What this solves
Players often buy fresh metres for every order while leftover bolts sit unused. Those leftovers are free progress: they reduce Emporium spend and free budget for trim or a nicer late-game fabric. The habit is to check inventory after delivery, pick a commission whose tags fit a leftover, and only buy the shortfall. A small cotton stash also makes tutorial-style retries cheap. Inventory leftovers are a second economy inside Dressmaker. Players who scan leftovers before every Emporium trip unlock trim sooner and waste fewer coins on redundant metres. Pair leftovers with simple commissions first so you learn the habit before high-stakes evening briefs. When leftovers are too small for a full dress, use them for accents or small panels and buy only the missing large pieces.
Step by step
- 1. Audit leftovers after delivery
Open inventory and note remaining metres by fabric and tag. A short mental list is enough: what can cover a bodice, what only covers a cuff, what should wait for a matching brief.
- 2. Accept a commission that fits a leftover
Prefer the next order whose style tags align with cloth you already own. Forcing a leftover onto a mismatched tag wastes the advantage. Tags first, free fabric second.
- 3. Cut leftovers before buying new stock
Place small panels on leftover metres first. Buy only the extra metres needed for remaining pieces. This keeps the cart honest and protects accessory budget.
- 4. Keep a cheap fail-safe stash
Hold some inexpensive cotton or linen for simple retries and practice dresses. Expensive leftovers are great when tags match; cheap leftovers are great when you need a safe learning commission.
Common mistakes
- Auto-buying five metres every time without checking inventory.
- Using a leftover bolt that fights the commission's style tags.
- Saving leftovers forever while still overspending on every new brief.
- Throwing practice onto silk leftovers that should wait for a formal tag match.
Related tips
Category: Shopping. Reuse leftover fabric across commissions.