Ruth is not your ordinary seamstress or custom dressmaker. She’s been sewing for more than 40 years, has been in business for over 13 years, and is also an engineer.When Ruth looks at a design she not only considers how to make it look good, but also how to make the garment comfortable and practical to wear. So you don’t end up with a fabulous gown that itches under the arms and you can’t sit down in.
Ruth custom designs by identifying the style elements, such as sleeves, neckline, and skirt line. She finds patterns in her collection (or is it a stash?) to use as a basis for the new design. Unlike most dress designers who sew in standard sizes, Ruth adjusts each dimension to fit the client’s measurements. Whether you are a Misses, Petite, Tall, or Women’s, Ruth can fit you. This also means we don’t have to correct your impression that you are still a size 6, when your waist is 32 inches. We just make it fit you.
Off the rack plus-sized gowns often only fit in the bust or hips, with shoulders or neckline too big or too small. When Ruth makes a ball gown, she asks for measurements that few other custom designers use, such as the width of your back, or the total width of your shoulders. If you have a large bust, but narrow shoulders, each will be adjusted separately so the gown will fit your body, not the rack.
Even when a big or tall woman can find a shirt or skirt to fit her, she often has to make do with sleeves or a hem that is too long or too short. True custom fitting solves these problems. What good is a suit jacket that fits you in the bust, but whose hem hits your hips at precisely the worst place imaginable?
Ruth has made blouses for ladies with one arm enlarged by the surgical removal of the lymph nodes, resulting from a mastectomy. One side of the blouse front and the sleeve are cut to one set of measurements, while the other is made smaller to fit the other side. Formal dresses and gowns also can be fitted to unusual size combinations.
If you want a copy of a favorite blouse, or one to coordinate with a skirt you already own, Ruth can do that as well. Ruth doesn’t have to destroy a garment to copy it. In addition, if it “shrank in the closet” (we think the entities that steal only one of a pair of socks are responsible for this, however, further research is needed), she can enlarge the size of the copy for you. Most recently, she copied a vintage airline attendant uniform for a senior attendant who still liked the original style, complete with pleated front and very slightly flared skirt.
Prom and wedding dresses do not have to be elaborate. Often fine fabric can make an outfit into formal attire, despite a simple design. They can be sewn in satin or velvet for a luxurious effect. And don’t forget that a bridesmaid’s dress doesn’t have to be a gown-it can be a formal suit or two-piece dress. If you’re going to spend all that money on a custom sewn formal, make it one you can use several times!
For the lady who cannot find a swimsuit to fit her, Ruth sews custom designed swimwear. Her last swimwear client not only had a large bustline, but also a very narrow waist, making it impossible for her to wear commercially designed suits. Ruth designed a 2-piece bikini that was modest, yet flirty, with a tie-on sarong style skirt . The best designs are one that only hint, rather than reveal.
Around Slidell, Ruth has the reputation of sewing just about anything that involves fabric: home furnishings, curtains, drapes, linens, flags, banners, covers for exercise equipment, cushions, throw pillows. She designed a carrying pouch for a portable phone for an older client who wanted to wear it around his neck while working in his garden. She has constructed fabric cases for martial arts weapons as well as a carrying case for a large yoga mat.
In fact, Ruth has even designed and constructed lightweight pavilions, and a vinyl green house for her clients. With careful consideration for practical aspects, Ruth can sew just about anything. Well, okay, maybe we exaggerate. She declined the order for the boat cover from a local skipper. After all, it was a 45-foot boat, and her sewing room is only 30 feet long. Or was it the request for a 3-dimensional sequined fish that did it?
Regardless, unlike many custom seamstresses, Ruth doesn’t tell you what to wear. You tell her what you want, and she figures out how to make it the way you want it. She may suggest changes for practical reasons or features to enhance the design, but the final decision is always yours. “I’m a great seamstress, but a lousy mind reader,” she likes to say. Her best clients know what they want and simply need someone to make it for them. Ruth is the one they call, maybe you should too.
Contact Ana’s Accoutremonts™:
P.O. Box 1625 Slidell, LA 70459
Toll free: 1-888-SEW FITS
Customer Service: 1-504-882-6958 (9 – 9 CST)
Fax: 1-504-882-6958
