would say she was over leveraged on the amount of work she already had and also the amount needed down to my gown. She was nice to talk to and I feel bad to say these things but, they're facts and looking back in my wedding photos I was highly disappointed in the work she had done and the number she did on my gown. Oh also my dress had too much in the abdominal into the hip area of the beads and she couldn't even figure out how to make it lay flat and make it flattering. read more

I used Barb for my alterations for my gorgeous Jasmine wedding dress. Not only was Barb extremely friendly and helpful, but she also tailored my dress to be perfectly fitted to my shape. Her office was clean and I felt very comfortable with the work she did. I tend to feel self conscious of my chest without a bra on and with the cup work she did on my dress ensured a fabulous lift and perception of my chest. Would recommend her to anyone! Thanks Barb! read more

I came to Barb to have her alter my wedding dress for my wedding this summer. I'm not a particular bride, I'm pretty easygoing & I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. But if you are looking for wedding dress alterations, I would not to come to Barb. My dress needed to have the sleeves raised, hemmed bottom, a layer of tulle taken out, & a bustle. Everything else fit perfectly. I ended up having 7 dress appointments due to miss-aligned lace, unfinished bustle (3 dress appointments for that), uneven hemming, sleeves being cut too short, and so much more. We kept needing to make more appointments due to Barbs errors. At first, didn't know if I was being too nitpicky, but when I would try on the dress, there would be error after error, after error. I eventually took my mom with me just to make sure I wasn't the only one seeing these mistakes. (Just trying give the benefit of the doubt). My mom ended up coming to the next 5 appointments with me & she saw all the errors & definitely was shocked to keep seeing unfinished work each time. The 7th appointment was 9ish days before the wedding. The dress should have been done & ready for us to take home. After 2+ hrs of standing, having Barb try and get the bustle up (that she made herself) & still having the hem be completely uneven. My mom & I kindly said that we needed to take the dress elsewhere because it was clear that Barb could not have this finished. We didn't ask for a refund, we didn't want to hurt her feelings, we just needed to have someone else do this dress. Thankfully my florist doubled as a wedding dress alterer. And she willingly had me come in, have a quick appointment, fix the bustle up perfectly, & got the hem aligned. When I came back to her to pick up the dress she took out the old hem section that Barb had created & noted where it went wrong & how uneven it was. She was amazed on how noticeably uneven it was. In the end, I'm thankful that my florist just knew exactly what to do & my dress ended up just looking beautiful thanks to her. Truly, I think Barb had some great talent back in her day. But her eye for details is just not there anymore. I do not think she should be doing alterations for wedding dresses. read more

Barb was so wonderful to work with! I'm not originally from the area, so I turned to google, of course, and found her right off the bat. I went in with a dress that was a far cry from something that ANYONE would be able to work with and instead of attempting to fix (an impossible task) she offered suggestions on where I might find a good quality, low cost dress. She did my measurements so I would be able to accurately order a dress online and then she very quickly got me in for a fitting and now I have the PERFECT dress. She was super responsive, not always by email, but she always answers her phone and is super flexible with scheduling. Would not even hesitate to recommend barb to anyone that needs alterations! read more

I had a simple bridesmaid dress altered by Barb a few years ago for my brother's wedding. Barb did a great job on the hem and adding cups. I felt like I trusted her enough to alter my wedding gown a few years later, but I was unfortunately wrong. I would not recommend barb for anything more sophisticated. She nearly ruined my wedding dress and caused a great deal of stress. I found my dress at a boutique. I loved it but wanted to have it taken in more through the thighs for a sleeker fit and flare look. I called Barb, explaining exactly what I wanted and asked if she could do it, to which she replied YES. It turns out she could not, all she offered was a slip which I thought might work at first but really only added extra volume to the bottom which was not the look I wanted. She did do the hem, bustle, and added cups okay but I think where things really went wrong was when she brought in only the top section of my dress without regarding how the remainder of the dress would fit. Once she pulled in the top of the dress tighter on my body, the rest of the dress did not lay properly. There was a gap along my back to my butt, there were odd creases along both sides of the back. This was not the smooth and sleek look I was going for. Barb was swamped with other work at this point and made me feel like she didn't have time to continue working on my dress. Either she does not have an eye for this kind of work or she just wanted to avoid fixing her mistakes due to her busy schedule. She told me it wasn't the dress that was messed up but my BODY! She said I needed plastic surgery- this is NOT the kind of thing an already stressed out bride needs to hear a month before her wedding. I am not a confrontational person so it was tough to avoid letting her walk all over me. In the end she agreed to try and fix the dress by bringing it in at a few more spots, and removing some of the darting. Then I asked to pick it up early. When I went to pick it up a few weeks later, I asked to try it on once more, and she said, "Why? It's too late to change anything now." At this point I just wanted to take my dress and get out of there. When I got home and tried it on again I was heartbroken to see that there were still odd creases and wrinkles, it looked like there was bunched up fabric in the under layers. And I did NOT get my fit and flare look. I decided I had to get another opinion so I took the dress to another seamstress. SHE was seriously amazing. She looked at the dress with me for an hour, made changes while I was there and brought it back again and again for me to try on and observe. She clipped the side seams to relieve some of the pressure on the dress, showed me where barb had made mistakes in the side seams and had caught extra fabric on the back of the seams. She said Barb left nearly no seam allowance so it would be difficult to fix but she managed to pull it off by bringing in my back zipper to get rid of that gaping fabric AND to top it all off she was able to bring the dress in to be fitted through my thighs and give me the fit and flare look I wanted all along. Long story short, DO NOT go to Barb for more than the basic alterations unless you want to pay for bridal alterations again, waste hundreds of dollars, and be insulted about your body in the process. read more

I emailed Barb on a Tuesday asking her if I could make an appointment at lunch or in the evening sometime that week. She emailed me back about 6 hours later saying she had something the next day at 1 or friday at 1. I replied back 45 mins later saying that tomorrow at 1 would be great. I was on my way when I realized I never heard back from her so I gave her a quick call to confirm. She told me that she couldn't do 1, and that she was too busy and I should go somewhere else. Wish she would have told me that in the first place before I re-arranged my entire schedule to meet with her. read more

You'll be in very good hands with your wedding dress... very efficient with craftsmanship... she also made a beautiful handmade black lace jacket for me... very nice to work with!!! Worth your while!!! read more

Bridal Alterations Pittsburgh - Alterations to my wedding dress and also a handmade black lace jacket... - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Working with Bridal Alterations Pittsburgh has always been a great experience and Barb has become my go-to seamstress for every bridesmaid dress I've had over the past few years. I'm fairly petite so almost every bridesmaid dress has to be altered in some way... and taking my dresses to Barb ensures that I always end up with the perfect fit! Barb has even done a few random dresses for me, including a dress for my bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and honeymoon! I especially love when she sews bra cups right into the dress... so I don't have to worry about wearing a bra with the dress! Recently, I competed in my first fitness competition... and being on the small side with a small chest, I contact Barb right away to see if she could make a custom suit for me since suit fit is extremely important in fitness competitions. Not only did she accept the challenge, but my suit turned out beautiful and I received so many compliments on it! I couldn't have been happier with the final product! I highly recommend Barb for any alterations you may have... bridal, bridesmaid, or otherwise! Her talents are sure to impress! read more

I had a wonderful experience here. Barb is a very talented lady and very kind. I was extremely pleased with the alterations of my gown. It fit me perfectly! I would definitely recommend her services and I am so glad I found her. Wonderful work! read more

Barb did such a great job with my dress! She is an excellent seamstress and cares about her clients. She was so great to work with and very responsive to communications. She is honest and knows what will work for your dress. I received so many compliments on my gown. I loved what she did with it. read more

I found Barb on the Pittsburgh wedding flea market website and couldn't be more appreciative. I reached out to her on a Friday and she told me to come in on Tuesday to hem my wedding dress. I had 2 follow up appointments after. She knew what she was doing and her prices were very reasonable. I'm so glad I went to Barb instead of David's Bridal to get my alterations because they would have charged me a lot more money. My wedding dress was amazing and fit perfectly! Highly recommended if you want to save some money and get the same results as other places. read more

Barbara was so great! She did beautiful hem work on my wedding gown, which was all lace. She's so kind and easy to work with, and I definitely recommend her! read more