Terms &
Conditions

This website and the tailoring work described on it are run by Monica Gawalek, trading as Tailoring by Monica, a sewing atelier at 7 East 7th Avenue, Naperville, Illinois 60563, United States. Throughout this page, “I” and “the shop” mean that business, and “you” means the customer.

Leaving a garment with me, or asking me to quote for work, means you accept these terms. Reach me on (630) 885-9070 or tailoringbymonica@gmail.com.

The site is here to tell you what I do, roughly what it costs, and how to find the shop. You may read it, print it and share links to it. Please do not copy the photographs of my work, the illustrations or the page designs for your own commercial use without asking — they are mine.

Prices, turnaround times and opening hours on the site are given in good faith and may change. Nothing here is a binding offer: a price becomes firm only when I have seen the garment and given you a quote in person. I try to keep everything accurate, but I cannot promise the site is free of errors or always available.

There is no account to create and no payment taken on this website.

Alterations are quoted from the garment itself, on you where possible. Walk in during opening hours for ordinary work; for a wedding gown, please call ahead so I can set proper time aside.

• An estimate given over the phone or by email is approximate. The price is settled at the counter once I have seen and pinned the garment.
• Work starts once we have agreed what is being done and you have left the garment with me. If I find something during the work that changes the price — a hidden repair, a lining that will not take the alteration — I will call you before going any further.
• Turnaround depends on the work and the season. Bridal and formalwear need more time; please allow several weeks and more than one fitting. If you have a hard deadline, tell me at drop-off.
• Please come to fittings in the shoes and undergarments you will wear with the garment. Hems and waistlines are set from them.
• If you miss fittings or cannot be reached, your completion date will move.

Payment is due when you collect the garment, unless we have agreed otherwise. Larger bridal and custom commissions may need a deposit before work begins; a deposit covers time and materials already committed and is not refundable once cutting has started.

The shop accepts cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and Zelle. Card payments are handled by the card terminal provider — I never see or store your full card number. Prices shown around the site are per garment and exclude any applicable tax.

I will let you know when your garment is ready — by phone, or by text if you have asked for text updates (see piece 08). Please collect it within 30 days of that notice.

The shop is small and storage is limited. Garments left for more than 90 days after the ready notice, with no contact from you, may be treated as abandoned and disposed of or donated, and any deposit retained against the work done. I will try to reach you at the number and email on your ticket before that happens. If you know you will be away, tell me and we will make an arrangement.

Every garment is worked by hand, with care, and I stand behind my sewing. Some things are outside anyone’s control:

• Old, fragile, previously altered or damaged fabric can tear, mark or show old seam and hem lines once it is opened up. Where I can see the risk in advance I will tell you; sometimes it only appears under the needle.
• Original stitch holes, fading along a let-down hem, and pressing marks cannot always be removed.
• Beading, sequins, leather, fur, suede, printed panels and unusual synthetics carry extra risk and may be declined or quoted as “at owner’s risk”.
• I do not clean garments. Please bring them clean and pressed — and note that cleaning after alteration can still shrink or shift a fabric.
• Weight change, pregnancy and posture change the fit after a garment has been finished; refitting later is new work.

Garments left with the shop are covered by my care while they are here, but I am not an insurer of their full sentimental or replacement value. Please tell me if a piece is irreplaceable.

Change your mind before I have started and there is nothing to pay. Once work has begun, you are responsible for the labour and materials committed to that point.

If something I have sewn is not right — a seam that has not held, a hem that is uneven — bring it back within 14 days of pickup and I will put it right at no charge. Alterations to a fit you approved at the final fitting, or changes of mind about the style, are new work and are charged as such.

If you gave me your mobile number and asked for text updates when you dropped your garment off, the shop may send you SMS messages about that order. This section is the full description of that programme.

The wording you agree to at the counter

Consent is taken on a tick box that is empty until you tick it, and the order goes through whether you tick it or not. It reads:

Text me about my order Tailoring by Monica may text this number about this order — when the work is ready for pick-up, and anything that comes up along the way. No marketing. Typically 1–4 messages per order. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe or HELP for help. See our Privacy Policy and Terms.

The rest of the detail

• Messages are sent to United States mobile numbers only, through Twilio, the shop’s messaging provider.
• Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. Delivery is not guaranteed, so for anything time-critical I will also call.
• Your mobile number and your consent to be texted are never sold, rented or shared with third parties or affiliates for their marketing purposes, and are not shared with anyone except the messaging provider that delivers the message on my behalf. See the Privacy Policy.
• If your mobile number changes, please tell me, so that messages about your order do not go to whoever holds the number next.
• Do not send payment card details, government ID numbers or other sensitive information by text. Text messaging is not a secure channel.

I sometimes photograph finished garments for the gallery and the shop’s social pages. I ask first when you or your face would be recognisable, and you are free to say no — it changes nothing about the work or the price. If a photograph of yours is already up and you would like it taken down, tell me and I will remove it.

To the fullest extent allowed by Illinois law, my liability for any garment or any claim arising from work done by the shop is limited to the cost of the alteration concerned and, where the garment itself is lost or damaged through my fault, its reasonable replacement value. I am not liable for indirect or consequential losses — for example, a missed occasion — or for defects in the garment that were there before it came to me.

Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

These terms may be updated from time to time. The version on this page, with the date at the top, is the one that applies. Material changes to the text-message programme will also be told to you in the shop.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, and any dispute belongs to the courts of DuPage County, Illinois. In practice, please come and talk to me first — almost everything is sorted out over the counter.

Tailoring by Monica · 7 East 7th Avenue, Naperville, IL 60563
(630) 885-9070 · tailoringbymonica@gmail.com
Mon–Fri 8:30am–6:00pm · Sat 8:30am–3:00pm