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Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers is the O*NET name for people who design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments. The skills rated most useful are time management, speaking, and critical thinking. Expect to measure parts, such as sleeves or pant legs, and mark or pin-fold alteration lines. With a code of RAC, this is mostly a job for people drawn to hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world. Artistic interests also help, rated 4.0 out of 7. Getting in usually takes a few months to a year of learning on the job, a level O*NET calls some preparation. People who want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world usually fit better here than those who need research, analysis and working through hard problems.

What they do

Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.

Main tasks

  • Measure parts, such as sleeves or pant legs, and mark or pin-fold alteration lines.
  • Remove stitches from garments to be altered, using rippers or razor blades.
  • Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
  • Let out or take in seams in suits and other garments to improve fit.
  • Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
  • Fit and study garments on customers to determine required alterations.

Skills

  • Time Management
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Listening
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Monitoring

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You want room to make something in your own way.
  • You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
  • You are comfortable relying on time management and speaking.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
  • You want to spend most of your time analyzing and researching. Investigative rates 1.2 out of 7 here.
  • You want a career built on years of advanced study.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RAC takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.

Preparation

Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Alterations Expert
  • Alterations Sewer
  • Bridal Designer
  • Clothing Pattern Designer
  • Custom Dressmaker

Related careers

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.