Job Duties Custom List 51-6093.00 — Upholsterers
- Operate sewing machines or sew upholstery by hand to seam cushions and join various sections of covering material.
Occupations with related tasks Save Table: XLSX CSV
- Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
- Let out or take in seams in suits and other garments to improve fit.
- Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
- Make garment style changes, such as tapering pant legs, narrowing lapels, and adding or removing padding.
- Take up or let down hems to shorten or lengthen garment parts, such as sleeves.
- Fit, alter, repair, and make made-to-measure clothing, according to customers' and clothing manufacturers' specifications and fit, and applying principles of garment design, construction, and styling.
- Sew buttonholes and attach buttons to finish garments.
- Remove stitches from garments to be altered, using rippers or razor blades.
- Repair or replace defective garment parts, such as pockets, zippers, snaps, buttons, and linings.
- Measure parts, such as sleeves or pant legs, and mark or pin-fold alteration lines.
- Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
- Fit and study garments on customers to determine required alterations.
- Trim excess material, using scissors.
- Maintain garment drape and proportions as alterations are performed.
- Press garments, using hand irons or pressing machines.
- Estimate how much a garment will cost to make, based on factors such as time and material requirements.
- Position patterns of garment parts on fabric, and cut fabric along outlines, using scissors.
- Record required alterations and instructions on tags, and attach them to garments.
- Confer with customers to determine types of material and garment styles desired.
- Examine tags on garments to determine alterations that are needed.
- Develop, copy, or adapt designs for garments, and design patterns to fit measurements, applying knowledge of garment design, construction, styling, and fabric.
- Put in padding and shaping materials.
- Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
- Let out or take in seams in suits and other garments to improve fit.
- Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
- Make garment style changes, such as tapering pant legs, narrowing lapels, and adding or removing padding.
- Take up or let down hems to shorten or lengthen garment parts, such as sleeves.
- Fit, alter, repair, and make made-to-measure clothing, according to customers' and clothing manufacturers' specifications and fit, and applying principles of garment design, construction, and styling.
- Sew buttonholes and attach buttons to finish garments.
- Remove stitches from garments to be altered, using rippers or razor blades.
- Repair or replace defective garment parts, such as pockets, zippers, snaps, buttons, and linings.
- Turn screws to regulate size of staples.
- Turn setscrews on needle bars, and position required numbers of needles in stitching machines.
- Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls.
- Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
- Fill shuttle spools with thread from a machine's bobbin winder by pressing a foot treadle.
- Turn knobs to adjust stitch length and thread tension.
- Study work orders or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used.
- Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels.
- Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.
- Cut excess thread or material from shoe parts, using scissors or knives.
- Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles.
- Collect shoe parts from conveyer belts or racks and place them in machinery such as ovens or on molds for dressing, returning them to conveyers or racks to send them to the next work station.
- Position dies on material in a manner that will obtain the maximum number of parts from each portion of material.
- Test machinery to ensure proper functioning before beginning production.
- Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles.
- Load hot-melt plastic rod glue through reactivator axles, using wrenches, and switch on reactivators, setting temperature and timers to heat glue to specifications.
- Staple sides of shoes, pressing a foot treadle to position and hold each shoe under the feeder of the machine.
- Select and place spools of thread or pre-wound bobbins into shuttles, or onto spindles or loupers of stitching machines.
- Hammer loose staples for proper attachment.
- Turn screws to regulate size of staples.
- Turn setscrews on needle bars, and position required numbers of needles in stitching machines.
- Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls.
- Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
- Fill shuttle spools with thread from a machine's bobbin winder by pressing a foot treadle.
- Turn knobs to adjust stitch length and thread tension.
- Start and operate or tend machines, such as single or double needle serging and flat-bed felling machines, to automatically join, reinforce, or decorate material or articles.
- Turn knobs, screws, and dials to adjust settings of machines, according to garment styles and equipment performance.
- Mount attachments, such as needles, cutting blades, or pattern plates, and adjust machine guides according to specifications.
- Perform specialized or automatic sewing machine functions, such as buttonhole making or tacking.
- Repair or alter items by adding replacement parts or missing stitches.
- Tape or twist together thread or cord to repair breaks.
- Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.
- Place spools of thread, cord, or other materials on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.
- Position items under needles, using marks on machines, clamps, templates, or cloth as guides.
- Guide garments or garment parts under machine needles and presser feet to sew parts together.
- Remove holding devices and finished items from machines.
- Match cloth pieces in correct sequences prior to sewing them, and verify that dye lots and patterns match.
- Fold or stretch edges or lengths of items while sewing to facilitate forming specified sections.
- Cut excess material or thread from finished products.
- Select supplies such as fasteners and thread, according to job requirements.
- Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using rulers.
- Record quantities of materials processed.
- Attach tape, trim, appliques, or elastic to specified garments or garment parts, according to item specifications.
- Perform equipment maintenance tasks such as replacing needles, sanding rough areas of needles, or cleaning and oiling sewing machines.
- Cut materials according to specifications, using blades, scissors, or electric knives.
- Inspect garments, and examine repair tags and markings on garments to locate defects or damage, and mark errors as necessary.
- Attach buttons, hooks, zippers, fasteners, or other accessories to fabric, using feeding hoppers or clamp holders.
- Position material or articles in clamps, templates, or hoop frames prior to automatic operation of machines.
- Draw markings or pin appliques on fabric to obtain variations in design.
- Baste edges of material to align and temporarily secure parts for final assembly.
- Position and mark patterns on materials to prepare for sewing.
- Start and operate or tend machines, such as single or double needle serging and flat-bed felling machines, to automatically join, reinforce, or decorate material or articles.
- Turn knobs, screws, and dials to adjust settings of machines, according to garment styles and equipment performance.
- Mount attachments, such as needles, cutting blades, or pattern plates, and adjust machine guides according to specifications.
- Perform specialized or automatic sewing machine functions, such as buttonhole making or tacking.
- Repair or alter items by adding replacement parts or missing stitches.
- Tape or twist together thread or cord to repair breaks.
- Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.
- Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.
- Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment.
- Re-sew seams, and replace handles and linings of suitcases or handbags.
- Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves.
- Stretch shoes, dampening parts and inserting and twisting parts, using an adjustable stretcher.
- Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.
- Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets.
- Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools.
- Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles.
- Prepare inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet.
- Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape.
- Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles.
- Clean and polish shoes.
- Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes.
- Check the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose.
- Shape shoe heels with a knife, and sand them on a buffing wheel for smoothness.
- Place shoes on lasts to remove soles and heels, using knives or pliers.
- Cut, insert, position, and secure paddings, cushioning, or linings, using stitches or glue.
- Estimate the costs of requested products or services such as custom footwear or footwear repair, and receive payment from customers.
- Draw patterns, using measurements, designs, plaster casts, or customer specifications, and position or outline patterns on work pieces.
- Nail heel and toe cleats onto shoes.
- Read prescriptions or specifications, and take measurements to establish the type of product to be made, using calipers, tape measures, or rules.
- Attach accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products.
- Make, modify, and repair orthopedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modify existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs.
- Select materials and patterns, and trace patterns onto materials to be cut out.
- Measure customers for fit, and discuss with them the type of footwear to be made, recommending details such as leather quality.
- Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.
- Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.
- Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment.
- Re-sew seams, and replace handles and linings of suitcases or handbags.
- Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves.
- Stretch shoes, dampening parts and inserting and twisting parts, using an adjustable stretcher.
- Sew, join, reinforce, or finish parts of articles, such as garments, books, mattresses, toys, and wigs, using needles and thread or other materials.
- Use different sewing techniques such as felling, tacking, basting, embroidery, and fagoting.
- Sew buttonholes, or add lace or other trimming.
- Trim excess threads or edges of parts, using scissors or knives.
- Select thread, twine, cord, or yarn to be used, and thread needles.
- Draw and cut patterns according to specifications.
- Fold, twist, stretch, or drape material, and secure articles in preparation for sewing.
- Smooth seams with heated irons, flat bones, or rubbing sticks.
- Measure and align parts, fasteners, or trimmings, following seams, edges, or markings on parts.
- Wax thread by drawing it through a ball of wax.
- Tie, knit, weave or knot ribbon, yarn, or decorative materials.
- Soften leather or shoe material with water to prepare it for sewing.
- Attach trimmings and labels to articles with cement, using brushes or cement guns.
- Sew, join, reinforce, or finish parts of articles, such as garments, books, mattresses, toys, and wigs, using needles and thread or other materials.
- Use different sewing techniques such as felling, tacking, basting, embroidery, and fagoting.
- Sew buttonholes, or add lace or other trimming.
- Stitch or glue endpapers, bindings, backings, or signatures, using sewing machines, glue machines, or glue and brushes.
- Form book bodies by folding and sewing printed sheets to form signatures and assembling signatures in numerical order.
- Examine stitched, collated, bound, or unbound product samples for defects, such as imperfect bindings, ink spots, torn pages, loose pages, or loose or uncut threads.
- Read work orders to determine instructions and specifications for machine set-up.
- Install or adjust bindery machine devices, such as knives, guides, rollers, rounding forms, creasing rams, or clamps, to accommodate sheets, signatures, or books of specified sizes.
- Trim edges of books to size, using cutting machines, book trimming machines, or hand cutters.
- Monitor machine operations to detect malfunctions or to determine whether adjustments are needed.
- Maintain records, such as daily production records, using specified forms.
- Lubricate, clean, or make minor repairs to machine parts to keep machines in working condition.
- Set up or operate bindery machines, such as coil binders, thermal or tape binders, plastic comb binders, or specialty binders.
- Set up or operate machines that perform binding operations, such as pressing, folding, or trimming.
- Prepare finished books for shipping by wrapping or packing books and stacking boxes on pallets.
- Set up or operate glue machines by filling glue reservoirs, turning switches to activate heating elements, or adjusting glue flow or conveyor speed.
- Train workers to set up, operate, and use automatic bindery machines.
- Insert book bodies in devices that form back edges of books into convex shapes and produce grooves that facilitate cover attachment.
- Cut cover material to specified dimensions, fitting and gluing material to binder boards by hand or machine.
- Cut binder boards to specified dimensions, using board shears, hand cutters, or cutting machines.
- Bind new books, using hand tools such as bone folders, knives, hammers, or brass binding tools.
- Perform highly skilled hand finishing binding operations, such as grooving or lettering.
- Imprint or emboss lettering, designs, or numbers on book covers, using gold, silver, or colored foil, and stamping machines.
- Compress sewed or glued signatures, using hand presses or smashing machines.
- Meet with clients, printers, or designers to discuss job requirements or binding plans.
- Design original or special bindings for limited editions or other custom binding projects.
- Punch holes in and fasten paper sheets, signatures, or other material, using hand or machine punches and staplers.
- Repair, restore, or rebind old, rare, or damaged books, using hand tools.
- Apply color to edges of signatures using brushes, pads, or atomizers.
- Stitch or glue endpapers, bindings, backings, or signatures, using sewing machines, glue machines, or glue and brushes.
- Form book bodies by folding and sewing printed sheets to form signatures and assembling signatures in numerical order.
- Sew ends of cloth together, by hand or using machines, to form endless lengths of cloth to facilitate processing.
- Ravel seams that connect cloth ends when processing is completed.
- Weigh ingredients, such as dye, to be mixed together for use in textile processing.
- Start and control machines and equipment to wash, bleach, dye, or otherwise process and finish fabric, yarn, thread, or other textile goods.
- Observe display screens, control panels, equipment, and cloth entering or exiting processes to determine if equipment is operating correctly.
- Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions.
- Monitor factors such as temperatures and dye flow rates to ensure that they are within specified ranges.
- Add dyes, water, detergents, or chemicals to tanks to dilute or strengthen solutions, according to established formulas and solution test results.
- Examine and feel products to identify defects and variations from coloring and other processing standards.
- Adjust equipment controls to maintain specified heat, tension, and speed.
- Soak specified textile products for designated times.
- Inspect machinery to determine necessary adjustments and repairs.
- Confer with coworkers to get information about order details, processing plans, or problems that occur.
- Remove dyed articles from tanks and machines for drying and further processing.
- Study guides, charts, and specification sheets, and confer with supervisors to determine machine setup requirements.
- Prepare dyeing machines for production runs, and conduct test runs of machines to ensure their proper operation.
- Key in processing instructions to program electronic equipment.
- Test solutions used to process textile goods to detect variations from standards.
- Record production information such as fabric yardage processed, temperature readings, fabric tensions, and machine speeds.
- Thread ends of cloth or twine through specified sections of equipment prior to processing.
- Mount rolls of cloth on machines, using hoists, or place textile goods in machines or pieces of equipment.
- Install, level, and align components such as gears, chains, dies, cutters, and needles.
- Perform machine maintenance, such as cleaning and oiling equipment, and repair or replace worn or defective parts.
- Creel machines with bobbins or twine.
- Sew ends of cloth together, by hand or using machines, to form endless lengths of cloth to facilitate processing.
- Ravel seams that connect cloth ends when processing is completed.
- Prepare pointe shoes, by sewing or other means, for use in rehearsals and performance.
- Study and practice dance moves required in roles.
- Harmonize body movements to rhythm of musical accompaniment.
- Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness.
- Coordinate dancing with that of partners or dance ensembles.
- Develop self-understanding of physical capabilities and limitations, and choose dance styles accordingly.
- Perform classical, modern, or acrobatic dances in productions, expressing stories, rhythm, and sound with their bodies.
- Collaborate with choreographers to refine or modify dance steps.
- Audition for dance roles or for membership in dance companies.
- Monitor the field of dance to remain aware of current trends and innovations.
- Perform in productions, singing or acting in addition to dancing, if required.
- Teach dance students.
- Devise and choreograph dance for self or others.
- Attend costume fittings, photography sessions, and makeup calls associated with dance performances.
- Prepare pointe shoes, by sewing or other means, for use in rehearsals and performance.
- Secure finished packaged items by hand tying, sewing, gluing, stapling, or attaching fastener.
- Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations.
- Sort, grade, weigh, and inspect products, verifying and adjusting product weight or measurement to meet specifications.
- Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor.
- Observe machine operations to ensure quality and conformity of filled or packaged products to standards.
- Remove finished packaged items from machine and separate rejected items.
- Monitor the production line, watching for problems such as pile-ups, jams, or glue that isn't sticking properly.
- Inspect and remove defective products and packaging material.
- Start machine by engaging controls.
- Tend or operate machine that packages product.
- Clean, oil, and make minor adjustments or repairs to machinery and equipment, such as opening valves or setting guides.
- Regulate machine flow, speed, or temperature.
- Adjust machine components and machine tension and pressure according to size or processing angle of product.
- Supply materials to spindles, conveyors, hoppers, or other feeding devices and unload packaged product.
- Stack finished packaged items, or wrap protective material around each item, and pack the items in cartons or containers.
- Package the product in the form in which it will be sent out, for example, filling bags with flour from a chute or spout.
- Stock and sort product for packaging or filling machine operation, and replenish packaging supplies, such as wrapping paper, plastic sheet, boxes, cartons, glue, ink, or labels.
- Count and record finished and rejected packaged items.
- Clean packaging containers, line and pad crates, or assemble cartons to prepare for product packing.
- Clean and remove damaged or otherwise inferior materials to prepare raw products for processing.
- Secure finished packaged items by hand tying, sewing, gluing, stapling, or attaching fastener.
- Sew ends of new material to leaders or to ends of material in pressing machines, using sewing machines.
- Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers.
- Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles.
- Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing.
- Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.
- Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons.
- Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed.
- Identify and treat spots on garments.
- Shrink, stretch, or block articles by hand to conform to original measurements, using forms, blocks, and steam.
- Finish fancy garments such as evening gowns and costumes, using hand irons to produce high quality finishes.
- Push and pull irons over surfaces of articles to smooth or shape them.
- Finish pants, jackets, shirts, skirts and other dry-cleaned and laundered articles, using hand irons.
- Slide material back and forth over heated, metal, ball-shaped forms to smooth and press portions of garments that cannot be satisfactorily pressed with flat pressers or hand irons.
- Select appropriate pressing machines, based on garment properties such as heat tolerance.
- Spray water over fabric to soften fibers when not using steam irons.
- Position materials such as cloth garments, felt, or straw on tables, dies, or feeding mechanisms of pressing machines, or on ironing boards or work tables.
- Moisten materials to soften and smooth them.
- Clean and maintain pressing machines, using cleaning solutions and lubricants.
- Press ties on small pressing machines.
- Block or shape knitted garments after cleaning.
- Activate and adjust machine controls to regulate temperature and pressure of rollers, ironing shoes, or plates, according to specifications.
- Use covering cloths to prevent equipment from damaging delicate fabrics.
- Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as tape measures and micrometers.
- Finish velvet garments by steaming them on bucks of hot-head presses or steam tables, and brushing pile (nap) with handbrushes.
- Measure fabric to specifications, cut uneven edges with shears, fold material, and press it with an iron to form a heading.
- Insert heated metal forms into ties and touch up rough places with hand irons.
- Brush materials made of suede, leather, or felt to remove spots or to raise and smooth naps.
- Select, install, and adjust machine components, including pressing forms, rollers, and guides, using hoists and hand tools.
- Sew ends of new material to leaders or to ends of material in pressing machines, using sewing machines.
- Mend and sew articles, using hand stitching, adhesive patches, or sewing machines.
- Load articles into washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to perform loading.
- Start washers, dry cleaners, driers, or extractors, and turn valves or levers to regulate machine processes and the volume of soap, detergent, water, bleach, starch, and other additives.
- Operate extractors and driers, or direct their operation.
- Remove items from washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to do so.
- Sort and count articles removed from dryers, and fold, wrap, or hang them.
- Clean machine filters, and lubricate equipment.
- Examine and sort into lots articles to be cleaned, according to color, fabric, dirt content, and cleaning technique required.
- Receive and mark articles for laundry or dry cleaning with identifying code numbers or names, using hand or machine markers.
- Apply bleaching powders to spots and spray them with steam to remove stains from fabrics that do not respond to other cleaning solvents.
- Determine spotting procedures and proper solvents, based on fabric and stain types.
- Spray steam, water, or air over spots to flush out chemicals, dry material, raise naps, or brighten colors.
- Pre-soak, sterilize, scrub, spot-clean, and dry contaminated or stained articles, using neutralizer solutions and portable machines.
- Mix bleaching agents with hot water in vats, and soak material until it is bleached.
- Apply chemicals to neutralize the effects of solvents.
- Mix and add detergents, dyes, bleaches, starches, and other solutions and chemicals to clean, color, dry, or stiffen articles.
- Sprinkle chemical solvents over stains, and pat areas with brushes or sponges to remove stains.
- Match sample colors, applying knowledge of bleaching agent and dye properties, and types, construction, conditions, and colors of articles.
- Inspect soiled articles to determine sources of stains, to locate color imperfections, and to identify items requiring special treatment.
- Operate dry-cleaning machines to clean soiled articles.
- Operate machines that comb, dry and polish furs, clean, sterilize and fluff feathers and blankets, or roll and package towels.
- Iron or press articles, fabrics, and furs, using hand irons or pressing machines.
- Hang curtains, drapes, blankets, pants, and other garments on stretch frames to dry.
- Clean fabrics, using vacuums or air hoses.
- Test fabrics in inconspicuous places to determine whether solvents will damage dyes or fabrics.
- Rinse articles in water and acetic acid solutions to remove excess dye and to fix colors.
- Identify articles' fabrics and original dyes by sight and touch, or by testing samples with fire or chemical reagents.
- Start pumps to operate distilling systems that drain and reclaim dry cleaning solvents.
- Immerse articles in bleaching baths to strip colors.
- Spread soiled articles on work tables, and position stained portions over vacuum heads or on marble slabs.
- Dye articles to change or restore their colors, using knowledge of textile compositions and the properties and effects of bleaches and dyes.
- Wash, dry-clean, or glaze delicate articles or fur garment linings by hand, using mild detergents or dry cleaning solutions.
- Mend and sew articles, using hand stitching, adhesive patches, or sewing machines.
