Sewing Careers List: How to Make a Career Out of Sewing
Sewing doesn’t have to be a hobby. You can turn your love for sewing into a great career. All you have to do is find the right opportunity that fits you and your skills. There are lots of sewing careers available, looking in the right areas of the job market will open those up to you.
How to make a career out of sewing: The way to make a career out of your sewing hobby is to find the right position for you. Instead of sewing all day long, you can become a textile researcher, textile colorist, stylist or even a designer.
There are lots of career opportunities for people who like to sew. To find out more about these opportunities just continue to read our article. It should put you on the right path to a new career that is perfect for you.
Sewing Careers 101
What are Textile Jobs?
Textile jobs are employment opportunities associated and affiliated with textiles. It doesn’t have to be just knowing how to sew fabrics together, your new job could be a sales rep for a textile company.
This job requires that you have a working knowledge of textiles, fashion and how accessories match up with different fabrics. Or it can be as simple as opening your own business and simply do a lot of sewing for other people whose schedules are too busy to let them do their own sewing work.
Then if your sewing knowledge is above average, you can get employed in the textile production side of the industry or in fashion display and even with media outlets that work in fashion and use fashion regularly in their photoshoots.
There are more opportunities than you may know about. A little research can go a long way into opening up new employment doors for you.
Can You Make a Career Out of Sewing?
Yes, you can. It is not that difficult to be a seamstress in an industrial manufacturing plant. You just need to know how to use industrial sewing machines, work fast and work safely. The pay may not be great but it is a good steady job as clothing stores always need more designs or fill their orders.
That isn’t the only way to make a career out of sewing. There are a lot of career fields associated with textiles and fabric where you can use your sewing knowledge to have a great career.
Some examples would be pattern maker, pattern grader, marker, cutter, spreader, finisher and a whole lot more in just this one aspect of the textile industry. There are probably over 150 career-ready employment opportunities where you can make a career out of sewing.
All you have to do is have a little confidence in yourself and submit the applications.
Different Careers in Sewing Industry
At last count, there are about 28 different areas you can make a career out sewing and enter the textile industry. We will list as many as we can here:
- 1. Textile Reserach - This has two main openings, one in research scientist and the other in laboratory assistant.
- 2. Textile Design - Here you have about 4 places you can employ your sewing skills. You can be a designer, stylist, assistant stylist or coloris.
- 3. Textile Production - 8 areas in this subcategory need positions filled. They are Textile Converter, Assistant Converter, Production Supervisor, Machine Operator, Quality Control Inspector, Machine Technician, Plant Engineer, Industrial Engineer.
- 4. Textile Marketing and Sales - You can put your gift of gab to good use in this little area of the textile industry. Some of those skills can be used in Market Analyst, Textile Sales Representative, Textile Sales Manager, Textile Advertising And Promotion Agent.
- 5. Apparel and Design - Sewing skills come in handy when you design clothes for a living. You can try your luck at one of the following careers- Apparel Design.
- 6. Apparel Manufacturing - Here this slice of the industry has about 11 employment possibilities for you to try- Pattern Maker, Pattern Grader, Marker, Cutter, Assorter, Sewing Machine Operator, Finisher, Trimmer And Inspector, Alteration Hand, Presser.
- 7. Fashion Merchandising - This can be a good career if you really know your stuff. The positions that make up this area of the fashion industry are- Merchandise Planning And Buying, Retail Buyer, Assistant Retail Buyer, Resident Buyer For Buying Office, Central Buyer For Buying Office, Executive Trainee
- 8. the Home Sewing Industry - There is a big market in this area as there are millions who participate in home sewing as a hobby. Here are some of the opportunities that are available- Commercial Pattern Development, Fashion And Fabric Information, Director, Merchandising Director, Designer, Patternmaker, Seamstress, Fitting Model, Design Director, Fabric Editor, Accessory Editor, Pattern Grader, Checker.
- 9. Textile Media Work - Sewing knowledge will help you be able to promote different fabrics, fashions and more. Your skills may be applied to the following career choices- Fashion Illustrator, Fashion Model, Fashion Photographer, Assistant Photographer, Photo Stylist, Fashion Writer, Press Kit Developer, Copywriter, Editor, Audio-Visual Specialist.
- 10. Careers in Related Fields - You do not have to sew to make a career out of sewing. Your knowledge can be applied in related fields that may be more rewarding for you- Educators, Classroom Teacher, College Professor, County Extension Agent.
Fashion Designer, Assistant Designer, Sketching Employee, Sample Maker.
State And Federal Extension Worker/Clothing Specialist, Adult Education Teacher, Consumer Educator.
These are only 10 of the 28 possible fields you can put your sewing knowledge to good use. The key is you need to do your research, know your strengths and weaknesses and don’t take no for an answer.
Good careers are made, they are not handed to you unless you were born rich.
How to Make a Career Out of Sewing
One of the things that get you ahead is having a little education. Knowing stitches and patterns is not always going to be enough when you look for a career in different textile employment opportunities.
Learning something about the industry and its requirements is the first step in education. Then take some appropriate classes to help you be prepared for the job interview. Keep in mind that bluffing your way only works on rare occasions.
Job interviewers tend to know when someone doesn’t know what they are talking about. So get the right education and a little experience. Next, explore your strengths and weaknesses. While it is good to strengthen your weaknesses, it is best to do that on your own time.
Then see what truly interests you. Don’t fall for the hype of fashion media when your personality is not suited for that employment. Look at what interests you and where you can make the best impact.
Of course, all of the information here is written under the conclusion that you already know how to sew. You won’t get far in this industry if you lack that basic skill. Then just continue to sew on your own.
The more you do it, the more you learn. Then the more you challenge yourself the better your skills and knowledge become. Also, do not worry if you make mistakes and run a ton of fabric. Learn from your mistakes so you get better.
Finally, learn fabrics, threads, and sewing techniques. One fashion expert says to immerse yourself in those parts of sewing especially the ready-to-wear section. You need to know how those clothes are put together.
In other words build a solid sewing and textile foundation before venturing into the industry.
New Career Opportunities in The Textile Industry
It is hard to say when new careers will open up in the textile industry. A lot depends on the increasing and decreasing fads and trends. Some career opportunities that were numerous may disappear over the next 10 years, others may be invented as the years go by.
All you have to do is keep an eye on the industry and see what new opportunities arise. The risk is that the area you may be good in, may be one of the ones on the decline.
For example, tailoring is expected to lose 6% of the jobs in that sub-field over the next 10 years. It may decline even faster but it is hard to predict. Another example is.
Pattern maker which is expected to lose about 13% of its employment positions over the same time period.
Shoe maker and fabric mender are expected to lose the least amount of jobs over the next decade. They are predicted to lose 3 and 2 percent in that time frame. What will take their place is anyone’s guess but if you have a nose for textiles and keep your eye open, you should be able to spot rising trends and be ready for them.
Textile Jobs For Diploma Holders
For many job openings that we looked at for this section the main point that stood out was that you should have experience in the field you want to enter. Experience is a good educator and helps you understand all the issues involved in your chosen career path.
But, and it is a big but, many textile industry opportunities, manufacturers and so on are requiring that you get a college or similar degree before applying to work as their employee.
The better educated you are the easier it may be for you to get the right job. Besides holding a bachelor degree in different textile fields, you can upgrade and enhance your knowledge and chances by going to graduate school.
Some schools offer Masters of Science, Master of Fine Arts and a Master of Arts in related textile fields. These degrees help you learn about weaving, dyeing, and even computer textile designing to only name a few.
With the new skills you learn through these degree programs, you can enter the apparel merchandising or textile manufacturing, professional artist, textile specialist, and other textile fields.
You may not like school but the right education will open up employment doors for you. The good news is that some Masters degrees are offered online. You do not have to leave your day job to advanced in your chosen profession.
If you want to know some of the top schools to attend or investigate, just click this link. The information on that web page will get you started on the right track to furthering your career.
Career Path For Sewing Machine Operator
The good news here is that if you enjoy working with your hands and like to sew, you do not have many educational requirements to meet to be a sewing machine operator. Knowing how to sew is the first step in this career path.
The other piece of good news is that there are lots of sewing companies that will provide you with the on the job training opportunity. Then you should have critical thinking skills as well as manual dexterity capabilities.
Other requirements are a knowledge of single and double-needle machines, you can work with precision and pay attention to detail. On top of that, you need good vision and can tell the difference between colors.
Finally, you need to be willing to learn from more experienced sewing machine operators and learn from your mistakes. There are some drawbacks to this position though.
First, it is an entry-level employment opportunity that only requires a high school diploma or a GED. Then, the 24,000 dollars annual salary is not enough to get rich on. Third, you may have to work long hours at the job. That is because the demand for clothing is very strong.
Also, you should be prepared to do the same thing over and over. This takes a mental skill many educated people do not develop. In other words, you might get bored. Finally, you have to meet strict deadlines which may cause you to hurry and make mistakes.
Oh, and we should mention that the job opportunities for this work may decline by 3% over the next 3 years. You may face a lot of competition for the few available jobs.
How to Get a Textile Design Job
A lot of times it is who you know and not what you know that lands you a great job. But if you do not happen to know someone high up in the textile design industry, the door is not closed to you.
Here are some steps you can take to get top your dream textile design job:
Step one: figure out which part of the industry you want to be in. There are several options to choose from. You can work in the fashion area designing patterns and fabrics for clothing. Or you can go to the interior design wing and design textiles for furniture and wallpaper. Or you can participate in the manufacturing arm of textiles. There are quite a few choices available for you to choose from.
Step two: Go to school. While a formal education is not mandatory, getting one will only help improve your chances. College degrees do provide experience and knowledge that will be beneficial to you. Just make sure to finish your degree.
Step three: Always be learning and keep your skills up to date. Knowing the latest trends and developments only will help you get ahead and be a respected designer.
Step four: Be ready to learn another language. Because many textile design jobs are being exported overseas you may have to learn a new language to communicate and get ahead. Educational opportunities are available in Madrid and Milan as well as other countries. So you may not be able to use English in this area all the time.
10 Careers in The Fashion Industry
You may have your heart on working in the fashion industry. Why not, after all it is an exciting division of the textile field. You might also meet famous people as well. Here are 10 fashion industry careers that may help get your desires met:
- 1. Garment Technologist - innovation is key as this job tests new materials.
- 2. Fashion Designers - a very high profile job.
- 3. Retail Buyer - buys the clothes for the coming fashion season.
- 4. Fashion Illustrator - works with designers and draws concept sketches.
- 5. Merchandisers - works with buyers to make sure orders are filled correctly.
- 6. Fashion Stylist - brings fashion visions to life.
- 7. Textile designers - create 2D designs for patterns.
- 8. Personal Stylist - help individuals find their fashion styles.
- 9. Fashion Public Relations - do PR work for fashion houses etc.
- 10. Fashion Writer - write about fashion, etc.
Some Final Words
Using your sewing knowledge to help you find a career really isn’t that difficult. A little research and you should be able to find something that fits in with you and your sewing talent. Just do not be blinded by bright lights and a lot of hype.
There are lots of textile careers out there waiting for you. Just make sure you have the education and the experience to meet their requirements. If you want to know about the other 18 career subcategories you can get a career in, just click this link.
Explore the different fields till you find the one that is right for you.
