Apparel Manufacturing Careers



Apparel manufacturing is the design, cutting, and sewing of garments from fabric. The apparel manufacturing careers high- lighted below are part of a long list of careers.


Pattern Grader:

Duties: The pattern grader produces scaled up or down versions of the original patterns made by the pattern cutter. This allows the manufacturer to make the same garment in different sizes. The pattern grader uses digitizing equipment to trace the outline of the pattern taking measurements at different key points so that the pattern can be adjusted by the computer.

Qualifications: The candidate for this position must have an interest in fashion and fashion trends, the ability to work quickly with accuracy, good math skills, an eye for detail, shape and proportion, technical drawing skills, IT skills, and good concentration.

Education: High school diploma, with on the job training.

Pattern Cutter:

Duties: The pattern cutter creates the pattern templates from the drawings produced by a fashion designer, and works with the sample maker to make up the samples. The cutter could use both computer programs and traditional hand drawing methods to make up the patterns.

Qualifications: The candidate for this position must also have an interest in fashion and fashion trends, the ability to interpret the drawings of a designer, have the ability to work as part of a team, the ability to work quickly with accuracy, good math skills, the ability to assess samples.

Education: High school diploma, with on the job training.

Sewing Machine Operator:

Duties: Sewing machine operators run high speed sewing machines for the purpose of stitching clothing and other pieces of cloth for other textile production.

Qualifications: The sewing machine operator should be able coordinated in terms of hand, eye and feet movement and should be able to move rapidly and accurately; should be detail oriented, follow instructions accurately, achieve the standards set for the quality of work required, should be able to tolerate the repetitiveness of the work day in and day out, should be able to work under pressure, have the mathematical skills required to measure and cut material accurately for a project.

Education: High school diploma with on the job training.

Alteration Hand:

Duties: The alteration had also called the clothing alteration hand repairs and alters items of clothing for customers. They may work in clothing alteration shops or behind the scenes in dry cleaners or for clothing retailers. These workers also do fittings of client garments and decide where to make the alterations.

Qualifications: Those that perform these tasks need sewing experience both for machine and hand sewing. They should also have an interest in textiles, color, fashion design and fashion trends, good communication skills with clients, the ability to work independently, an understanding of how garments are constructed, and the ability to work quickly and accurately.

Education: High school diploma and on the job training with sewing experience.

Presser:

Duties: The presser also called a clothing presser steams and vacuum presses garments to remove wrinkles. These individuals typically work for clothing manufacturers or drying cleaning establishments.

Qualifications: These individuals need a good eye for detail, the ability to follow set procedures, be methodical, the ability to concentrate on the task at hand for long periods of time, and the ability to perform repetitive tasks quickly.

Education: High school diploma and on the job training.

These are just a few of the apparel manufacturing careers that are available to high school graduates. For more information about the apparel manufacturing careers of pattern graders, pattern cutters, alteration hands, and pressers click here on the link to Careers Advice

For information about schools and training for sewing machine operators, click on the link here for CityTownInfo.com For more information about sewing machine operators, click here on the link to Michigan Jobs and Career Portal and the link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for information about the apparel manufacturing career of sewing machine operator.


For information about other sewing related occupations, click the links below.

Production Management
Apparel Design and Production
Sewing Business

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