Dorcas's Dressmaking & Alterations — Local services in Tampa

Miracles happen! Ly (pronounced "Lee") and the seamstresses here are miracle workers who saved my designer wedding gown. My dress was way too small, with an unforgiving silhouette, and very little material to work with. I brought it to Ly after being turned away by 3 other places that said it couldn't be let out or altered to fit me. I was told to just buy another dress that fits. Not an option. I was completely defeated.

Then I found Dorcas's Dressmaking — I started thinking outside the box and figured my dress needed a specialized dressmaker who was willing to get creative. I called Ly and explained everything to her. She invited me to come in for an appointment that same week. Ly and her seamstress were welcoming, open-minded, and determined. They were hands-on and spent time thoroughly inspecting my dress inside and out to see what was possible.

If the task wasn't already challenging enough, I did have one condition: no corset back. This was a dealbreaker. I expressed to Ly how I wanted to preserve the existing zipper and buttons on the dress. She completely understood and respected my wishes. I'll never forget the next moment when Ly turned to me and said, "We can do it." Tears of joy! A few months later and my dress fits perfectly with the original back, zipper, and buttons still beautifully in tact. It was like magic. I'm still blown away. She even added a complimentary bustle to my dress without me asking. She is a saint!

If your story is anything like mine, call Ly. She is the sweetest lady who will work with you to achieve your vision while being straightforward and honest with you. My dress was 2 sizes too small and I was never body-shamed like a different review mentioned. In fact, Ly explicitly told me NOT to lose weight because the fit was going to be perfect when finished.

Dorcas's Dressmaking does phenomenal work, goes above and beyond, and tends to be busy so bear that in mind. This small business exceeded my expectations and saved my designer wedding gown when everyone else turned me away. Thank you, Ly! I'm eternally grateful for your services and so fortunate to have found you 🙏

Edit: Yes to your reply! Please feel free to share my story and pictures with everyone....

I would recommend Dorcas's Dressmaking & Alterations to everyone!! Bea, the owner of Dorcas, really touched my life and made me the happiest bride on earth! Here is my testimony:

Quick back story, I brought a dress sight-unseen online, and it was nothing like the picture!! In fact I hated it, but due to budgetary reasons, I had to try to "make it work" project runway style by re-designing and altering it. But I cannot sew! So, by fate, I found Dorcas's via google and Bea transformed my plain jane dress into the wedding dress of my dreams and beyond that! Attached are the before and after pictures so you can see!

Overall, if you're looking for a tailor to do your wedding dress/ evening wear alterations, give Bea your business because she will give you all of her heart. She will make the impossible possible in order to make you happy. When I put on my finished gown, I cried. I never knew I could look so beautiful! Trust her, she will not let you down. Bea is more than a seamstress, she is a designer in her nature. She is truly an artist, and when I stepped into my wedding dress I felt like a masterpiece! She does not take any shortcuts, her work inside and out is of the highest quality. Also, she is very reasonably priced. Honestly, she could have charged me a fortune and I would have felt like it was worth it. But she didn't, I was thrilled about the price. The value I received is unbelievable. She made my dream wedding dress attainable. Bea is truly a wonderful person, and I feel so blessed that I got to know her over the many months that she spent working on my dress. And even better, I feel so grateful that I got to wear the wedding dress of my dreams on the biggest, most important day of life so far! Thank you so...

I would give 0 starts if I could....very disappointed with the quality of work, that needed to be fixed by someone else. I had been recommended to Dorca's to alter a MOB gown and regret my decision to go there. I needed a hem and some alterations to the top. After a few of times going back the top still wasn't fitting right. She told me that it was because of the way the dress was made, but my issue was only on one side. The seamstress tried to do some darting and appeared to sew it by hand, but the work was sloppy and it didn't really help. I was running out of time; unsatisfied and disappointed I left with my dress in hand without really checking it out (I know I should have). When I got home I noticed some beading was also missing. Upset with having to wear a dress I wasn't at all comfortable in, I went to another seamstress who fixed all their mistakes. It appeared the top was too lose and all the new seamstress had to do was move the clasp behind the neck to make the top more fitting, she also fixed the missing beading, re-sewed the darting by machine and fix the cups that were put in wrong (which I wasn't aware of; she explained the stitching to tack them in was too lose). I only had a few days to get my dress fixed and my new seamstress was able to accommodate, it cost me half of what I was originally changed (for...