What Do You Call Someone Who Sews?

If you sew, what do you call yourself? Here’s my take on the terms I’ve found while out and about blogs, magazines, books and classes.

Sewer: Not fond of this one. It looks too much like, and in fact is exactly like, the word for underground waste pipes. Yes, it’s pronounced differently, but when I run across it in print, it conjures the pipe thing.

Sewist: This appears to be an attempt to update “sewer” and I kind of like it. Short and sweet, has a nice snap to it, and does say “someone who sews.”

Sewista: Probably a combination of sewist and fashionista. I like its dash. It’s fun to say.

 
Seamstress: An older term, but also exact. She is someone who makes seams, so it’s hard to apply this to male sewists. I guess they could be seamsters. Could apply to the gals, too. Did I just invent a new one? I like it!

Tailor: Doesn’t quite apply, as this is someone who sews clothing with lots of inner construction that some sewing does not require. Doesn’t apply to me at all, but it could work for others.

Threadbender: Several years ago, when I was more into knitting, crocheting, and tatting, I called myself this. I thought I made it up, but have seen it elsewhere now. I like that it has action to it.

Fiber artist: This is what I say instead of quilter when someone asks me what I do, because I make wall art more than bed coverings. But it sounds kind of high-fallutin’, like I’m looking down my nose at someone who makes bed quilts. Bed quilts can be artful, too.

So, I’m back to wordstitcher or just stitcher when I’m working with fiber instead of words. Have you found other words for stitching that I could add to my collection?