In this episode, we share our latest Fix It or Free It update, where Stephanie transformed a green dress she loved—but never quite fit right—into a skirt. She walks through the decision-making process, the steps she took to find a tailor, and whether the alteration was worth the investment.
We also introduces the March Fix It or Free It project, which involves revisiting a box of items she set aside to repair.
In This Episode, We Talk About:
- How a simple alteration gave new life to an unworn dress.
- The key factors to consider when deciding whether to fix or replace an item.
- The value of revisiting “fix it” projects to reassess what’s truly worth keeping.
Mentioned in This Episode:
- The Fix It or Free It challenge and why small repairs can be a game-changer.
- How local community recommendations helped find a great tailor.
- Why it’s important to check in on old repair projects and reassess what’s still worth fixing.
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
Hey everyone, welcome back to Organize and Cherish. If you're new here, I've been doing a personal challenge this year called Fix It or Free It, where I either repair an item or finally let it go instead of having to be Collecting dust and sitting around being unused. I shared my first update in episode 109, where I fixed my favorite work bag.
So listen to that if you're interested. And every month I'm trying to do something different. So that I can get a variety of things that I fixed, and then you can also Follow along and see what it takes from my perspective and hopefully get inspired. All right. So I'm updating you on my February fix today, which is a green dress that I loved, but never quite fit, right?
I mean, I wore it a lot. I don't know if you follow me over on the social media channels and or subscribe to my email newsletter, but I did put pictures of how many times I've worn it in different styles. Like I've done it with high heels. I've done it with dress up shoes. I've done it with boots and I've done it with tennis shoes.
I mean, this dress was a personal favorite, probably 2023 and 2024 pictures. all of the nice events, I wore it. So I have it in all different occasions. So I loved this dress. Okay. And I'll share how I decided to alter it instead of getting rid of it and how I found a tailor, what it cost and whether I would do it again.
Plus I'll reveal my March Fix It or Free It project. which is a little different, but it still follows the same idea. So let's get to it.
Welcome to the Organized and Cherished podcast with the Organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, your compassionate and efficient professional organizer. Whether you are part of the sandwich generation, helping a loved one declutter, or just trying to simplify life, this is the place for you.
Together, we will tackle those overwhelming piles of stuff, uncover purpose in what we keep. And let go with Dignity and care because it's not just about throwing everything away, it's about respecting memories and simplifying life. Sound like a plan? Let's jump in and get organized. Okay. So let me introduce you to the green dress.
I bought it on a final sale for like $10 a couple of years ago, and it was one of those pieces where I loved the color and the flowiness. And at the time, I was fluctuating between different weights because I had just had my little one, he's now five, and as you know, your weight and body changes with kids and just in general, right, like life as you're getting older, as you're changing your lifestyle, etc, etc, just your body changes.
So I was really going through that at the time. And so I loved the flexibility of this dress because it came with this drawstring like around the waist that you could put however you wanted. You could dress it up like a flowy. You could tighten it up for a more form fitting look. So it just was, it just felt very versatile.
But it was never quite right. The top was always too loose and the sides were too open. You know, the ones where the under the arm, it goes low a little bit. Well, this one went a little too low where whatever I wore for undergarments. It would get exposed like you could see the shirt you could see whatever I was wearing underneath and I don't know That's just wasn't my trend, but I could make it work I mean it I don't know how to describe it If you saw the pictures you could see what I mean As long as I didn't move around too much like with my hand up or something, it would be fine But of course, I don't I don't want to have to limit myself at the time it worked.
So it was fine So no big deal And if I sat down, there was this weird bubble at the waist. So there's pictures of me sitting down at these really nice events, and you could just see this big bubble around me. It was not flattering either. I really don't mind or don't care as long as I'm comfortable, and it looks, you know, good.
I'm pretty flexible with what I wear, and I don't think too much of it, as long as I'm feeling good and comfortable about myself. But I could tell there was this awkward bubble around the waist, and then the under the arms. So that made me feel awkward sometimes. It was fine at the end of the day. I made it work because I liked it overall.
And sometimes you have items that, there's just something that isn't quite right, but overall it gives you the feeling and the color that you want, so I was fine with it. But deep down, I knew it would be so much better if I could adjust it. So I kept saying, okay, I think if I did this or if I did that, it would look better.
So that was just always in the back of my mind. Fast forward to this year when I started looking for a flowy skirt and realized, well, wait a minute, why don't I just turn this dress into one? And so that's what happened. Now, let me be clear. I don't sew, so I can mend a sock if I have to, but altering a whole dress, absolutely not.
So, what I did was I, what I always recommend, which is I connected with my community, and I asked for help, and I said, hey, does anybody know, I went on Facebook, and I asked if anybody knew of a tailor around town that they would trust with this specific task. I just said, I have a dress that I'd like to alter to make into something else, and a couple people gave me their names.
And I got, you know, a few of the responses. And so I ended up choosing one of the closest ones to me because of the convenience. I mean, I feel like convenience is key, especially when you're first trying to create a new habit like this one, where I was already delaying the process. I, I knew I wanted to do this, but I kept putting it off, which meant that I needed something that was on my way.
That was easy for me to call or just drop in. And I, so I didn't want to overcomplicate it and go to like another city and make an appointment and wait and all that. So I went with the most convenient of the services. And so that's where kind of the, that's the history of the dress and then how the realization that I could do something with it, since I had already been wanting to fix the stress in some way or make it into something else came about.
And then when I got the recommendation, it was like, okay, perfect. Then let me go do it. The next step was the alteration, so Like I said, I mean, I immediately, like, I was, I knew I have, you know, I have this challenge, which is the beauty of these type of events and inspirations. Hopefully, this is something that also is inspiring you because it makes you take action and that's really the name of the game here for all of this year and all of these exercises.
Is that I don't want to delay the things in the process and projects that I've been putting off anymore. I want to make decisive decisions over these things. They don't need to be sitting in my closet in the one day pile. So I wanted to take action. So when I picked a place, it was the most convenient.
And I said, you know, it's really the first one that I can go in and they can help me. I mean, they might say, come back in five minutes or ten minutes or whatever. I can wait. Now, of course, I can wait. But it's not going to be one that they give me a waitlist or they say like come back in six months, right?
So I went to this one place. I parked in front sure enough. They were open and I went in I mean I had I actually had just finished a project for a client So I was really kind of dirty because we had just cleaned out like an entire area where it was a little dusty And I still went in. I just said, I'm just going to do it.
So I took the dress in, I explained what I wanted, and the tailor immediately said, Yep, I can do that, no problem. She gave me some recommendations of where, you know, where the waist would be, this, this, and that. And then she gave me the price. She said it'll be 40 and around three to four weeks. And since I wasn't in a hurry, I said yes, you know, and I left it with her.
I thought that, that was fine. Okay, so exactly four weeks later, I picked it up. And it fit perfectly. I mean, seriously, I, I was really impressed with how well it turned out, especially because I don't, I don't, I don't know this person, very highly recommended. And I saw some of her work kind of on her website and her shop is just so cute and clean and perfect.
And just what I thought a tailor would look like as far as like the root, like all the sewing machines and you know, that's what she does. She wasn't going to send it somewhere else and somewhere else and then I would never meet the person who was actually going to, to alter the dress. That's another thing, uh, a story for another day, but quite a bit of the services like dry cleaning and upholstery and all that, sometimes what happens is it gets sent out to a third party.
And that is where it gets lost in translation. There's quite a bit, there's room for error right there. And so I've had a lot of clients who are very unhappy whenever that happens. So I had that in the back of my head. And so when I saw that she, you know, her and her team actually do the alterations there, um, it made me feel so much better.
Not that this thing is like a wedding dress or something like an heirloom, but you know, you want to feel good about the decision to alter something. And I was really experimenting. So that made me feel much better anyway. Okay, so it was exactly what I hoped for and now I have a flowy skirt that I actually want to wear.
So it turned out, again, it was four weeks, a little bit longer if you have time, but it's something that another human is working on. I wasn't very impatient about this. I mean, I had been waiting. I've had this dress and these thoughts about altering it for like two years. So, what's another four weeks really?
I also talk about this quite a bit with clients and just remind myself, like, what's another day or what's another week? Now, when you're trying to be efficient and make decisions now, I get that, uh, yes, it's already been two years. You know, you might be thinking like, it's already been two years. I don't want to wait one more day.
Perfectly. Legit and very fair. So if you're in that mindset, then something like this would not work. Right. And so you either ask the service that you're looking for to fix it and say, Hey, do you have a rush fee? And sometimes it's, that's worth it because I think on her website, I want to say it was 50. I don't remember.
There's like a flat fee for a rush fee. And I, if I felt it was worth it, I really needed it. I probably would have paid it, but because this was not for a specific event or date. I didn't need it, but just, you know, keep that in mind that if you are in the mental state of, I don't want to wait any longer versus, Oh, well, if I've already waited, what's another month, then ask if there's any way to rush the process and see what it would cost you and it might be worth it.
Hi, cherished friends. Life can get overwhelming, especially when you're juggling caregiving clutter and everything in between. That's why I created the Organize and Cherish Weekly Email. That goes out every Wednesday straight to your inbox to help you keep the momentum, inspiration going with tips and reminders of our upcoming events.
All you have to do is head on over to organizeandcherish. com and sign up for the email newsletter. It's free and you can subscribe whenever you'd like. It's my way of helping you simplify your life and respecting memories along the way. Now back to our show. Okay. So was. Is this fix worth it? Absolutely.
Let's do the math. The dress originally cost 10. The alteration cost 40. My time, I don't want to really quantify because this isn't a work type of event. I'm trying to quantify. I know a lot of people put a price to their time. Yes, but you know, that gets a little bit too into the weeds with my personal life.
But let me tell you, it took me about an hour and a half between posting and asking for recommendations, waiting about a day for people to reply with their, who they would recommend for a tailor, and then me looking up some, the tailors. And then driving there, so that was about an hour and a half of my time, you know, how, if you want to quantify it, great, I'm just saying it's, it's about an hour and a half, which for some people can be a lot, you know, maybe an hour and a half, you would rather just donate it, give it away and go for an hour and a half, go and buy a new skirt or scroll online and find the perfect skirt or what, however it is that you buy things, you know, to each its own.
So that's how long it took about an hour and a half. And then of course me being there, getting measured. So, I would say a total time, total time spent on this was about two hours. So, original cost for the dress, 10, alteration cost 40, about two hours of my personal time. And, uh, and yes, even though I'm obviously doing it for, for all of you here for work, the, the journaling and the aftermath, the process itself is for my own, you know, skirt.
Um, anyway, that means that the total monetary investment was for 50 and then time about two hours. I'm not counting me journaling and making this podcast in the blog post. Okay. This is just to do the actual alterations from beginning to end. And honestly, you know, I would have spent at least that much looking for a new skirt.
That's the thing about me. Because for some people, they're quick shoppers, or maybe you have a shopping assistant or a stylist that you tell them what you want, you send them a picture, and they know your style, they know your measurements, and they'll go do it for you, and you just pay them. So this amount of time and this amount of money could be transferred into other ways.
It's just that for me, I don't have a tailor or a stylist or anyone that knows my, all of that. Like I'm not working with a clothing person. So that would. That would mean that I needed to go find one, and that would just be more time. I'm not in that place right now, so I didn't feel like that was necessary.
Going shopping on my own right now, I have zero desire to go and shop for it. If I come across it, if I'm over at a consignment store or a thrift store, there's the mall, online, and I happen to be, I stumble upon something I like. great, but I would not be taking my time to do it. So that if I did, it would take me way more than two hours.
I'm like 99 percent sure. It just, I'm a very, um, long winded shopper, which is why I don't like it. So there's no guarantee that I'd even find one within those two hours. So for me, this whole thing was worth it. And instead I got to keep something I already loved, but in a way that actually works for me.
It fits me. I told her exactly what I wanted. I went and picked it up and now I have it and now that's that. It's out of my head. I can finally use, use it. So would I do this again? Absolutely. But here's a couple of considerations I want to mention. Cost versus value. Some alterations are worth it, but if the fixed cost more than the item is worth to you, it might not be the best choice.
So in this example, It was 40. If you don't think that the material or the garment itself is worth that much, it doesn't matter what the material is. I'm not, we're not disputing that if it's silk versus cotton versus polyester. Okay. That's not the argument here. It's more if you're if it's something that you are going to actually wear you actually like Because if you're 50 50 or lukewarm about it, and you're not going to wear it Anyway, then it's probably not worth it because you're just back to where you were before Where this item is collecting dust and you're not really taking full advantage of the fix So that's something for you to consider.
The time. So if you need something immediately Getting it tailored might not be for you. It's like I said three to four weeks might be too long Absolutely, you can ask if they do rush fee, so that might be worth it, but time, you know, it just, it takes a little bit of time and patience for you to get it back.
And then when you get it back, there is no guarantee that you're going to really like it. So, especially when you do it the first time, I think now that I know her and her team, now I know that they have the vision, they're really good at what they do. So, for me, this one time, like I told her exactly what I wanted.
So, I would trust her, um, going forward, but I've never, like, I've never, I've never had something done by them from just a vision. So, I haven't, like, said, okay, I'm looking for something like this, and then they brought it to life, and I loved it. So, this could have been a disaster if I was not specific about what I wanted.
So, that's another thing to consider. And then, of course, the, the biggest win was not just the cost, but the fact that I really love the final result. So, for me, that ends up being worth it, but if you have a bad taste in your mouth after the first time, you may not want to do it again. So, I just want to make sure that you give it some other chances, or you go look for another place, but that also requires more time.
So, those are the things I just want you to think about it, that may or may not be worth it. But for me, I I got lucky, but I also did my homework ahead of time to set myself up for success, which is I asked as corny as that sounds. I know, but it's one of my favorite lines because it's true when you set yourself up for success, but I know it's been overdone.
So I get both. I did my homework. I asked the community and enough people replied with this one person. I checked them out. I went on their website, I felt comfortable and I felt like it was an environment that made me feel welcome and it made me feel like they could do a good job. So I did as much as I could ahead of time, within the time and energy levels that I had to make this decision.
So I don't want you to necessarily think that it's so much work, I just want you to at least set yourself up for success as much as possible. So that you can reap the benefits and I I keep saying I got lucky, but I also did the work So I didn't really get lucky. I actually went and and did and did the homework.
That's the update on that We have a full blog post as well If you're you know, you like kind of read it you just want to see and get inspired to Fix something of your own maybe get something tailor is there something in your closet that you've been wanting to fit finally like it's You've changed sizes, maybe you moved, and what used to, especially in climates, different climates, what used to work in this one particular area of where you were living or working might not live or might work in the new place you're living.
I'm more specifically talking about like work clothes. Uh, maybe, you know, you, you went from a cold to a hot climate, et cetera. And then, so now you just need to update your wardrobe by getting it tailored, getting some sleeves taken out, making the pants some shorts or a cute skirt or a cute dress or some slacks, et cetera.
So all that. All right. So for March, what's next? I'm tackling something a little bit different, but still within the theme. I have a box of fix it items, things I've set aside thinking I'll fix this one day. You know the box. We all have one. But here's the thing. Sometimes you need a refresher to make sure you still have, you still have the desire to actually fix what you said you were going to fix six months ago.
I have not looked at this box in detail in a couple of months. So this month I'm going through the box, deciding what's actually worth repairing now that I've done two of these fixes, my handbag, my work bag, and then this dress skirt, and then letting go of things that on second thought, I don't even want to fix because sometimes it's not about the fixing.
It's about giving yourself permission to say, I'm done with this. So that's my goal for March. I will come back next month to give you an update of how much stuff I got rid of or was it just one or what, what all the thoughts went into my decision and And then we'll pick an item for the next month. So I'll share updates as the months progress until next week.
Happy organizing. Thank you for listening to the Organize and Cherish podcast with the Organize Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you left a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps others discover our show. For full show notes, resources, and more organizing inspiration, visit www.theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast.
Until next time, happy organizing.
