Seamstresses who want to work as costumers should invest in a good sewing machine, practice sewing at home, and accept volunteer costume design work to expand their experience and portfolio. A person who enjoys sewing can start designing clothing and costumes at any time in her life by purchasing patterns and sewing new outfits for herself and family members. With the purchase of a machine designed specifically for sewing clothes with a built-in serger, her work will improve. Volunteer costume design jobs, which are often unpaid, can be found in community theaters, where students new to the field can build a resume and photograph their work to show to potential employers.
A costume designer creates one-of-a-kind outfits for artistic and theatrical productions. On-stage plays, musicals, television shows, and movie productions all require this position. For small projects, these designers may work alone, but for large casts, they may work as part of a team.
Costumers are people who have a passion for sewing and an aptitude for it. The ability to sew clothing is the most important qualification for a costume designer. Clothing and costume design are similar in that they both necessitate an understanding of the human body and how to drape fabric in such a way as to highlight a person’s natural curves and body shape. Patterns are available online and at local fabric stores, and they are a great way for new seamstresses to learn the basics of sewing. To broaden their experience and talents, they may find it beneficial to practice sewing clothes for men and women of various ages.
The next step for seamstresses who want to work as costumers is to invest in a good sewing machine. While many production studios provide machines to their employees, others do not, and candidates are required to bring their own and work from home. A good costume design machine will be built specifically for sewing clothes and will cost anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Because costumes are often made from a variety of fabrics and material weights, this type of machine should be able to switch needles quickly and easily, and will have a large and open space around the throat to allow bulkier pieces to pass easily beneath the needle. It should also have a serger setting, so raw material edges can be finished quickly without the designer having to switch between two machines.
Once a seamstress has mastered the art of sewing and has her own machine, she can start looking for costume designer jobs. Entry-level jobs as a customer service representative may be unpaid, and they can often be scheduled around a full-time job in a field unrelated to customer service. This type of work is frequently available for community theater projects and student films, and it will provide valuable experience to new designers. Costumers may benefit from photographing every piece they create for any type of production, whether it was sewn from a pattern or designed from scratch, and compiling a portfolio to show potential employers. Assistant costumer positions in television and low-budget films typically require one to two years of design experience and can be pursued after completing some entry-level work and building a small portfolio.