She ruined my daughters $500 dollar communion dress! She took out the arms of a white dress with YELLOW thread, the sleeves were cut short, she put holes in the lace and rhinestones were missing from the dress. The best part, she charged me $100 dollars or wouldnt let me take the dress. I ended up having to cut the sleeves off of the dress to make it sleeveless it was so bad. Do NOT go here! read more

She ruined my wedding gown and charged me out the nose for the job. Buyer beware! I would not recommend Lois?

I took my daughters straight lined prom dress to be hemmed and the sides taken in as well. An easy job. I also asked to have masks made from the extra hem fabric (enough for two). Two weeks later, I go to pick up the dress, and unfortunately, Lois was in the hospital due to a fall. No problem, poor lady. But I had been hoping to have daughter try it on before we paid. After much help from an assistant searching for the masks that were supposed to match the dress, she called Lois's husband, and he said he threw the extra material away! The dress tag even said two masks:(! So we paid $100 for the dress, didn't pay for the masks, and took the dress home. This dress was done before her accident, but done poorly! The hem was uneven and a mess! The sides were a mess as well! Only one side taken in, and the other was ni! Now, a week before the event, I had to find another person to fix this mess! The dress was originally $120, but now because I used Lois, alterations will cost me more than the dress! Please let this woman retire and enjoy her old age! She should not be accepting any more alterations. It's sad, because we used her 14 years ago, and liked her work. Do to poor health, age, it's really gone downhill. Update- After contacting her Husband, I was able to get a full refund of my money. read more

I was very upset when I got my clothes back that were to be fixed. My favorite dress was to have a hem raised. Instead the dress was cut back and the hem was done with a sewing machine. I thought hems were sewn by hand. The four items I left were done very quickly in one day as a sewing maching was used. That cost $100. I would never go back here. read more

The best choice that I made in my wedding... was taking the dress away from Lois before she totally ruined it. I so badly wanted to have a great experience with Lois. She had done a beautiful job altering my mom's wedding dress in the 80's. I took my wedding dress in, and she did an 'interesting' bustle (she claimed that my wedding dress had too much fabric to do a French or American bustle). I just went with it since the train was off the ground, and it really looked fine from behind as it was pinned. I went in for my second fitting. First of all, Lois came in from gardening, and stepped on my dress with our removing her shoes (There was a little bit of dirt on it... not much, but this was my wedding dress!). The bustle looked sloppier than the first fitting- like 'a bunch of dirty diapers' according to my mother. The belt that was sewn onto my dress was not centered. The hem was completely uneven, and the second layer had a horsehair fabric hem was very sloppily sewn. She also told me that we couldn't take the bust in at all, or the elastic loops would be pulled by the buttons. To top it off, she started talking about how she needed to have cataract surgery. I was near tears, and my mom consulted a local wedding dress salesperson on if there was anything else that could be done. THERE WAS! We took my dress away from Lois and found a seamstress who has more experience in wedding dresses. She was able to sew in a French bustle, and used an elastic trick to help keep 'the girls' in place, and she fixed Lois' horsehair monstrosity and the uneven hemline as much as possible without making the dress too short for me. Speaking with people around Lancaster, we have found that I am not even close to being the first bride that this has happened to. In fact, people have told us that if they knew that we were using her, they would have warned us to stay away. Lois does not know when to admit that a job is too much for her. Using Lois was the most stressful experience of the whole wedding planning process... I highly recommend that you save yourself the headache when it comes to your wedding dress (or other nice dress... my mom also had issues with her alteration but that's another story) and use someone else! read more

I needed a bridesmaid's dress to be brought in ( made smaller) and i needed the front to be sewn a bit to not be so low cut. The dress was not ready both times that she said they would be, and both times she didn't recognize me or know which one was my dress. The dress ended up fitting fine but the work looked extremely rushed. The back was uneven with one side being longer than the other and the sewing in the front came off the moment i put the dress on. I regret going to her and wasting 50 dollars on a job that was not well done. I bet she was great at one point, but she is getting up there in age and it looks like she works alone. I definitely think she should get some help before she loses clients. I will not recommend or go there again. read more

Lois does incredible work. I've been to her 4 times and she always does outstanding work. I had a mother of the bride dress that was fitted wrong. She altered that dress to fit like a glove! She had it back to me in 2 weeks after 2 fittings. She and her husband are warm and friendly and her prices are fair. She has an old world skill that you won't find anywhere. I highly recommend her for any alterations, big or small. read more

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. She ruined my wedding dress. Brought it in to have 1.5 inches hemmed, and she cut and sewed it crooked. When I pointed it out, she said the way the dress fell made it just look uneven. She then eyeballed it, cut it again, sewed it and now it's worse than ever. Best part? She charges me $200 to ruin my WEDDING DRESS. I haven't stopped crying in days. read more

I never wrote a bad review for anyone before, but you really should know not to go to Lois. As one other reviewer wrote before, she may have been good at one point, but not anymore! She did extremely poor work on my wedding dress, was unbelievably rude, and kept telling me to come back over and over. She forgot an appointment we had. I paid her SO much, and now have to give my dress to a friend to fix because the neckline of my dress is cut jaggedly. The hem is also very sloppy. Also, she measured me for a cathedral length veil but gave me a mid-back veil. This is the biggest regret of my wedding :( I've spent too much time crying over my wedding dress, and now I just want to get this day over with. Save yourself grief and money, and go to someone else! read more

Sewing By Lois - given back to me 4 days before my wedding - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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I have to share my terrible experience with Lois' alterations to save others from making the same mistake. Sewing by Lois' nice website is deceiving--I thought I was choosing a professional. My brand new dress is totally ruined--no saving it. Lois cut too much off, she tried to fix the mistake by cutting the lining (which I specifically asked her not to touch the lining), and messed the lining up too. The dress is completely ruined. Save yourself the heartache--go to another seamstress. I just looked at the website carefully. How deceptive! The photos are not of Lois. The video has nothing to do with Lois. The website in no way represents this business. read more

I have been married for almost 15 years, and can not forget the disaster I was put through with this seamstress. Avoid at all cost. I had entrusted her with my dress that was not cheap, and with 3 bridesmaid dresses. All were unfinished, butchered up and cut up. My dress had a blood stain probably from pricking her finger when using needle. I had bought everything she needed, pattern, extra material from the original maker, and all were cut up wrong and just wasted. She couldn't complete in time, stretched it out, and day before wedding I came to pick up and nothing was done. Bridesmaid's dresses unfinished and zippers not installed. Some were so unevenly cut it looked pathetic. My dress I couldn't even zip it, sleeves missing, etc... No words really. Than she went to tell me I still owed her. So, because of my state of shock I paid cash for everything and left. My bridesmaids were shocked, they could not believe I paid her. I just wanted to get out and deal with this mess. So, I stayed up all night with bridesmaids and 2 seamstresses to fix everything. I will never ever forget what I went through. I couldn't enjoy my wedding day, exhausted and worn out I barely made it through that day. I finally got my dress into one piece 2 hrs before wedding. I never wish anyone to go through this. It's interesting that 15 years later, I googled this business as I went down memory lane and it is just as bad if not worse. If you have some special day DO NOT waste your time, energy, finances, and peace. read more

I have nothing bad to say. I took my wedding dress (nontraditional textured cocktail dress of sorts) to Lois to be taken in. It was a little bit too big around the chest. I picked it up in a couple of weeks. Fit perfectly and I couldn't even tell it had been altered. Price seemed reasonable for the work she had done. I would use her again. read more

I posted the pictures on here and wrote a review that Yelp deleted. A bunch of other people wrote of how Lois treated them badly, overcharged, and did a terrible job, but Yelp didn't find those reviews "helpful". Now over a year later, I still hold that going to Sewing by Lois for my wedding dress was the WORST decision I made about my wedding. She did a horrible job and was so rude. I got my dress and veil (which was supposed to be cathedral length but she forgot) back the week of my wedding. She took the dress in too much, had absolutely jagged edges and uneven sleeves. I had to give it to a friend to try to fix. Maybe Yelp will delete this, but hopefully it will save someone from making a mistake. read more

I took my prom dress to to Lois to get hemmed and raise the straps about three weeks before room. I was told I could come back a week later to pick up my completed dress for $50 (a bit steep for the minimal alterations to be done). When I came back a week later, she wasn't done and gave me some excuse and asked if I could come back later that day. When I came back a few days later (I couldn't come back that day), the dress still wasn't completed, over two weeks since I first came in. By the time I got my dress back after my third visit, the seams on the straps were shoddily done and unfinished and she charged me $70. Would not use again and would not recommend to anyone. read more

Worst tailoring experience of my life. She butchered my dress. It was completely different from the last fitting I had before I picked it up. After trying ti on at home I called Lois about being unhappy. She argued with me and would not let me speak. my mom called her back after and Lois hung up on her refusing to fix her mistakes. There was blood on the dress, purple marker, she made the bustle with neon colored ribbons that showed through the dress, did not cut off the excess fabric (just folded it under the seam). It looked horrible. $300 wasted and a very unhappy bride. I could not believe the way she treated my family and I after we nicely asked to to fix the mistakes (after all I did pay her in full for a full completed job). NEVER AGAIN WILL I GO HERE! read more

I would not select a single star because of the unprofessional and upsetting experience I had with Lois. However it seems it is required in order to post my review. I had an event I was planning to attend with my husband, and needed an alteration on the side of my dress. I dropped it of without any problem, but a few days later (when I was supposed to pick it up) I got a phone call from saying Lois was sick and needed to reschedule. So two days later I went to pick it up. When my kids and I walked in, Lois still wasn't finished with my dress. She made us wait for almost 45 minutes until she had it complete. But when she was "finished" I was heartbroken to find a rip in the back and the stitches were awful. Plus the zipper doesn't line up anymore. I brought it home and showed my husband and we found another mess up. I'm really upset: this was my favorite dress, and it absolutely was not cheap. So I went back today to ask for my money back, and when I showed Lois the multiple problems, she claimed she could fix it all. However, I wasn't willing to risk that, and when I said this, Lois threw my dress, and practically marched over to her chair where she started sewing on another dress but she threw that one too and left the room. Her husband gave me my money and sent us out the door. So sad and unsatisfied. Would not recommend. read more

I had the worst experience here. I needed a bridesmaid dress taken in. After TWO visits, the dress was still huge. It had so much extra fabric up top that she said she couldn't remove. It looked ridiculous. Her suggestion was that I buy a padded bra. And I had to pay $130 for her to permanently damage my dress. Never again. She did an awful job on two of my boyfriends suits, too. She took the pants up so high that it looks like he's waiting for a flood. read more

I simply needed straps put on a dress of mind for prom, which Lois estimated would cost $5. However, when I returned to pick up the dress she had made various alterations without telling me they would lead to a significant increase in price! She got very snippy when I asked for reasons for the sudden increase and never actually answered my question. Beyond this, the straps later broke off at the seam she had sewed during the event! She also cut off the loops of ribbon that allow you to hang up strapless gowns, so I now have to way of hanging it up either. I would not recommend this seamstress read more

Took my uniform to alter the sleeves since its long. Lois said she will call me after 2 weeks since she's busy with other prom dresses. I waited patiently but no call. I decided to call her after 3 weeks and she said.."oh I was about to call you I was just so busy." She cannot do anything with the sleeves. I was so disappointed. I wish that she could have called me the moment she found out that she cannot do it and did not wait for me to call and follow up. When I left her place to drop off the uniform she was so sure that she can do the alteration. I guess she's not really an expert tailor. read more

I dropped a sweater off for three minor repairs--2 small holes and a shoulder panel that had pulled loose. I waited more than a week to get it back. I finally called and was told "it was ready, but don't come by to pick it up until after 11:00. I arrived at noon and got the sweater. Part of the shoulder panel wasn't stitched, and the repair on the two holes was horribly obvious. Lois noticed the unsewn part of the panel and quickly stitched it down on her sewing machine that just happened to have black thread already loaded. I finally realized that nothing had been done to the sweater until after I called, and the instructions not to pick it up until after 11:00 was merely a delay tactic. It was horrible work and I will have to take it to someone else to get it fixed right. Needless to say I won't be taking anything else to Lois--and I strongly suggest that no one else should either. read more

Lois is very friendly and a very capable seamstress; however she is extremely disorganized and her service is not quality or reliable because she is completely scatterbrained. I took some dresses to her for some minor alterations and we set up an appointment for me to pick them up a couple weeks later and when I arrived to pick them up she had completely forgotten about them and hadn't even completed the alterations. She had to ask me which dresses they were. It was my first time taking my business there so I figured she just had a mishap and decided to have my wedding gown altered there as well. It only needed very basic alterations; however once again Lois did not have it ready by the date that we set for me to come in for a second fitting even though I called her the day before to remind her I was coming. When I arrived the dress was tossed haphazardly over an ironing board and had been removed from the garmet bag I brought it in. We scheduled a final appointment a month later for me to pick up the completed dress and ONCE AGAIN when I arrived the dress was not ready and she told me to come back in an hour. I came back in an hour on the dot only to discover that Lois had lost the garmet bag it was kept in. This was very disconcerting since this was my mother's vintage wedding gown and it appeared that Lois had not been caring for it properly. I paid my bill and was not given any receipt or explanation as to the costs but at that point it didn't matter to me, I just wanted to get my dress and get out of there! read more

I brought a beautiful vintage lace wedding dress to her shop to be altered. Her business has an A + rating from the BBB, which I trusted. She has a professional & extensive website. Lois brought me some lovely fabric samples for the underlining that was to be replaced & visible from the outside. She was very nice & seemed very busy & capable. She pinned the dress to me & I was thrilled as it was beautiful. I went to a couple of fittings & tried it on & noticed nothing wrong. I went to pick up the dress when it was ready without trying it on as she just handed it to me, bagged on a hanger and did not suggest I try it on. I had trust in her, so while I thought it was a little odd, I just took it & went home. I tried it on the next day & I was appalled! My wedding dress is unwearable. The straps are different. The bodice is bunchy and won't lay flat. There is a chunk of vintage lace missing off the side of the top of the dress in the front. I took the dress to another seamstress who told me that it couldn't be fixed. With all due respect Lois is a sweet lady, but please be wary of any major alterations on bridal dresses. read more