Dressmaking Courses and Schools

Do you love to create or alter clothing? Are you handy with a sewing machine? If so, you may be interested in becoming a dressmaker. Read on to discover the courses and schools that can help prepare you for this career. Schools offering Fashion Design degrees can also be found in these popular choices.

What Programs Can I Find in Dressmaking?

Some dressmakers begin their career by working with a skilled mentor or finding employment directly out of high school. However, you may wish to earn a degree or certificate before starting your career. While you will not be able to earn a degree in dressmaking, there are many options available to you that can prepare you for a career as a dressmaker, depending on the type of education you seek.

You can begin by looking for schools offering an educational program in fashion design. Available options include a fashion design certificate, an Associate of Applied Science in Fashion Design, or a bachelor's degree or master's degree in fashion design. Some programs offer specific concentrations or courses in dressmaking. You will not find many online degree programs in fashion design because you will need to have access to the necessary materials, work spaces and equipment offered by your school's fashion design department.

Schools offering a certificate or associate's degree in fashion design can prepare you to enter the workforce in a short amount of time. You will learn the basic skills needed in order to alter, hem, create or repair clothing by taking courses in sewing, patterning, basic design and fabrics.

To earn a bachelor's or master's degree in fashion design, you will take more in-depth courses that prepare you to sketch, design, create and construct clothing. Along with clothing construction and design courses, a student in a bachelor's or master's degree program is generally required to take basic art courses, fulfill liberal arts course requirements and complete an internship. Many schools offer the opportunity to work with well-known designers, enter contests or create clothing items for the runway. Upon graduation, you will have a completed portfolio of your work that you can use to apply for a job or show to potential clients.

What Will I Learn?

Fashion design degree programs help prepare you for a career as a dressmaker by teaching the necessary art, design and manufacturing techniques needed to create or alter clothing items. Your degree program courses explore the process of creating a garment from idea through finished product. You may learn to operate sewing machines, learn fashion design software programs, study figures and practice necessary techniques in an on-campus work facility with the supervision of professors and fashion mentors. Courses found in a fashion design degree program may include:

  • Clothing construction
  • Alterations
  • Pattern making
  • Fashion history
  • Apparel software programs
  • Sewing techniques
  • Drawing and illustration

What Can I Do With My Degree?

As a dressmaker you might be employed by a department store, an alterations shop, a bridal shop, a theater company or a custom clothing design company. Many dressmakers open their own shops where they offer repairs and alterations, custom sewing, high-end custom design or ready-to-wear clothing. Dressmakers who plan to open their own business will need to locate clients, market their services and keep financial records in addition to sewing and designing clothes.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, dressmakers are part of the tailors, dressmakers and custom sewers group of occupations and can expect to earn a mean annual wage of $28,360 or a mean hourly wage of $13.63 as of May 2010. (www.bls.gov)

To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:

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