Sew better, sell more
Craft fundamentals first, shop strategy second — both lists come straight from confirmed mechanics.
The sketchbook is the cheapest workshop
Design and colour the dress, pin fabric swatches and appliqué ideas — all before buying cloth. A plan you discard costs nothing; a dress you discard costs fabric.
Grain vs bias is a design decision
The official description confirms cutting on the grain or the bias, and that the choice shows in the finished garment. Treat the cutting table as part of the design, not a formality.
Mix fabrics panel by panel
Each panel can be cut from a different fabric, so contrast is structural: a silk bodice over wool, linen sleeves on cotton. No official source says how combinations are scored — experiment on off-the-rack pieces first.
Preview before you sew
The mannequin exists so mistakes stay cheap. Check the assembled pattern on it before committing thread.
Decorate with intent — or with 300 buttons
Decoration placement is completely free. For customers, restraint around the requested style is the safe play; for the Harder than it Seams achievement, place over 300 accessories on one dress and let restraint go.
Measure your lace in metres
Trim and Proper asks for more than 50m of trim on a single dress — confirmation that trim is tracked by length. If you are hunting it, border every edge the garment owns.
Save one dress for a 5,000-gold splurge
Opulence and Excess is earned by spending more than 5,000 gold on a successful dress — the dress must still succeed, so buy premium fabrics for a commission you are confident about, not a practice piece.
Chase 100% quality deliberately
Dresses carry a measurable quality percentage, and 100% earns 99 Problems But A Stitch Aint One. The exact inputs are not officially published, so tighten every step you control: plan, cut, sew, decorate.
The window is a second income
Finished dresses can go in the shop window and sell off the rack, alongside commission work. Use it to monetise experiments and style-tag practice runs.
Answer the pigeons
Birds of a Feather, Frock Together is earned by completing every commission received via pigeon — so pigeon-delivered orders exist. How they arrive is Unconfirmed; when one shows up, prioritise it.
Pet the kitty
The store page instructs it directly. Morale is a resource too.