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Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Remove stitches from garments to be altered, using rippers or razor blades.
    • Take up or let down hems to shorten or lengthen garment parts, such as sleeves.
    • Measure parts, such as sleeves or pant legs, and mark or pin-fold alteration lines.
    • 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.
    • Position patterns of garment parts on fabric, and cut fabric along outlines, using scissors.
    • Position patterns of garment parts on fabric, and cut fabric along outlines, using scissors.
    • Put in padding and shaping materials.
    • 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.
    • Repair or replace defective garment parts, such as pockets, zippers, snaps, buttons, and linings.
    • Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
    • Confer with customers to determine types of material and garment styles desired.
    • Fit and study garments on customers to determine required alterations.
    • Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
    • Make garment style changes, such as tapering pant legs, narrowing lapels, and adding or removing padding.
    • Let out or take in seams in suits and other garments to improve fit.
    • Maintain garment drape and proportions as alterations are performed.
    • Record required alterations and instructions on tags, and attach them to garments.
    • Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
    • Trim excess material, using scissors.
    • Press garments, using hand irons or pressing machines.
    • Sew buttonholes and attach buttons to finish garments.
    • Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
    • Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
    • Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
    • Develop, copy, or adapt designs for garments, and design patterns to fit measurements, applying knowledge of garment design, construction, styling, and fabric.
    • Estimate how much a garment will cost to make, based on factors such as time and material requirements.
    • Examine tags on garments to determine alterations that are needed.

    Skills

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 36540/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 17.57/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 1,290
    • Yearly Projected Openings 170

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Cooperation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Integrity
    • Self Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Achievement/Effort

    Tools

    • Buttonhole machines
    • Curves
    • Desktop computers
    • Domestic clothing irons
    • Dressmakers ruler
    • Fabric or tailors chalk holders
    • Full body form or mannequin
    • Ironing boards
    • Ironing machines or presses
    • Laser printers
    • Protective gloves
    • Razor knives
    • Rotary paper or fabric cutter
    • Rulers
    • Safety pins
    • Seam gauge
    • Seam ripper
    • Serrated pattern tracing wheel
    • Sewing kits
    • Sewing machines
    • Sewing needles
    • Sewing patterns
    • Shears
    • Steam pressing machines
    • Straight pins
    • Tape measures

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Inventory management software
    • Office suite software
    • Point of sale POS software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

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