Many of our members are professional clothiers. ASDP was originally PACC (Professional Association of Custom Clothiers). The decision to change the name in 2008 was due to the fact that some of our members don’t exactly fit into this niche of custom clothiers. If you take a look on the ASDP website under “Find a Sewing Pro” and search by specialty, you will find an alphabetical list of 52 sewing and design specialties!

This month the blog focuses on alternative careers in our industry. While these business owners may do some custom clothing construction, it is not the main focus of their business. Pattern development, selling fabric online, sportswear, and an upholstery business are interesting directions some of our members have taken in their businesses.

Recently, there has been some talk on our discuss list about first conference experiences. Any new endeavor can be quite intimidating and challenging to take on, but the feeling of accomplishment from going a little beyond a personal comfort zone combined with the inspiration received from like-thinking business owners is well worth the nervous moments. It is very exciting to speak face-to-face with other members and find out about their focus in business.

Written by Teresa Nieswaag, President