ABSTRACT
Sewing is the most fundamental part of clothing construction. When the average person pictures clothing being made, they do not imagine fabric selection or patterning, they visualize someone using a sewing machine, joining pieces together. In university and many professional costume shops, the stitcher job is a learning position, and is closely supervised by the first hand. Stitcher is the entry-level position, and then workers progress to first hand (also called draper's assistant), and then to draper or pattern maker. In other professional shops, however, stitchers are equally skilled craftspeople and may stay in that position their whole careers. This chapter talks about costumer Quentin Desfray, stitcher Louisa Williams and first hand Ashley Rigg. Sewing fabric is in many ways the common link for costumers. From designers to drapers to craftspeople, most begin their careers by stitching. At the end of a production's build time, the final touches tend to be stitching.
