Sewist? Not Me!

Strips for a rag rug and my trusty Singer 99-K

I've become aware of the term, "sewist", since joining a couple of sewing groups on Facebook. "Sewists" object to describing themselves with traditional nouns like seamstress or tailor (too limiting and sexist) or sewer (too easily confused with a sewage drain.)

First, let's talk about sewers, the people who sew. Anyone with low-average or better reading skills should know the meaning and pronunciation of "sewer" by its context. If people truly are confusing you, a person who sews, with a sewage drain, it says something about them, not about you. Either they aren't native English speakers, or they're cruel, stupid, and/or ignorant.

Now, on to "sewist." I have an instinctive dislike of  "sewist", based on 66 years of speaking English as my native language. Here's why. In English, most words ending with -ist are built on nouns, like these: 

• Therapy/therapist
• Race/racist
• Botany/botanist
• Atheism/atheist 
• Violin/violinist 
• Bicycle/bicyclist
• Colony/colonist
• Hygiene/hygienist
• Cartoon/cartoonist
• Piano/pianist
• Nutrition/nutritionist
• And so on...

And then we have some words ending with -ist that are built on adjectives. A few examples:

• Environmental/environmentalist
• Real/realist
• Federal/federalist
• General/generalist
• Special/Specialist
• National/nationalist
• And so on...

But English doesn't take verbs like "sew" and make them into nouns by adding "-ist." Every rule has its exceptions, but I can't think of even one example of that construction -- except for "sewist," if you want to call it a word.  (Update: the word typist has occurred to me, but type can be a noun as well as a verb, so it's not a perfect parallel to "sewist." Sew is always a verb.)

To test your instincts for the unwritten rules of the English language, here's a list of some verbs that can be made into nouns by adding a suffix.  Which would you choose? I hope this demonstrates why I think "sewist" is a silly, contrived word.

• Own: owner or ownist? 
• Rent: renter or rentist? 
• Jog: jogger or joggist?
• Make: maker or makist?
• Use:  user or usist?
• Run: runner or  runnist? 
• Bake: baker or bakist? 
• Preach: preacher or preachist? 
• Talk: talker or talkist? 
• Walk: walker or walkist? 
• Write: writer or writist? 
• Drive: driver or drivist? 
• Employ: employer or employist? 
• Clean: cleaner or cleanist? 
• Serve: server or servist? 
• Fight: fighter or fightist?
• Wash: washer or washist? 
• Build: builder or buildist?
• Hate: hater or hatist?
• Kill: killer or killist?
• Dance: dancer or dancist?
• Listen: listener or listenist?
• Think: thinker or thinkist?
• Observe: observer or observist?
• Read: reader or readist?
• Sell: seller or sellist? 
• Teach:  teacher or teachist?  
• Love: lover or lovist?
• Plan: planner or plannist?

Let me be clear.  I don't like the word "sewist."  It looks and sounds unnatural and incorrect. But I'm not opposed to using an inclusive word for people (men or women) who sew as a hobby.  I think of myself as a fabrics crafter, because I like to sew, quilt, make rag rugs, collect fabric, etc. It's an inclusive term. Get some fabric and you can be a fabrics crafter, too.

And if you don't want to be a crafter, quilter, tailor, seamstress, or sewer, why not be a seamster? That's a genuine English word with a long and honorable history.