Anyway, I sent a note a few days ago, and since I have about a 33% reply rate on my emails and I would like my machine back this year, I decided to call. I was given the owners' home phone number, which I called, understanding that regardless of how urgent a customer's need, it is still sort of an imposition to call someone's home. I was told that they were waiting for a new threader and that there was nothing else wrong with the machine. Well, so it seems like a waste of two weeks, but I will definitely be glad to get my machine back whenever the threader does arrive in the shop. It is also not confidence inspiring, as I expect the noises will still be there. For now I will be optimistic and hope the noises were caused by lint and that a cleaning/oiling of the machine will have fixed them.
For the drycleaning, I wrote to my Wedding Gowns 101 instructor, and since she is not far from DC, she was able to recommend Parkway Cleaners. It is very clear from their website that this place is a very different sort of cleaners. They have won all sorts of awards, and yet their Yelp reviews are not so great. Basically, those reviews consist of people complaining about how expensive the place is and a few people who really seem to be mixing it up with someplace else entirely. Anyway, here is my PatternReview note on the cleaners:
Iowa Hoodlum   Advanced Beginner DC USA Member since 4/6/10 Posts: 56  | Date: 12/15/10 10:49 AM Just curious if any of you have had problems taking your handmade formalwear to the cleaners? I've tried taking mine to the cleaners, and the first place wouldn't do it without pressing it and the second place refused because I hadn't done a rolled hem or overlocked or bound the seam allowances. The second place also told me that the crystals are glued on (which they are not, they are set in metal and then sewn onto the straps). The cut edges are overcast and the seam allowances are catch-stitched. The hem is currently let out because I need to re-sew it. These were major problems to the second drycleaner. I am thinking I will have to hand-wash the dress, but am worried since I had not planned on doing so with this dress. I looked into Dryel, but it does not actually clean the clothes, just steams them and adds fragrance in they dryer. How should I remove the dirt/mud stains on the hem?? Thanks so much for any advice you can give me! ------ For more details, see my blog: http://featherpetalsilk.blogspot.com. Thanks so much for your help. | |
PattyU   Intermediate OH USA Member since 3/26/03 Posts: 1311 | Date: 12/15/10 9:18 PM What types of fabric is the dress made of? Some dry clean only fabric can be hand washed. A lot depends on what you did to the fabric before you made the garment. Did you preshrink the fabric in any way? Do you have any leftover fabric scraps that you can test by washing before you wash the actual garment. I would test scraps first if I could. I suppose I can understand a dry cleaner not wanting to be responsible for a garment that had an unfinished hem or seams. Were they concerned that the fabric would ravel during the process? -- Edited on 12/15/10 9:19 PM -- ------ Patty | |
candicer  Advanced GA USA Member since 9/26/07 Posts: 111 | Date: 12/16/10 12:52 PM If you just need to spot clean, I often use the cleaner solution tha comes in the Dryell kit. It works miracles! | |
| Iowa Hoodlum Advanced Beginner DC USA Member since 4/6/10 Posts: 56 | Date: 12/17/10 2:27 PM Hi again! Thanks so much for your replies! The dress is made from silk, and my backup plan was definitely to hand wash. I wasn't excited about that option, though, since this dress got a pretty good drubbing at the wedding I officiated (it was for a friend, so I stayed for the party!). It had quite a lot of dirt stains on the hem, and then several good drip marks on it (whether from water or white wine, I do not know). I emailed Susan Khalje, too, from whom I had taken the PatternReview wedding gowns 101 class, and she suggested Parkway Cleaners in DC. I looked them up online, and Whoa! they are a different sort of cleaners. So I drove up to talk with them about my gown on Wednesday, and not only were they able to take my gown but were very complimentary about its construction (from near-tears to flattery in one day). So I guess if I'm practicing 'couture' techniques I should realize that I might be signing up for couture garment care, because this place is not cheap. However, none of the stains or crytals, velvet or construction techniques caused the least bit of unhappiness, and I expect I'll get a lovely gown back next week! CandiceR, thanks so much for the suggestion of Dryel, too. I wasn't sure how useful it would be, but now I know. ------ For more details, see my blog: http://featherpetalsilk.blogspot.com. Thanks so much for your help. |
And here is my Yelp Review of Parkway Cleaners. Of course I will need to update it when I get my dress back.
Parkway Custom Drycleaning
2.5 star rating overall
7 reviews
8402 Connecticut Ave
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
(301) 652-3377
www.parkwaydrycleaning.com
Parkway Custom Drycleaning, Chevy Chase, MD
Hours:
Mon-Fri 7 am - 7 pm
Sat 8 am - 4 pm
Your Review
Parkway Custom Drycleaning
5 star rating
12/17/2010
Let me preface: as stated by other reviewers, this place is EXPENSIVE. However, the services they provide are very different than your corner dry cleaners.
Go here if 1) your garments are couture, antique, delicate, or so important you can't brook loss or damage (your wedding gown, perhaps), 2) you have a lot of money and only want the best, 3) like me, you have a handmade garment that was constructed using a lot of hand-sewing and old-fashioned techniques.
First, my experience with the service has been great. I drove up on a Wednesday evening (now, they have free pick-up and delivery, but I was in a hurry), and they close at 7pm. I wasn't sure I would make it and so called ahead to see what I should do. The person on the phone was very helpful, and she was the one who helped me once I did arrive (5 minutes before the bell, phew!). We chatted a bit, and it turns out she has been working at Parkway for 15 years!! I was impressed. The customer service I received was very helpful and courteous, and the person helping me explained a) their prices, b) how they would handle my garment and c) how to get it back, either by delivery or pick-up. She asked how I had heard of them, and when I said where I had gotten my referral, she knew her, although I believe it has been a good while since this person was last at Parkway. As we were looking over my gown and its jacket, I half-apologetically mentioned that I had sewn the garment myself. After reading the other reviews on Yelp, I expected scorn or pity, I admit. Instead, I got flattery! :-) I was told that my garment was very good and asked whether I am a seamstress. This was a much better reaction than what I had received at my neighborhood cleaners, which I will relay momentarily. So, I'll update when I get my garment back.
All of this followed quick on the heels of two bad experiences at neighborhood cleaners. At the first, when I asked whether they would clean my garment but not press it, the guy said that he could suggest that to their service but no guarantees. That sounded to me like paying to have someone rob your house. At the second place, I was flatly refused and given lectures on how I should have sewn my garment. I was told that I 'should have' used all the shortcuts that cheap (well, most, even the nice ones) clothing manufacturers use to speed up production. I was also told that my crystals were glued on, when I in fact sewed them on myself, and they are set in metal settings without glue (you can hear them jiggle in their settings). So, without Parkway I would be hesitantly dunking my gown into a sink of cold water, and I had no idea how to get dirt stains out of silk.
Anyway, this is a special place that seems old-fashioned in a good way. It's full price, but there's value in what you're paying for. Just be sure you want what you're going to pay for before you go.
END YELP REVIEW
So, after all of this, it looks like I may have both my dress and my sewing machine back this week. That would be great!
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