WARNING-STAY AWAY FROM this business- I received her name from a friend so I did not check ratings- this person should be out of business - she doesn't tell you how much alterations are - then when you call back she quotes astronomical rates. Unbelievably she did this to my young daughter who took her wedding dress there to be altered. The dress is A basically plain line- a small application on the front lace bodice- she took 5 inches in at the waist hemmed and bustled it- said it would be $2,500 dollars When my daughter told me that I called said price was way too high- she said that was it and how professional she was Long story short I told her I needed the dress by end of July - she had it for 3 months and I would pick up- she told me All cash The Friday before I was to pick up she called told me the new price is $4,100 and being cash and if I wasn't bringing this much don't bother to show up!! Omg my daughter in tears - who does this holds a bridal gown hostage for an outrageous beyond price ??? I know and evil evil tailor The great news is The Altar Bridal shop in Barrington saved us amazing staff great store and there total alterations under $350 dollars Stay away save yourself No stars but they make you add as below read more

You couldn't find anyone better!! Wonderful person with exceptional skills. Customer service that hasn't been seen in decades. Honest and fair. I cannot say enough good things to say about her! read more

I have been going to Ava for certain alterations for years. Her work is impressive and flawless. I can sew, but sometimes it's difficult to fit yourself so I go to Ava. I do send her some people as well. As for cost you pay for what you get - which is an experienced seamstress. I read the other reviews and honestly clothing is made cheaply nowadays and a times you can pay less for a garment then it costs for the time and efforts it takes to alter/remake it. You can always ask for a ball park price up front. Ava knows her stuff - your garment will fit perfectly after , but you need to understand you are paying for her expertise and time. read more

I can't believe this woman has any good reviews! She rude, expensive and worst of all does inadequate work!

Ask for a definitive price - get it in writing. She charged me $800.00 to make a shawl. Ask her what she charges per hour and what other hidden fees she will be charging you. I would not recommend this seamstress for anything mostly because her pricing is unethical. She is an elderly woman and will suck you in to thinking she is doing you a favor. read more

I've been going to Ava for years! She does all of my pageant gowns. She does such amazing quality work on anything and everything, whether the garment is a cheaper fabric or a designer item. Ava is very talented and so kind! I always enjoy chatting with her during my visit. With any alteration place; you get what you pay for. And all of my dresses have been fixed in a timely fashion, so I always know I will have my clothes ready for the event. Ava does such outstanding work. You can tell she really enjoys what she does too! I would wholeheartedly recommend Ava's Alterations for any occasion; weddings, prom, pageant, work clothes, and even casual clothes. read more

Ava did an excellent job hemming a full length dress that I had purchased for my son's wedding. The dress had 4 layers to hem and she did an absolutely perfect job. I had a pair of heels to wear for the wedding ceremony and then wanted to switch to a flat shoe. Ava suggested that the dress should be hemmed to the length of the flat shoe. This way, you could see the glittery heels I was wearing, and when I switched to the flat shoes, the length was perfect, so I could dance and not trip on the dress. I would highly recommend her. She has loads of experience and tons of photos of other dresses that she has either hand made or altered! She has a beautiful shop in her house, and is a true professional. I think you would be very satisfied if you choose to hire her as your seamstress. Donna read more

amazing service and very friendly to work with!!!!! Ava webt out of her way to make sure all of our questions had been answered and our needs met! read more

I have gone to Ava twice in the past year for bridesmaid dress alterations and I have been very pleased with her and her work. Ava really took her time with me and the personal attention really made a difference. She is very detail oriented and you can tell she takes pride in what she does. Both dresses I had altered with her turned out beautifully and were well worth the cost. I will definitely return to Ava for any future alteration needs and I would highly recommend her. read more

Ava has done my alterations a few times over the years. Her work is beautiful. I bought a dress that was too big because I liked it and took it in for her to alter it to my size. She gives personal attention to make sure everything is correct and she is highly experienced. I did this review in part because there were a couple reviews I read that seemed unfair because of her pricing. Alterations are a specialized service. I feel her pricing is quite reasonable and her work is amazing! read more

If I could give this 0 stars I would. Don't use this place unless you want to be taken to the cleaners. Ava quoted an estimated $180-200 for the a bridesmaid dress alteration. Not until the the day the dress was ready did she mention the price would be $315! The dress itself cost $225, I don't understand how a company can make an entire dress for less than the hemming and alteration at this place. She practices price gouging and your dress will basically be held hostage until you pay her price. Please save yourself the stress and you're money. She will say her work is incomparable to anyone else's. She was right on that. The dress was too tight, the straps dig in my shoulders and the length is too short. Never had an issue like this when I used the alteration person at a dry cleaner. For that reason Ava's Alterations is definitely incomparable to anything I've ever experienced. read more

AWFUL experience!! My alterations were $$225 for a dress which only needed to be pinned at the bust and hemmed 2 inches. SHE IS RIDICULOUS with her pricing!! Her response for the EXPENSIVE price is if I went elsewhere I wouldnt get HER quality of work. As if a needle and thread differ from place to place?!?! BEWARE! Best to get it altered at the place you bought it, or find another place. She gave no quote even though I went to 2 FITTINGS!! And a week before the wedding she calls to drop the expensive and unnecessary price on me, when she knew how much weddings cost. I could not be more OUTRAGED at her - I just want EVERYONE TO KNOW SHE WILL CHARGE YOU AN OUTRAGEOUS PRICE!!!! read more

If you want to get ripped off by all means, go to Ava!!! SHE IS A COMPLETE SCAM! I paid LESS for my bridesmaid dress ($217) than I did for her $235 alterations! Please do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. When I questioned about the price she claimed her work justified the $235 tab and refused to refund any of the money. All she did was take in the bust and sides on the midsection. There were no significant alterations and she didn't hem, add cups or anything like that. The dress pre-alterations was beautiful and well-made and simply just needed to be taken in a bit on the front bust and along the sides to fit perfectly. Not much work at all ... not anything NEAR a $235 tab!!! Again, I paid less for the actual floor-length chiffon dress than the price Ava charged for a few nip/tucks. I told her this, she did nothing. Save yourself the time, energy, anger and money and find another seamstress. There are better seamstresses out there for a FRACTION of the cost. I have had the same amount work done elsewhere for $35-50 ... I just went to here since I moved to the area and wasn't familiar with other seamstresses. None of the other girls in the wedding (same dress, better alterations with more work) paid anywhere near the amount I did- I paid the price of all the girls combined. My wedding gown cost the same at a couture bridal boutique and required MUCH more work than what Ava did to this bridesmaid dress. Now I know why she charged a $50 deposit- people have probably told her to keep the garment instead of paying her ASTRONOMICAL fees! I asked for a quote up front but didn't receive one. If I would have known minimal work would be $235 I would have NEVER EVER gone to her. Looks can be deceiving, she's an undercover scam artist. BEWARE OF AVA! read more