Tailor / Seamstress
Quick Facts
Median Salary$37,485
Most Common EducationHigh school or GED
Projected 10-Year Growth+4.78%
Assessment MatchTake the Assessment
What They Do
A Tailor or Seamstress designs and sews clothing and garments, and makes clothing repairs or alterations for customers. Creates and alters tailored business clothes for men, or gowns and other clothing for women, or creates costumes for a theater or dance company.
Core 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.
- Fit and study garments on customers to determine required alterations.
- Trim excess material, using scissors.
- Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
- Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
- Maintain garment drape and proportions as alterations are performed.
- Make garment style changes, such as tapering pant legs, narrowing lapels, and adding or removing padding.
- Take up or let down hems to shorten or lengthen garment parts, such as sleeves.
- Repair or replace defective garment parts, such as pockets, zippers, snaps, buttons, and linings.
- Fit, alter, repair, and make made-to-measure clothing, according to customers' and clothing manufacturers' specifications and fit, and applying principles of garment design, construction, and styling.
- Press garments, using hand irons or pressing machines.
- Estimate how much a garment will cost to make, based on factors such as time and material requirements.
- Position patterns of garment parts on fabric, and cut fabric along outlines, using scissors.
- Record required alterations and instructions on tags, and attach them to garments.
- Confer with customers to determine types of material and garment styles desired.
- Examine tags on garments to determine alterations that are needed.
- Develop, copy, or adapt designs for garments, and design patterns to fit measurements, applying knowledge of garment design, construction, styling, and fabric.
- Put in padding and shaping materials.
- Sew buttonholes and attach buttons to finish garments.
What to expect as a Tailor / Seamstress
1Earn a High school or GED Diploma
31% of people achieve this level of education.
2Gain skills and experience
See Tailor / Seamstress related courses on Tallo
3Land a job
659 openings for Tailors / Seamstresses
Career Progression
in United States (Nation)
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