What are the advantages of dressmaking in our community?
I spent 25 years in one of the world’s most respected aeronautical manufacturing companies. Over the years, I saw a crisis in the making: younger engineers having no idea how a design is actually manufactured, and no idea how to properly discuss requirements with suppliers of components.An engineer learns such things by having sufficient exposure to actually making things throughout their childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Making bridges out of Legos in a high-school classroom is NOT sufficient.Traditional dressmaking skills allowed my generation of women to get empirical knowledge - experience - in learning the properties of a wide variety of materials, and gave us huge repertoire of known techniques to shape and reinforce those materials. We learned how to methodically read and follow complex directions and read diagrams without melting down from impatience. We tried, failed, and neatly ripped out mistakes. We learned just how long it takes, and the logical order of assembly.Those of us in the costuming community learned additional skills, like how to draft our own patterns and work with more exotic fabrics and decorations. We learned that working with adhesives involves precise placement, safe ventilation, and figuring drying time into the process.All of this experience paid off for me, as I became responsible for writing maintenance tasks for 21st century aircraft. My days in dressmaking, then costuming and in jewelry fabrication (NOT just bead-stringing, but sawing, soldering, casting, chemical and physical finishing) served me well, and gained me respect from aircraft mechanics and senior design engineers.That was the advantage of dressmaking in my community.
What is the best way to learn dressmaking and tailoring?
There are various paths to learning dressmaking and tailoring. Firstly you’ll need to decide which environments/tools work best for you.Purchasing a garment pattern in a haberdashery store/online is a common way people begin Sewing clothes. Once you begin to understand clothing pattern symbols/terminology, and have created a couple garments you can move on to more complex patterns which require more pieces and techniques. Patterns are about £/$7–11 therefore this is a worthwhile/cheap start where you can decide if dressmaking is right for you.Day/Evening classes. Depending on if you enjoy or truely engage in a classroom environment,this could be a good start. Classes can be various prices/lessons/projects. If you’ve never touched a sewing machine you could go for very basic lessons which would include, learning different areas of the sewing machine and foot pedal control to making a basic garment/acessory. From there you develop your skills and gradually move on to more advanced lessons.Sewing/pattern making books. You could use these along side classsroom lessons or alone. There are hundreds & thousands of books on the subject, from beginner all the way to advanced on what to buy, techniques/methods & making a complete garment. Books can either be bought (I’ve found amazon is best for this) or scrolling through places like Pinterest you can free download, great quality resources too.Internet/free hand. Sometimes a manniquin and the internet is enough to get you started. You can purchase a cheap (yet low quality) manniquin in all sizes, a few fabrics/pins and with places like YouTube, watch videos on tailoring / pinning/ dressmaking.Using 1 or a combination of methods is great to get started. You’ll need to decide your specific learning style/what you feel the most comfortable with.It could be argued that tailoring is way more advanced then dressmaking. Traditionally apprentices were trained for a number of years, before they could call themselves fully qualified professional tailor. I’d suggest begin with dressmaking first and assessing how you get on, then move onto working under a tailor… if that is what you’d like to move on to.I have a YouTube channel where a post easy sew alone videos creating various garments if you want to have a look: BecauseISaidSewHope this helps ;)
What is the major difference between a tailor, seamstress, dressmaker and fashion designer?
“What is the major difference between a tailor, seamstress, dressmaker and fashion designer?”A Tailor is someone who usually alters a garment. They will take measurements, hem pants, make sure the shoulders of a jacket fit correctly, they will take in or let out seams of a garment. They "tailor" the clothing to fit.At one time, this was considered a gentleman's profession in the fashion world, as normally they would work with men's suits. Often when you go to a better menswear store, they will still have a tailor on site , or a retail specialist who does the work and will still measure you.Seamstresses usually do the sewing and putting together of a design, sewing costumes, dresses, etc. It is an old fashioned term, they are more closely related to a tailor, as they do alterations, it is the female version. Think of Paris, and the famous design houses, or someone who sews for a ballet company, theater, or band.A Dressmaker is also an old fashioned term, they are indeed designers. They specialize in custom clothing for women. Think Coco Chanel, Dior, Emanuel, Balmain. Ball gowns, suits, elegance. They were the pre-cursor to the fashion designers of today. They laid the foundation. There were some designers that refused to be called anything but dressmakers.A Fashion Designer, is someone who takes a concept, creates a vision, all the way from fabric choice, color, sewing, buttons, pattern, execution, movement, to reality. Often, they have a team of people working with them, however, that is not always the case, if they are lucky enough to have a design studio, yes, but sometimes they will do their own sewing on an initial design, such as a custom piece for a client. They are involved with every process of bringing their creation to life, even models and marketing for their brand.Hope this answers your question.
HELP! Going To Thailand!! Wedding dress??
You can get a dress made over there - maybe cheaper - but you will have the added stress of worrying about if it is ready etc. Another alternative is to rent a wedding dress. In Thailand it is customary to have one wedding dress Thai style for the wedding cerimony (bride and groom), then change into a traditional western white wedding dress and tux (groom) for the reception. I have attached a link to a reputable place in Bangkok that has tons of wedding dresses and mens wedding suits for rent - they also do wedding photos etc in their studio. I am certain you can rent a dress and take it to Phuket if that is where you are going. As I recall, there are lots of similar Wedding Shops on the same street. I recommend you visit there on your first day in Bangkok, see what they have - if it looks good - save yourself the money and rent a dress. If not, you have time to have one made in the many tailor shops all around Bangkok (there will be a tailor shop near or in your hotel that does wedding dresses). http://www.teerak-studio.com/index2.php?...
Essentials for a versatile sewing machine?
Hello, My family is in the process of starting our own business, and some of the things we need for the business require us to use a sewing machine. We have inventions that we need to make protypes for as well as everyday things with clothing etc. that we will be needing the machine for!! We are looking to get a rather versatile machine but without spending a bundle, as this is just the start of something! I would really appreciate all you help!! THANKS
How can I become a self employed seamstress?
How can I become a self employed seamstress?Get really good at what you do. Learn everything possible. Know how to “fix” things. Practice, practice, practice. Start simple, move to more complicated projects after you get the basics down. Don’t go beyond your sewing knowledge, you will get yourself in trouble. It takes years of learning and practice to be able to competently sew for others. If you’re lucky, you can apprentice under a seamstress/tailor. Once you get the competence, then you can make it your employment opportunity. If you screw up, it will haunt you forever.
How can a person become successful without their GED?
Try one of these.... Construction You could be a carpet installer, helper to carpenters or brick mason with training of one month or less. With job training of 12 months or less, you could become a cement mason, dry wall installer, roofer or rotary drill installer. With job training of 12 months or more, you could work as a tile and marble setter or stucco mason. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the annual salary of helpers to carpenters, painters and roofers at less than $30,000 each year while rotary drill operators are estimated to earn more than $50,000 each year. Production If you don't have a GED, you could become a meat and poultry trimmer, sewing machine operator or dry-cleaning worker with job training of one month or less. With job training of 12 months or less, you could become a meat packer, tailor or dressmaker, and with job training of 12 months or more you could be a baker or butcher. The BLS estimates that salaries in production without a high school diploma or a GED certificate range between $20,000 and $30,000 each year. Transportation Taxi drivers, sailors, parking lot attendants and ship loaders require job training of one month or less, but don't need to have a GED. Individuals that work as excavating operators, winch operators and gas station pumping attendants require job training of 12 months or less. People that work as crane operators require more than 12 months training. The BLS estimates the annual salary for taxi drivers, parking lot attendants and freight laborers as less than $30,000 each year while crane operators and mine shuttle car operators are estimated to earn more than $50,000 each year. Food Preparation Hosts and hostesses in restaurants and lounges don't need a GED and require no job training. Individuals work as cooks in cafeterias and fast food restaurants, bartenders, waitresses and dishwashers with training of one month or less. Restaurant cooks need job training of 12 months or less. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that individuals that work in the food preparation industry without a high school diploma or a GED earn a salary of less than $25,000 each year.
How can I become a fashion design without knowing how to sew?
Although you can always hire people to do the aspects of the work you're not good at, you should still know the basics of garment construction.When you're learning to become a designer it makes sense to learn how to sew (and grade, and make patterns, and everything else) at the same time -- not how to do everything to a professional standard, but he basics of each aspect. Each aspect of fashion complements the other aspects -- you'll be a better designer if you understand the basics of pattern making, grading, sewing, etc.A lot of design is about understanding the fabrics used, but that's not just about how they look/feel but how they can be used and how you make a garment out of them.Get an overlocker and practice with that as well as learning to sew by hand; spend 5-10% less time on design and use that time to learn about the materials and garment construction -- the quality of your design will improve by far more than if you'd spent that time purely on design.It may well be that you never really do any sewing of final garments yourself, once the design in done you hand it off to someone else -- but take a small amount of time to learn, the benefit of doing so will be immense.