Best Fit: State College Seamstress and Tailor

Do you ever wonder how some people look AMAZING in their clothing?  They may be wearing the same jacket or pants as you are but they somehow look better in it?  More than likely they use a tailor so that their clothing is tailored to fit their body perfectly.

None of us are a standard size.  Some of us are size 8 and tall, or short, or with large hips or narrow shoulders.  So how can so many people fit into one size?  They can’t.  That’s why some garments look better on certain people depending on their body shape.  But there is a way to even the playing field and that’s through professional tailoring.  

Not every garment you wear needs to be tailored but it’s recommended for suits and other professional clothing that’s supposed to be fitted. So what do you do?  Always buy an item so that it fits the largest part of you; whether that’s hips, chest or shoulders.  It’s much easier (and cheaper) to take in items than let them out, so don’t avoid purchasing garments that are snug.  Ill-fitting garments make you look sloppy and bigger than you actually are, regardless of whether they’re too big or too small.  The best part is, if you find a great deal on a sale rack, you can purchase the piece knowing there’s only a small additional investment to get it fitted to you!

Remember, a professional and reputable tailor will know how to measure and fit you.  We have 2 amazing full-time tailors with over 60 years of combined experience at our Beaver Ave location.  Lisa, Caitlyn and Sunhee can do all of your standard tailoring but have also created custom draperies, dresses and worked extensively in bridal.   Call  today 814.237.8066 to schedule an appointment!

12 Tips for an Updated Fall Wardrobe

Labor Day is over which means the Fall is upon us! For many of us, that means cleaning and storing our summer items and getting our Fall wardrobe ready for the chillier weather ahead.

The first step toward having a great wardrobe is being able to work with what you already own. You may think you need to start from scratch, but what about those great clothes you already own? If you have a great skirt and no matching blazer, why buy a new set? Just buy a blazer instead! What about those wonderful wool pants you haven’t worn because of a broken zipper? Replace the zipper, not the pants! 

Here are 12 tips for maintaining your closet and keeping your garments in good condition:

  1. Go through your closet and donate anything you haven’t worn in two years to a local charity. If it doesn’t fit, why are you keeping it? Unless you’re really planning to lose a few pounds, give those too-tight garments to someone who can use them now. There are few things as satisfying as cleaning your closet and helping someone else at the same time! 
  2. If you haven’t done so already, store away all your spring and summer clothes. Make sure they are clean, and hang or fold them carefully. It’s essential that your garments can “breathe.” Do not store them in plastic bags. In addition, make sure the storage area for your clothes is cool, dry, and free of direct light. 
  3. Sort through your fall and winter dresses, suits, skirts, pants, blouses, and jackets. Determine which ones need repair, cleaning, or pressing. It may be helpful to make a note listing item, color, style, state of wear, and any repairs or cleaning needed. You can take this with you when you go shopping to help make rounding out your wardrobe easier. If you really want to get into it, you can clip a small piece of fabric from an inside, unexposed seam of each garment and glue it on your chart next to the description for that item. 
  4. If you have an old garments that you love but are seriously out-of-date, considering shortening or changing the garment to give it a new, fresh look. Or upgrade your button down shirts with a million dollar collar.
  5. Inspect your shirts, blouses, and skirts. Are shirt collars frayed beyond repair? Are buttons missing? Are hems sagging? Make 2 piles, throw out anything beyond repair and then a pile to take to your local seamstress.
  6. Check your pants to make sure they fit properly. Remember, if the fit is tight, you will be uncomfortable. If possible, consider moving a button or finding a seamstress to let the pants out to make the garment more comfortable. 
  7. When inspecting your jackets, remember that a great jacket can make an entire outfit. Try them on and check for fit.
  8. Suits are an important work investment for many people. Always buy quality suits and take care of your purchases by regularly cleaning them and storing them properly.
  9. Take all your skirts out and look at how many different colors and styles they represent. Are all your skirts straight and black? Or do you own only full, floral patterns? Either way, even though the style may be your favorite and your most flattering, everyone can use some variation. 
  10. Create new outfits. Maybe the jacket you received as a birthday present is the perfect match for those new suede pants. Coordinate several new outfits and arrange your closet in a way that’s convenient for you. 
  11. Don’t forget to inspect your shoes and boots. Have heels and soles replaced as necessary. Remember that ill-fitting shoes can cause misery for your feet and entire body.
  12. Your closet’s “health” is essential to keep your clothes in good condition. sachets for your drawers and cedar blocks for your closet will help keep your clothes fresh smelling, moth-free, and a pleasure to wear!  

Happy Fall! 

Got a Coffee Stain?

Happy National Coffee Day! And what a great day…we wouldn’t survive without our daily cup o’Joe.

Did you know, one of the most common stains we see from our customers are coffee stains.  This is one of those sneaky stains that can be a real head scratcher for us if we’re working with incomplete information. You may not realize it, but some stains, like coffee, can be made up of multiple stains beyond just the obvious presumed cause of the problem.  For our professional spotter, it’s always easier to get out stains when we know what they are because there’s no guesswork(for example, blood and chocolate look strangely similar when dried on a shirt!). 

Coffee stains, for example, often contain milk or other additives, making the stain more difficult to remove since the coffee is a tannin stain and the milk leaves a protein-based stain. Both the coffee and the milk in the coffee are water-based stains, but protein stains require more work to remove.  OK, so enough technical talk!  What we’re trying to say is such stains will have to be treated individually, even though the actual staining occurred at the same time. 

To help your us get out those pesky stains and save your favorite items, let us know how you take your coffee. We know this sounds weird but when you drop off an item (or send it in through our Free Pickup/Delivery Service) with a coffee stain, please inform the customer service representative (or write a note) stating how you take your coffee (i.e., with cream and sugar, milk and sugar, black, etc.).  This will help us remove the stain completely the first time since we’ll know exactly what we’ll know exactly what the stain is made of!

Caring for Sweaters Do’s & Don’ts

Fall is here!

Pumpkin spiced lattes, beautiful Fall foliage, and most importantly, it’s cozy SWEATER SEASON! We sure love a warm, comfy sweater but knitwear is fragile and easy to damage if not cared for properly. In order to keep your sweaters looking great, we’ve put together a list of 8 tips to keep your sweaters in pristine condition.

Here are the 8 Sweater Do’s & Don’ts:

  1. Don’t push up the sleeves! Once or twice may be ok but eventually, the fibers will be damaged to the extent that it can’t be fixed and you’ll only be able to wear it with a pushed up look. On a cold day, that just won’t work.
  2. Do remove your sweaters gently. Take care not to stretch the neck out when putting sweaters on and taking them off.
  3. Don’t wear heavy weight brooches or pins. They’ll pull on the delicate threads and stretch out a specific area. 
  4. Don’t put away a sweater with a pin still attached. If you decide to wear a pin, take it off as soon as possible once you return home.
  5. Do be aware of your accessories. Handbags, belts and large necklaces can be a source of abrasion that can cause pilling and fibers to break.
  6. Don’t  stick an adhesive name tag on. This causes pulls and pilling on your knits.
  7. Don’t hang your sweaters up by the shoulders. Sweaters should be folded over a hanger or stored in a drawer.
  8. Do keep your sweaters clean. Moths, silverfish and other bugs are attracted to stains, old perspiration and dander left on sweaters. To keep moth holes at bay, clean them ever few wears and especially clean them prior to long-term storage.

Most of all, use common sense and good judgment.  As a professioal cleaner, we can typically reverse most damage through reweaving, blocking and de-pilling but that should be a last resort.

How Often to Clean a Comforter

We’re commonly asked: How Often Should I Clean my Comforter?

It’s a great question and one that depends on a few factors. Let’s be honest for a second; comforters can get really gross. You spend 7 or more hours wrapped up in a comforter every night and they typically have some direct skin contact. Because of that, they easily collect dander, hair, mites, and perspiration. Yuck!

So how often should you clean your comforter? It really depends on your individual situation.

4 Times/Year: 

If you have a duvet cover on your comforter, at an absolute minimum you should clean it 4 times/year. Duvet’s help keep comforters a bit cleaner but remember, you should clean the duvet more regularly.

Every other month:

Many people don’t have a duvet on their comforter. In those cases, we recommend every other month. 

Monthly:

There are some scenarios where we do recommend a monthly cleaning:

1). A dog/cat or other animal sleeps in the bed. 

2). You (or a family member) has allergies.

So the next question then is…How can I clean my comforter?

At Home: Many comforters can be cleaned in your washing machine. But that doesn’t come without issues. Washing your comforter in your home washer is REALLY hard on the home washer. Comforters are heavy (even more so when they’re wet) which causes unevenly distributed weight during washing. This will strain the bearings and motor. Also, it’s essential to make sure they are completely dry so you may have to run them through the dryer multiple times. This takes a long time.

At the laundromat: So in order not to put stress your home washer, you can go to the laundromat where the washing machines are bigger. The problem with that is, how much time does that take? Are you willing to spend 2-hours sitting in the laundromat waiting for your comforter to get clean? Most people aren’t.

Take it to your dry cleaner: If you don’t feel like running to the laundromat and want to keep you washer in good working condition, we can help! We clean thousands of comforters each year. Our processes meets the CDC guidelines for killing bacteria and viruses. You will have your comforter back in a few days and you’ll get a great reusable storage bag too. We can even pick it up from your front door and deliver it back to you!

What’s the Deal With Laundry Service?

There are pros and cons of living anywhere. As much as we completely adore State College, for things like safety, small-town feel, and the school system (to name a few) we do tend to be a bit behind the 8-ball in other areas.

One of these areas is in Personal Laundry Service or Wash, Dry, Fold Service. Laundry Service has exploded in big cities and is a huge time saver for people. 

Can you imagine, never doing your laundry again? No more piles of laundry waiting to be folded. No more running out of undies. It feels like a fantasy, doesn’t it? We have great news. It’s available in State College!

Did you know, the average American Family spends 6 hours/week on Laundry? That’s a lot of time that could be used to do something else.  

So the big question is… how’s Laundry Service work?

  1. You collect your dirty laundry, put it in a bag and leave it outside.
  2. Next, your laundry is picked up from your front door.
  3. It’s brought to our faclity and washed in unscented detergent with fabric softener and then dried (all while you enjoy your time doing what’s important to you).
  4. It’s then perfectly folded and bundled together in wrap and placed in a reusable tote bag. The best part is, your clothes are bundled with like items so it’s even easier to put away!
  5. A few days later, your fresh, clean, folded laundry is dropped off on your doorstep.

That’s it. It’s so easy and gives you back hours each week to be with family, work, exercise, read, walk your dog or do whatever you’d like to do.

We have 3 levels available for you to choose from for a huge discount. Or you can use the service to catch up whenever you’d like and pay per lb. 

Looking for more info? Here’s our indepth explanation.

Give it a try! It will change your life.

How Dirty Is Your Bedding?

Have you noticed your baseboards lately? We have…we are having to clean them more frequently because we have so much more foot traffic in our homes! So what does the dirt on your baseboard have to do with your bedding? Everything! With so many more people working from home, doing online school and just being in the house, just like the rest of your home, your bedding is dirtier than ever. 

Sometimes we forget about our household bedding. They blend into our homes so much they become a part of the scenery. These items collect dust and dirt and can become damaged, faded or discolored in their inactivity. Since we see them everyday, gradual changes come about without our noticing.

Trained fabric care professionals like us have the knowledge and equipment to care for your household items so you can enjoy them for many years.

Here are some tips you can use to get the most out your household items:

Comforters

Comforters collect germs, sweat, pet hair/pet dander and allergens on a nightly basis. We recommend cleaning your comforter 4x a year BUT if your pet or kids sleep with you, clean them at least every other month. 

Tired of trying to stuff your comforter in your home washer and knowing it didn’t get clean? We can process your comforters and quilts to get the dust and grime out of them safely. Our commercial washers can use a higher temperature to kill all bacteria without damaging your fabrics.

Handmade quilts are especially susceptible to dye bleeding when they are cleaned since the fabric components of the quilt vary. We test quilts to ensure no bleeding will ruin it.

Blankets/Throw Blankets

Blankets are available in many fibers and construction types, including wool, cotton, acrylic, polyester, and polyurethane. A blanket’s construction plays a direct role in its thermal qualities and should be cleaned to protect its ability to contain heat. 

Think how often your throw blankets are used during the fall and winter. Now, how often do you clean them? It’s essential to keep those items clean and free of dust and allergens.

Again, blankets should be cleaned 4x/year (or more). Our team is skilled in the methods of cleaning blankets to preserve their heat-retaining qualities and appearance.

Duvet Covers

Duvet covers are easier to take off your comforter and clean. Again, 4x a year should suffice unless you have pets and kids in your bed. The problem with duvets is that they’re typically a wrinkled mess once you pull them out of the dryer. So you have to iron them…which takes a long time! Additionally, duvet cover manufacturers ask that people account for 5%-8% shrinkage in cleaning which means it might not fit your comforter.

We can safely clean and press your duvet so it looks perfect on your bed.

Let us help! We know you don’t have time to be washing, drying and ironing your bedding. Send your bedding in for a professional cleaning and simply put them back on the bed when you do. We will even pick up your bedding and deliver it back to your front door. It will save you so much time and give you peace of mind that you’re keeping your household clean for your family.

Are You Doing Your Laundry Right?

People spend more time doing wash now than 50 years ago, but research shows the clothes are coming out less clean and more worn than ever before. One of the world’s biggest soap manufacturers, Procter & Gamble, says most people do their laundry improperly by not sorting loads, overloading machines, and washing clothes too often.

The Procter & Gamble study found the average American family spends 7-9 hours per week, up from the 1960s. This phenomenon is likely due to the singular wearing of garments and larger wardrobes.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your wardrobe and washing machine. Don’t forget, if you’re looking for extra hours in your week, you can always bring your wash to us so you can focus on what’s important to you.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to doing your laundry:

Simple Steps for Cleaning Laundry Properly

  • Check pockets
  • Pretreat stains
  • Sort loads by: Color, Construction/Fabric Type, Amouint of Soil
  • Select proper water temperature
  • Select appropriate cycle
  • Fill washer with water
  • Add detergent and laundry boosters following instructions
  • Add clothing to washer following recommended load

Drying Loads for Fewer Wrinkles & Less Drying Time

  • Sort by fiber content
  • Sort by weight
  • Do not overload the dryer
  • Select drying temperature based on fiber content
  • Remove promptly
  • Fold or hang right away

Common Laundry Mistakes

  • Overloading the washer
  • Poor load sorting
  • Failure to measure laundry additives
  • Too low water temperature
  • Failure to sort for drying
  • Overloading the dryer

Doing your laundry correctly feels like a lot of work doesn’t it? Ask about our Personal Laundry Service and leave the sorting, drying, folding to us! Just think, what could you do with all those extra hours in your week? Give outsourcing your laundry a try. 

Caring for Decorative Pillows

Decorative pillows are all the rage. From very high end to box-store brand, decorative pillows can change the entire dynamic in a room. The problem is, they get dirty from kids, pets and their constant use on couches.

Upholstery fabrics used for furniture are usually used to cover decorative pillows. Some pillow covers are removable, while others are not. Your decorative pillows are trapping airborne dust/allergens, they get thrown around by kids or layed on by pets. Most people don’t EVER clean their pillows…yuck!

Most of these items should not be cleaned in your home washer as typically shrink, the dye may bleed and your home washer isn’t sophisticated enough to safely clean them in a temperature to kill all of the bacteria. We’re able to test the dyes in these items and our commercial washers can clean them at higher temperatures to safely to kill all of the bacteria that have accumulated on them. All while keeping your pillows safe.

You invested a lot into your decorative pillows, let us help you keep them clean and sanitized and extend their life. We will even pick them up and deliver them right back to your door! Sign up for our FREE Pickup & Delivery Service today!

Caring for Your Drapes

Drapes and curtains may hang for years (and we mean many, many years) between cleanings. Often, exposure to sunlight and changing temperatures lead to fabric damage in drapes. In time, soil and dust in the room, as well as outside atmospheric dirt and gasses from industry, automobiles, and construction, may soil the drapes. Many of these soils can be removed through careful cleaning practices.

Issues with Drapes:

Water stains appear when moisture from condensation on the window, humidity or spilled liquids causes the soils to disperse, leaving a stained area. Moisture may also be responsible for displacing drapery sizing. After the moisture evaporates, a ring or streak may be noticeable because soils can be removed. You may notice discoloration due to light combining with oxygen, which tears down certain chemicals in fibers.

We often hear about white drapes that have yellowed noticeably in certain areas. Most fibers have a natural tendency to slowly oxidize and yellow from aging and atmospheric exposure. Any drapery material used to cover a window is exposed to both direct and indirect light.

How We Can Help:

We offer a take down and rehang service for your drapes. We will schedule and appointment with you, come in and take down your drapers/curtains. We will take them to our facility, located right in State College, and clean and press them. When they’re finished, we’ll schedule a day and time to bring them back and re-hang them. It makes it so easy! 

We’ll clean your drapes and curtains to remove stains, allergens, and dust. You’ll receive your drapes and curtains back perfectly pressed and clean so you can enjoy them for years to come.