Sew Special Wilbraham

BREAKING: Spider-Man saved by local seamstress! Read the harrowing tale of how she revived this masked hero!

Spidey's head was toast. After removing the "Mom Stitches" (what I call mending jobs done by parents--always in a different color thread, but the love is there) I saw there was no salvaging that shredded piece of his neck. So I carefully trimmed a small piece off the back of his neck and sewed it to the front so it was once again even.

I gutted him beforehand as well. Poly-fil could survive a nuclear holocaust, but it does get matted and stiff due to handling and washing. Taking it out and pulling it apart (essentially reintroducing air into it) brings it back to life in most cases. A good idea for bed pillows too, FYI.

I noticed some more Mom Stitches and cleaned those up.

After restuffing with newly airated fluff and giving him muscles and shape again, Spidey's head was reattached, thus leaving us with a hero ready to go out and shoot webs and so forth.

Restoration is truly one of my favorite things to do and I'm looking forward to doing more of this kind of work starting in November!

SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT:

After much consideration, I have made the decision to no longer offer clothing tailoring & alteration services effective November 1, 2024.

My passion has always been creative sewing, restoration and fiber art, so I will be pursuing that line of work full time--my primary focus will be creating plush replicas, quilts, pillows, curtains and cross-stitches. These services will certainly be open to the public, so I'm not disappearing!

I have yet to decide whether or not I will be relocating to a new building but when that time comes, I will certainly make that known.

I want to thank each and every one of my clients over the last two years who have supported me and my business. I hope to still be able to help you with future (creative) sewing needs!

IT’S MY DAY, BABY! Happy 🪡 Hug your local seamstress and send lots of flowers to my shop today because without us, your clothes wouldn’t fit 🙃

My window display skills are very much lacking but here's my shop display, letting all my clients know I'm here to make everyone look good in whatever clothing they choose to wear!

Four new dress donations arrived today! That rack is getting pretty full, thus far only one dress has been taken! Remember, these aren't just for proms, they're for any special occasion!

Also, something to keep in mind: If you have imagination and vision, dresses can become anything you want. For example, this! A lot is possible!

Look at all the new dress donations I've received! Happy and humbled! Going to take the new ones home and freshen them up so they'll be officially available on Tuesday. Come check out the dress giveaway at Sew Special Wilbraham!

Was interviewed today by Western Mass News in regard to this formal dress giveaway! It'll be shown on the broadcast at 4:30 and again at 6. Check it out if you get a chance!

ATTN: THOSE IN NEED OF FORMAL/PROM DRESSES! I am SO overwhelmed--One of my extremely generous clients dropped off 19 BRAND NEW formal dresses, tags attached, never worn, each in the $300 price range--and wants me to GIVE THEM AWAY to gals who can't afford dresses via my shop, Sew Special Wilbraham--with that, I will offer HALF PRICE alterations on these if needed.

Stop on by the shop or make an appointment via sewspecialwilbraham.com if you're interested in having one of these dresses! First come, first served!

I am so humbled she asked me to do this and am blown away by her generosity. I've never seen such a donation. It's beyond my pleasure to help out those who want nice dresses. Check out what she left! And remember, sizes are irrelevant if you have a seamstress ready to help!

A fun event for a great cause! Spread the word about the upcoming Second Time's A Charm Adult Prom. With that, if you are planning to attend and need alterations on your dress, I will offer a 50% discount!

Once Upon A Time Adult Prom Fundraiser to Benefit Second Time's a Charm Dance the night away at our Fourth Annual Prom Fundraiser to raise funds to help support young women attend prom

NEW HOURS STARTING TUESDAY OCTOBER 3!

Tuesday - Friday: 11:30 am - 5 pm, walk-ins always welcome!

Saturday: 12 pm - 4 pm, by appointment only

Sunday - Monday: Closed

As usual, visit sewspecialwilbraham.com to book an appointment!

Home | Sew Special Wilbraha Sew Special Wilbraham is owned and operated by self-taught professional seamstress Emily Engel. Located in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, I provide services such as no-frills tailoring and alterations, custom home decor and commissioned fiber art. I am best known for my 2015 creation "Lil' Bernie" and Mu...

Had fun with a restoration project! This 50+ year old Cookie Monster plush was sent to me for a spa day and he certainly got one. Cookie is clean, re-stuffed with non-toxic polyfil (as opposed to the chopped up foam and tissue he was originally stuffed with), super soft and now equipped with a plush cookie (my addition, he deserved it). This vintage plush is now snuggle-ready!

If you plan to give your kids a beloved toy, I highly suggest having it refurbished—old stuffing and fur can collect all sorts of dirt and mold.

In light of recent federal rulings, I’d like to make it clear that all people are welcomed customers at Sew Special Wilbraham regardless of race, class, creed, age, gender or orientation.

Any biz owner with a modicum of intelligence (or clsss) would agree.

Follow me on Instagram @ sewspecialwilbraham

It’s that time of year again and Sew Special Wilbraham is here for all your wedding and prom alteration needs!

Visit https://sew-special-wilbraham.square.site to book an appointment for your fitting today!

Also—Sew Special Wilbraham supports ALL people who wish to celebrate marriage and special occasions regardless of gender, orientation, race or creed and will do their best to make them look and feel great! 🏳️‍🌈 ❤️

sew-special-wilbraham.square.site

Completed a restoration project yesterday! This 60+ year old childhood toy was mercilessly eaten by mice in an attic. The client wanted me to “put the pieces back together, nothing more.” I cleaned it, restuffed it and mended as best I could!

Added some new pillow friends to the replica repertoire!

Looking for unique handmade items? Check out my Etsy page for lots of great gift ideas, including Muppet replicas!

Make Do and Mend by BattleaxeCustomSewn You searched for: BattleaxeCustomSewn! Discover the unique items that BattleaxeCustomSewn creates. At Etsy, we pride ourselves on our global community of sellers. Each Etsy seller helps contribute to a global marketplace of creative goods. By supporting BattleaxeCustomSewn, you’re supporting a sma...

Don’t have clothes to alter? Consider becoming one of my Patreons! Even $5 a month helps supporting a small grass-roots business. I occasionally offer deals to those who support as well!

My mission statement: I have the ability to recreate anything you show me as a plush piece. All I need is a simple photograph. I feel as though this talent is unique and needs to be shared with the world. To do this, I need to make samples of my work. Lately, my focus has been on the Muppets. I love sharing the joy that Jim Henson created so many years ago.

I'm looking for investors who believe that handmade is better than mass produced and understand that this is an art form like no other. My ultimate lifetime goal is to be “rich” enough to make these replicas FOR FREE. I use the term “rich” loosely, to me that means enough to pay my rent, bills and supplies. Giving them away would eliminate any copyright issues (they can’t stop you if you aren’t charging) and I could finally break free from the evil clutches of Etsy. This would also allow folks who couldn’t normally afford one to own one.

I am now the owner of a small business, Sew Special Wilbraham, where I offer my services to local communities. Becoming a Patreon would help fund this venture as well!

If a large group pledged a mere $5 a month, that would be more than enough to reach that ultimate goal! By becoming a patron to Bx Custom Sewn/Sew Special Wilbraham, you'll be given first access to any/all new replicas and a chance to order before anyone else!

Bx Custom Sewn/Sew Special Wilbraham | Small biz owner, creating Muppet replicas and custom plushes | Patreon Become a patron of Bx Custom Sewn/Sew Special Wilbraham today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

Now is an EXCELLENT time to bring me your tailoring needs, restoration projects and craft ideas! The winter months are the slowest for us sewing gals, so there’s promise of a quick turnaround and appreciation for keeping a small business going! I’ll be in from 12-5 today, stop by!

Wishing a very Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate!

Yay for Christmas crafting! Today I got to make a tree skirt and stocking out of amazing cross-stitch pieces made by Debbie Salamon.

This weekend some lovely local ladies will be entertaining children while dressed favorite Disney princesses for the upcoming Trees of Hope charity event hosted at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. I was hired to create a replica of Tiana’s dress from The Princess and The Frog!

Put up my little lopsided Charlie Brown sewing tree today!

Give the gift of tailoring this holiday season! Digital gift cards are now available online!

Order Sew Special Wilbraham eGift Cards Order Sew Special Wilbraham eGift Cards online and give the perfect gift. Send gift cards instantly to anyone. Powered by Square Gift Cards

Added some adorable handmade holiday earrings by Jolanta Murray along with sterling silver earrings, cloth masks, sew-on patches and snowman ornaments! And don’t forget to say hi to the Grinch!

I was recently hired to build a life-sized Grinch! There are so many different versions of this character and I tried my best to combine pieces of each one. He measures 5’5” in height. This is officially the largest plush piece I’ve ever made. Glad to have gotten the opportunity to take on this project! The best part is that the buyer told me I am allowed to hang on to him for a bit so folks who come in the shop can see for themselves—selfies encouraged!

Lew Zealand