If you’re new to sewing, you might be wondering what to call yourself. Are you a seamstress, tailor, sewer or sewist? Or is there something else? What do you call someone who sews?
– Tailor is defined as “a person whose occupation is making and/or altering fitted clothes such as suits, trousers, and jackets to fit individual customers.”
– Dressmaker is a person whose job is to make women’s clothes (not just dresses).
– Couturier is a fashion designer who creates bespoke apparel tailored to a client’s specific requirements and measurements.
– Seamstress is a more general term for someone who sews, particularly professionally.
– Seamster is an archaic term (that has also been suggested in recent times) for men who sew professionally.
– Garment worker, sewing machine operator or sewing machinist are the terms used for people who sew in manufacturing or an industrial environment.
Just like someone who dives is a diver or someone who skis is a skier, someone who sews is a a sew-er, but if you take that dash out, well, it’s a little confusing (and stinky!).
The word sewist is gaining popularity among people describing their love of sewing, particularly among bloggers and on social media (where the word is more often written down).