Off My Chest
RULES:
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That truly sucks.
Do you have the passion, skillset, and tools to do commission cosplay outfits? That can be pretty lucrative, but somewhat hard to get into if you can't get a reasonably influential cosplayer to rep your work.
There's also furries. Apparently they pay out the tail for their goofy getups.
It's a different skill set I think, but prom, quinciñera, and wedding dresses are surely lucrative.
Find a car modification place and make new seat upholstery?
I bet cute handmade pet clothes are a decent price per hour, sold on Etsy.
Drycleaners often have a little tailoring side business. Find a new drycleaner and see if they need an in-house or as-needed hem and dart person? Burlington coat factory and some department stores also do light tailoring.
Rich people pay for custom curtains, I'm sure.
I don't know if any of these are feasible in your area or with your experience, but I'm throwing spaghetti here. Hope things turn around for you, friend.
Very good ideas but you've just described, like, 4 trades lol. Sewing Machine Operator is a very broad term for many specialized trades. It's rare to find a quilter who's also an industrial tarp fabricator.
That seems very reasonable! OP said they wanted sewing work, so I rattled off what seem like money making opportunities.
I've actually made fursuits before.
Unfortunately, there's apparently an oversaturation in the market right now..
I'm looking for some place where the income is stable & I don't have to seek out clients on my own. Done my own stuff for years now. I'm too tired trying to "market" myself & my work.
I feel you. But being on your own is where income gets generated. It's also a pain in the ass.
Maybe you can attach yourself to some clothing designers? They often need help making their visions come to life.
Sorry you're having this trouble. At least you got paid for the cushions - I've heard too many stories of people having to make a sample of whatever and getting stiffed.
All fantastic ideas.
I imagine the furry market is a lot harder to get established in as cosplay due to size.
The automotive market is equally as hard to break into unless you can establish a partnership with an established upholstery company.
Pet clothes are are a more widespread niche market, but the clientele has to be more batshit than furries.
Drycleaners, big market, great potential.
Rich people pay, but are a bigger pain than pet parents.
If your specialty is seamstress, I guess that is an any harbor in in storm situation. So maybe taking anything n you can get until you find a niche is the strategy?
I've tried to do custom cosplay work before based off of written measurements, but I'm pretty useless without the client being available for tailoring/adjustments.
Most folks aren't goid at giving the actual correct measurements anyhow.
Understandable. Is there any other market that you can pursue that isn't limited by local market demand?