I found Fashions by Barbara on Yelp!, and I would be very happy to help another find the absolute blessing that is Fashions by Barbara. I live in Mechanicsville, Virginia. My daughter lives in Central Florida, Last November just before Thanksgiving, my girl planned her bridal gown shopping weekend in Central New Jersey, where the wedding would be. I was entrusted to pick the gown up when it came in, and in the meantime, to find a reputable place near me to get alterations done. No pressure, right! On December 10th I contacted three businesses via Yelp. Barbara's response was the most on target; she anticipated my questions, needs for the work, and nervousness to get this right. I took this as an indication of her experience, professionalism, and genuine interest in the work. Boy was I ever right! In that first day we had a back and forth conversation, she got all the pertinent sizing information, and based on that and a photo of my daughter in the dress was able to give me a stunningly reasonable ballpark estimate --and this is important--without having to see them both in person! Based on that initial back and forth, I also sensed that my daughter would be very comfortable with Barbara. The dress came in sometime in late February and I drove up to New Jersey, brought it home to Mechanicsville, and it hung in the guest room until the week before the Bridal Shower in May. My daughter came up from Florida on her way to New Jersey and got to try on her dress and meet Barbara for the first time. The dress came with straps that needed to be placed and sewn in as opposed to merely affixed with the hooks, in addition, the top of the bodice needed adjustment because my daughter was very concerned not to show cleavage, there was the hem, some taking in at the seams, and the bustling of the train. The initial fitting solved some issues, but there were important loose ends, like the veil and blusher which hadn't been ordered, and the "undergarment" that is really kind of important in the grand scheme of things. My daughter hit it off with Barbara, and that was THE best thing. Barbara is flexible, patient, unflappable, and gracious. And gifted. The dress fit so well the Bride had no cause to tug it up, or down, or lift it up to glide down the aisle or into the reception hall, or otherwise "manage" it during the course of the events: it flowed with the day, as if it was a part of the bride. And there were details, the blusher, that was part of my own wedding veil was perfectly added to the Cathedral length bridal veil; the simple bustle that easily lifted the train up off the floor and the pocket square embroidered with a message to the groom in the bride's own handwriting! Perfect. read more

Fashions by Barbara - Gown and veil perfectly modest on a hot summer day. - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Beaverdam, Virginia

Very pleased with the alterations done on my Mother of the Bride dress! She gave me some much needed advice on getting the proper bra for this dress; it now fits like a glove after her alterations and the right support. Very kind and easy to work with. read more

Great service and great work. Highly recommend! Barbara did my project on the spot. Didn't have to wait long at all.

I just had Barbara alter a mother of the groom dress for me for my son's wedding and I just love how it turned out. It looks like it was made just for me. It is beautiful and Barbara did an excellent job . She has such a wonderful sense of fashion even giving me pointers on necklaces, shoes etc. She is very nice to work with and I greatly enjoyed my visits with her. I plan to bring more sewing projects for her to do in the future. I am very pleased . read more

Barbra was east to work with and turned my "bad prom" bridesmaid dress into something that flattered my shape and made me feel pretty. She delivered on time and I will be using her again in the future! read more

Barbara is fantastic. I can't say enough good things about her. She altered my daughter's wedding dress that was originally a size 12 to perfectly fit her size 0 body. The dress has multiple layers and she managed to basically remake the dress beautifully. She even added an embroidered date and initials to the inside and most importantly taught us how to hang the dress properly! She is so pleasant and positive it made for a wonderful experience. The cost was very reasonable too. We drove from Alexandria and am so happy we did. Thank you Barbara! read more

What an amazingly easy process so far! She is very easy to do business with and worth the drive to get to. She "hears" my wants and responds immediately! I can't wait to see my final dress! What a gem! read more

Fashions by Barbara - This was what I tried to attach. Can you meet next week fri or Sat? - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Beaverdam, Virginia

Barbara is a phenomenal woman! She makes the most important piece of your wedding, stress free! I am so thankful for her attention to detail and hard work. She altered my wedding dress and made me feel beautiful ! So grateful to have found her! read more

I don't know what more I can say about Barbara! I first went to her for alterations to a bridesmaids dress. She works out of her basement and did a quick job pinning everything. I was getting ready to take the dress of when we noticed that the word SAMPLE had been EMBROIDERED onto the top layer of the dress because it was a sample dress. She was able to take out the stitching and you couldn't even tell. I noticed that she had a bunch of wedding dresses in her shop so I asked and she is one of the seamstresses at Simply Modern in Fredericksburg. When I bought my wedding dress I took it to her and she did a fantastic job at a fantastic price -- she took up a lace hem, took up the shoulders, and added cups and a bustle for about $250. So far I've had her do 3 bridesmaids dresses and my wedding gown and she has not disappointed in quality or price. She also does custom designs and orders for prom, pageants, Halloween, etc. read more

Barbara is AMAZING!! After hacking at the bottom of my improperly altered wedding dress with a pair of kitchen shears, i thought there was no repairing it. But Barbara managed to not only rehem my dress, but thin out the heavy layers and even move a swatch of my grandmother's wedding dress from the bottom to right over my heart. My dress looks even better than it did when i first bought it and i can't thank her enough for the amazing work. She's also just really nice and made the process so fun and stress free. 10/10, highly recommend! read more

Barbara altered my maid of honor dress for my best friend's wedding. I was afraid I didn't leave enough time prior to the event because it needed a lot of work. The skirt is not symmetrical and then entire dress had to be taken in and up quite a bit. But she got the dress back to me very quickly and still did a great job. The dress now fits and looks fantastic. I thought her prices were very reasonable, she seems very experienced, and she is just very nice to work with. I will definitely use her again in the future. read more

Barbara is amazing!! I had to have a ballgown altered and I could barely even fit into it. Poor Barbara broke a nail trying to get me into that dress. She was so friendly & comforting. She had the dress ready for me in a week and it fit perfectly after her alterations. Will definitely be using her again. Also, her prices were much more affordable than the cleaners I have been using for years. read more

Barbara did alterations for my wedding dress, and she did a beautiful job! She is honest about what she thinks you need to have altered, which made things much easier for me! She is easy to work with, and altered my dress in less than 2 weeks! I couldn't be happier with my experience, I would highly recommend her to anyone! :) read more

I had a bag of projects and was fed up with all the overpriced alterations available through dry cleaners in Stafford who offer nothing but long waits and ridiculous prices. Barbara banged away at her sewing machine for around a half hour and fixed everything right there during my appointment. She fixed 4 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, and a windbreaker for a price I felt was too low! It felt like visiting a friend while I watched her work. So happy to have met her! Now if I could just find a local cobbler shop! read more

Barbara did the alterations for my daughter's wedding dress, her sister's Maid of Honor dress and my Mother of the Bride dress. Her prices are very reasonable and her alterations were impeccable. I would absolutely take all other alterations to her. She works out of her basement in her home and is very personable. I would highly recommend her!! read more