Local seamstress starts custom clothing business

 Have you ever gone to the store and pulled a dress or a shirt you really liked off the rack, but it didn't fit quite right? Or maybe you were looking for a specific type of garment and just couldn't find it.Local seamstress Gina Christensen is ready to help people make alterations to a garment to achieve the perfect fit or even create custom clothing items through her business "It's Sew You."She said if you can dream it up, she most likely can make it."I like to do the creation parts of sewing," said Christensen, who also works as a preschool teacher. "My love is dreaming up or creating the unusual and custom things you can't find on the rack."
Christensen said she grew up sewing and has always enjoyed creating projects with fabric."It's just second nature to me," she said.Her custom sewing and alteration services include bridesmaids dresses, wedding gowns and prom dresses. She even created a costume for the winner of the most recent "Miss CASA" fund-raising pageant, "Connie Crete" (better known as Tom Bergquist).Christensen said she likes to think outside the box when it comes to crafting custom items, and sometimes she'll combine different patterns to create just the right look.
If a client isn't familiar with sewing or selecting fabrics, she'll even go to the fabric store and bring back some recommended swatches for them to look at.She said if money is tight, alterations can be a good way to breathe new life into your wardrobe without having to buy a full set of new clothes.Adding a few new features, such as sewing straps on a strapless dress, can give your clothes a fresh look. Alterations also can help you achieve the right fit, without having to get rid of all your clothes and find new ones."People are really focusing on using, making do with what they have," she said.Although Christensen said she has a fast turn-around time, it can vary by project, and she recommends calling ahead for an estimate.Someone set fire to a men's clothing rack in a Walmart on 15th Avenue and Bethany Home Road in Phoenix early Tuesday morning, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.
Officials believe a man they saw on security tapes set fire to to the clothing at 4:45 a.m., said Scott McDonald, a spokesman for the Phoenix Fire Department.By the time fire crews arrived, the fire was already extinguished by the sprinkler system. There was a light haze throughout the store and a lot of water damage, McDonald said.