A seamstress is a woman who makes custom dresses and garments for clients. Contrary to what people believe, the job of a seamstress is not easy, as it requires one to be creative, besides possessing a host of skills.
This Story on seamstress job description, tells you more about the job of a seamstress and also about the career opportunities available in this field.
If you want a suit that is tailor-made to give you a perfect fit, then a seamstress is a person you should go to. The job of a seamstress is to sew dresses for you after taking your measurements so that you are more than happy with the fit.
Moreover, if you are creative enough, you can give your own inputs to the seamstress and see your dream designs come to life! Seamstresses can choose to work in different environments.
While most of them choose to work on their own, some are employed by design houses, garment manufacturing industries and even by some garment retail outlets. Those who choose to work on their own, do so by setting up individual boutiques.
To have a comprehensive knowledge about the job description of a seamstress, we shall look into the skills required for the job, the duties and responsibilities of the job, and the minimum qualifications required.
Educational Requirements
There are no strict criteria regarding the educational qualifications in this field. Acquiring the desired skills and work experience is most important. However, some employers insist that a seamstress should at least hold a high school degree.
Some colleges offer advanced courses in sewing, apparel designing, etc., and such courses can fetch better job prospects for the aspiring seamstress. Also, spending a few months on training with an experienced seamstress helps.
Skills of a Seamstress
One should know all about the kinds of fabrics and should be able to use a sewing machine efficiently.
One should have a fair idea of what's in and what's not, or in other words, have a thorough knowledge of the latest trends.
Creativity of a Seamstress
Not all fabrics suit all body types and so it is essential for a seamstress to be able to suggest what would look good on each client. The same applies to designs and colors as well.
A seamstress should be able to visualize the dress in her mind's eye even before she begins with drawing its sketch on the fabric. This is one of the essential skills and demands for one to be creative and imaginative.
Now that we know what are the skills required to be a seamstress, let's have a look at how a seamstress puts these skills to use, by learning about the job duties of a seamstress.
Job Duties of a Seamstress
Take the body measurements.
The fabric is either supplied by the client or it is purchased by the seamstress according to the client's requirement.
Outlines of the dress are drawn on the fabric as per the measurements are taken, and then the fabric is cut out.
The pieces of the fabric are put together with pins before sewing them.
The buttons, zips or hooks are sewed and final touches are made to the garment.
Sometimes they also do the work of mending, repairing or altering dresses.
Some seamstresses choose to work exclusively on either menswear or ladies wear and some choose to specialize in a particular style of garment. After a few years, some move on to work in other related fields such as dressmaking, designing clothes, etc.
The fashion industry is a good place to be a seamstress, where she can work with a design house or a particular designer. There is no fixed salary structure as the income depends on the number of orders over a fixed period, and the reputation that one successfully builds amongst one's clients.
The future prospects for this job are bright due to the current boom in the apparel and textile industry.