I have been thrilled by the work that Kris at Sew Many Things has done for me. I would work with her again with no reservations, so I was sad to read of another reviewer's less-than-satisfactory email exchange.
Perhaps my approach via email helped get the results I wanted. A trusted interior designer recommended Sew Many Things to me, so when I sent email to ask about reupholstering a vintage mid-Century sofa and two vintage mid-Century chairs, I attached photos of each piece, along with the measurements (height, width, depth).
The email I got back quoted a ballpark price for the labor on each piece, an estimate of the amount of yardage that would be required to reupholster the pieces (depending on fabric selection), and a caveat that if significant repair work were needed on the frame, the repairs would be available at additional charge if I chose to go forward with the project. Kris noted that fabric costs vary greatly and invited me to take a look through her many many sample books to get ideas. She was very helpful in guiding me to fabric that was within my budget.
The challenge for me was that Sew Many Things has such a steady stream of clients that it could be a wait before my pieces got into the project queue. I was concerned that I'd be without the furniture for a long while but, as it turned out, Sew Many Things does not pick up the furniture to take to the workshop until one's project is at the top of the queue and the fabric has arrived.
PS - I recently went to Cardi's to look for a media center and took note of the cost of new sofas. I was shocked by the prices -- much more than what I paid to have Sew Many Things reupholster the sofa, which is so well made that it has many more years of life remaining in it.
PPS: I wound up buying a media center at Ikea. Better price, same particleboard construction as what Cardi's had, and I didn't feel stalked by salespeople. We were in Cardi's no more than 30 minutes but were approached by SEVEN salespeople. read more
