Guide to Starting a Business - Custom Tailoring

Description of Job

• Choose fabric and custom-fit clothing for special occasions.
• Adapt and custom-fit patterns to create clothing for plus-size clients.
• Custom fit and adapt clothing for children.
• Create doll clothing.

The Need

Not every woman is a perfect size 8 or 16. Not every woman fits properly into a plus-size garment. Women and their clothing come in an infinite number of variations.

Any woman who has searched for a mother-of-the-bride dress or has had her teenage daughter drag her along on the hunt for a once-in-a-lifetime senior-prom gown knows how frustrating and exhausting shopping can be.

At any age, custom clothing is an opportunity to choose fabric and notions and obtain a perfect fit in the process. In some situations—for example, bridesmaids’ outfits—it may be less expensive to choose fabric and commission a tailor than to purchase an article of clothing off the rack and have it altered.

While we’re on the subject of custom clothing: Apparently, there are times when even a doll needs that extra-special, perfectly fitted outfit.

Challenges

You must be able to take precise measurements and know how to adapt patterns or take in garments to be a capable tailor. Even if you are working from a pattern, your client is paying for a custom fit.

If you are making clothing for a special occasion, you must be able to meet deadlines; don’t accept the job of outfitting a bride and her three bridesmaids if you know the date of the wedding is too close at hand.

Know the Territory

The process begins with careful measurements. Then you will adapt a pattern to create a perfect fit for your client, taking into account the fabric and notions chosen. Finally, you will conduct a series of fittings to adjust the finished garment.

In addition to being an expert at the sewing machine, you must know about fabrics and how they work with various patterns, sizes, and styles. You need to understand how silk and satin wear, clean, and stretch differently than cotton or synthetic fabrics.

Clients may come to you soliciting your advice on fabric, style, trim, and what patterns work best with their measurement; or they may have done their homework and have a specific outfit and pattern number in mind.

How to Get Started

Place flyers and ads at community centers, in schools, and in stores. Place ads in newspapers, shopping guides, and school and church publications.

Ask friends and acquaintances to recommend your services; offer to give them a bonus or discount for business they steer your way.

Rent space at crafts shows, holiday fairs, and bridal shows. Teach a class in sewing at a local community school for publicity and perhaps to gain new clients.

Up-front Expenses

You’ll need a professional-quality sewing machine and other clothes-making equipment. You may be able to farm out some specialized work such as embroidery and decorative stitching.

Other up-front costs include advertising and promotion.

How Much to Charge

Most jobs will be done at a flat rate based on your estimate of the number of hours involved plus the cost of material and notions. It could also be quoted as a cost-plus job, with the client paying the actual cost of all materials plus a set charge for your time as a tailor.

Adjust your flat rate, or change to an hourly rate, for jobs where the garment—or the client—will require a great deal of extra effort. Your price should take into account extra work for special features such as sequins, pearls, or lace, and the extra time required to work with certain fabrics.

Legal and Insurance Issues

Special notes: In dealing with your client’s property, seek to limit your liability for damage or loss to the actual replacement value of the items in your possession.

You should protect yourself against claims for sentimental value or loss of use.