How to Become a Tailor24 Mar
A tailor is the person who sews all kinds of clothes, taking the fabric and making it into the finishes product.
Tailors have been around since times immemorial; only, before the advent of the sewing machine, garments and other sewing work were always hand-stitched. Tailors are usually male and seamstresses female, though the work and the job descriptions may be somewhat different.
The Work
There are many kinds of work different tailors do and most specialize in one thing or the other. There are men’s, women’s and children’s garments which may be custom made. Or tailors may work in establishments or factories, churning out ready-mades, in which case their work will be even more niche. For instance, in a factory, one person may be stitching sleeves, another one doing buttonholes and so on.
When the tailor is doing custom work, he may be handling everything right from taking measurements, to making the pattern, cutting, stitching and doing the finishing as well. In large establishments, he may have assistants to help him. Sometimes the cutter is different from the tailor. And then there are tailors who only do alterations or mending work.
All tailors do not work with clothes. There are people who sew other things whether they are towels, duvet covers, shoes, sift toys, bags, upholstery and curtain work or what have you. Wherever there is any stitching involved, a tailor is also involved.
Personal Qualities
The person who wants to become a tailor must have a good eye, a keen sense of fabric and attention to detail. He or she must be interested in sewing. If he is working as an assistant, he should be able to take orders and execute them.
He should want to work with his hands and with machines. A tailor may be called upon to attend to customers in boutiques or shops and so he needs good communication skills and be able to understand what the customer wants and translate that into the garment.
Academic Qualifications
In school, sewing or stitching classes or workshops will be of help. After school there is the vocational training institute which will have courses ranging from sewing, pattern making, pattern making, learning how to use different machines and more.
Depending on what you want to learn and how many modules or semesters you want to do, courses range from six months to two-three years. Apart from that some establishments may offer apprenticeships and these will be helpful in understand all the intricacies of tailoring.
Jobs
Jobs will be available in large commercial tailoring or made-to-order establishments, garment factories, couturiers, production houses, boutiques, milliners, etc. There are also people who teach stitching. You can also start work on your own taking orders for custom made clothes. In fact work can even be done via the internet.
Usually all establishments which need uniforms also outsource the work and get it made from factories. Then there are export oriented units, though these are usually in countries where labor is cheaper.
Earnings
Earnings depend a great deal on the kind of work which you do. In the main, salaries range from $24,000 to $36,000 a year. However, if you work from home or do niche work and set your own working hours, you can make more or less, depending on the hours of work you put in.
Master craftsmen always make more money. You can even start your own establishment after analyzing the requirements and demand in your area. Unfortunately, ready-mades have made a dent in the custom wear market, but then more tailoring jobs have also opened up.
Popularity: 88% [?]
