GLOSSARY OF SEWING TERMES

ASSEMBLE (to)

Laying the pattern pieces one onto the other along the raw edges before sewing them together

BASTE (to)

Holding fabrics together temporarily before sewing, with pins or by sewing them together with long-running stitches

BINDING/BIAS

• Cut made 45° to the straight grain, it allows for the most stretch and is sewn easily around curves
• Strip of fabric cut diagonally to the straight grain. Bias binding is useful when binding curved edges like armholes or necklines for instance, but can also be used for cute embellishments

BODICE

Top part of a dress or blouse

BUTTON LOOP

Small string of fabric or thread used as a way to fasten a button

BUTTON PLACKET

Band of fabric used to hold buttons/buttonholes to fasten a garment

CINCH (to)

Decreasing the fullness of a garment at the waist, e.g. with darts

CLIP (to)

Snipping the edge of the fabric to have the seam lay flat

CROTCH

Area going from front waistline through the inseam to the back waistline

DART

Fold of fabric on the garment to substract fullness, especially at the waist. Darts help in garment fitting

EASE

- Amount of space added to a pattern piece to allow for comfortable movements

- For a sleeve, fabric excess of one pattern piece against another

FACING

Piece of fabric sewn along exposed edges to get a nice finish. The facing and the garment piece share the same shape and the facing matches the garment piece

FLARE (to)

Widening a garment

FOLD

Folded edge of fabric to form either hems or finishings

FRENCH CURVE

Tool used when tracing patterns, especially the curved areas

FULLNESS

Volume given to a garment

GARMENT ASSEMBLY

Assembling the different fabric pieces that make a garment

GATHERS

Multiple small pleats on the edge of certain pieces to achieve fullness on those particular pieces

GRADING

Creating a range of sizes for one pattern

GRAIN

The grain runs lengthwise (parallel to selvedges) and widthwise (perpendicular to selvedges). A fabric cut along the grainline will be sturdier and have a better drape when worn because it won’t distort.

Commercial patterns indicate direction of the grain with an arrow that should be parallel to the fabric’s grainline

HALF-BELT

Band of fabric placed horizontally at the front or at the back of a jacket or a coat and hitting at the waistline

INTERFACE (to)

Stabilizing with fusible fabric to prevent the garment piece from being distorted or to add one extra layer. Necessary when your fabric is either thin or lightweight

OVERCAST (to)

Sewing the edge of fabric with a zig-zag stich to prevent fraying

PIPING

Narrow piece of fabric encased in seams. Purely aesthetic, it is a decorative trim coming out of the seam. The most common piping is made with some small cord sewn inside a strip of fabric to visually enhance the seam 

PRESS A SEAM (to)

Making a seam lay flat with the use of an iron

PRESS THE SEAM OPEN (to)

Pressing the seam allowances on each side of the seamline

PRESS THE SEAM TOWARDS (to)

Pressing the seam allowances together to one side

SEAM ALLOWANCE

Distance between the seam and the edge of the fabric

SEAM-RIPPER

Tool used to unpick a seam

SELVEDGE

Finished edge of fabric

SKIRT

Bottom part of a dress or blouse

STITCH (to)

Sewing with a sewing machine

TOPSTICH (to)

Sewing on the right side of the garment, a few mm away of the edge, either as a decoration or as a way to reinforce the seam

WIDTH

Width of fabric between its selvedges

YOKE

Panel of fabric across the shoulders, often cut twice