Clothing alterations: hems, zips and wedding dresses

Every town lost its tailor and kept its trousers. Hemming and zip replacement is steady; bridal alterations are where the real money is.

Who pays you

Individuals pay you per garment, at a fixed price list for common jobs and by quote for bridal and formalwear, in cash or by transfer at pickup. Dry cleaners and boutiques sometimes subcontract to you.

Outcomes

0 receipts. Nobody's reported back on this one yet. Receipts open when accounts launch.

How it works

Hems, taking in waists, replacing zips, patching, resizing suits: people need it constantly and the nearest tailor is either gone or booked for weeks. You run it from a spare room with a price list, a mirror and a pinning session. Once you're competent with fine fabrics, bridal and formal alterations pay several times the rate of a hem and book months in advance.

What it actually takes

A reliable sewing machine and ideally an overlocker. A sturdy vintage machine works (see the sewing machine idea).
Sewing skill that includes fitting on a real person, not just following a pattern.
Thread, zips, interfacing, a good iron, a full-length mirror, a place to pin people that isn't your kitchen.
A clear price list and a turnaround time you can actually keep.

Where it goes wrong

Ruining something irreplaceable. Practise on your own clothes before touching a wedding dress, and decline what you can't do.
Pricing like it's a favour. A zip replacement is an hour of skilled work.
Turnaround creep. Say a week, mean a week.
Bridal season. Everyone gets married in the same four months; take deposits and cap bookings.

Published 20 Jul 2026