Glossary

SEWING GLOSSARY

Making changes to a pattern to provide a better fit or to a garment after it is made, be it hand made or purchased. Altering it changes it from the original form or size - taking it in, hemming it, changing the size in any way. For instance, a theatre may alter stock costumes to fit various cast members, adding seams, taking in seams, letting out seams, etc. Altering is a way to make certain that the garment fits just right.

Sewing a piece of fabric on to another. When done by machine, many use a satin stitch (tight zig zag). By hand, blind stitching is often used or decorative embroidery stitches.

Used at the beginning and end of a machine sewn seam to anchor the seam in place; it involves a couple of extra stitches back and forth. Also a strong straight hand stitch.

Ballpoint needles are designed to penetrate knit fabrics without nicking or damaging the fabric.

Temporary stitching used to hold a sewing project in place and is removed when the permanent sewing is done. Also see tacking.

Runs diagonally to the straight grain of the fabric. This is the stretchiest part on the fabric.

Strips of fabric cut on the bias, often turned under and pressed, and used for bindings, facings, or other application where there is a need for stretch or accommodation to curves. Often found finishing the edge of a blanket or quilt.

Sewing stitch that is not meant to be seen on the right side of the fabric, usually accomplished by picking up one thread of the fabric at a time rather than going through the full fabric to make a stitch. The best finish is done by hand, but many sewing machines come with a blind hem attachment and the manual is the best guide for how to use it and produce virtually invisible hems.

The piece of your sewing machine that holds the bottom thread (the bobbin thread) and is placed in the bobbin case. It generally is under the area the needle penetrates and it loops with the needle thread to form a locked stitch.

The part of the sewing machine that holds the bobbin. In some machines, it's under the needle plate. Some older machines had them next to the needle plate with a clear lid that slides in order to get to the bobbin.

Refers to the part of a garment or pattern that goes from shoulder to waist. Think of a shirtwaist dress - the part that goes to the waistline (usually the part with the buttons) is the bodice. In days of old, the bodice was removable from the remainder of the garment.

100% cotton tightly woven therefore strong  fabric.

Methods vary from person to person, but to clip a curve keep in mind that an outside curve (shaped like an upside down U) needs to be clipped to within a breath of the seam line. An inside curve (shaped like a right side up U) can be either clipped or you can cut very small notches (V shape) out of the curve itself in order to have it lay flat and not make bunches when the project or garment is done. If you use a serger to finish your seams, clipping is not an issue.

On a pattern, the outermost dark line is the line upon which you cut. Traditions vary; some people cut through the centre of this line, others cut just to the outside of this line.

A V shaped, tapered adjustment (usually a fold on the inside of the piece) to a pattern to allow for more fullness in the bust area or less fullness in other areas (waist).

A way of sewing a length of fabric into a bit of a smaller space without resulting in gathers or puckers. Also - Seam addition that allows a garment to fit the body better. See gathering.

A stitch done a scant 1/8" from the folded or seamed edge.

The holder of thread. There are wooden spools, plastic spools, cardboard tube spools, and cone spools, as well as others.

Decorative stitching on the surface, can be by hand, eg blanket or chain stitches, or by machine.

Fabric sewn on the raw edge of a garment piece that is turned under and serves as a finish for the edge as well.

The "teeth" under the plate on the sewing machine that move fabric forward as it is sewn.

Turn under 1/4" and stitch, serge (overlock), or zigzag the edge, or other method of finishing the edge so it doesn't ravel or cause a bulky problem.

Many pattern pieces are placed on the fold of a piece of fabric. This is the actual fold of the fabric off the bolt or a fold of your own creation; the goal is to have a pattern piece that is cut out without a centre seam.

Completely enclosed seam. Used for sheer fabrics or for high couture or strength.

Gathering allows for making a long piece of fabric to fit with a shorter piece of fabric and also is a method of easing a seam to allow insertion of sleeves and other rounded pattern pieces. When making an apron, there is a waistband that is the size of the person's waist, plus some extra for tying the apron around the body. The apron itself usually is gathered, fluffy, almost pleated and has more fabric that flows from the waistband. The apron seam was gathered and then sewn to the waistline. To gather the seam, two parallel lines are sewn on the right side of the fabric, a scant 1/4" apart. Long tails of thread are left for gathering. The bobbin threads (on the wrong side of the fabric) are held on either end of the seam and gently tugged, gathering the fabric evenly on the threads. Do not scrimp and only sew one thread of long length stitches; you will need both. (Gathering and easing are similar, but not the same.)

Elasticity - the fabric gives (as in stretches) a little.

Trimming raw edges in graduate widths to reduce bulk. The narrowest seam edge should be closest to the body, as a general rule.

Direction of the fabric that runs parallel to the selvage (a stretchier grain is found running perpendicular to the selvage). Commercial patterns have an arrow on them <-----> indicating direction of the grain to assist in laying out the pattern pieces correctly.

Fabric that it turned up on the lower edge of a garment or sleeve to provide a finished edge. Often extra fabric is left in the hem with children's clothing to allow for growth (especially skirts and slacks).

Fabric used between layers of fabric to provide stabilization and form. Usually used in collars, cuffs, some waistbands and pockets and facings.

Lining added for warmth.

Used to finish the inside of a garment, to hide the seam construction, to allow for ease of putting a garment on or taking it off, and to provide decorative effect. A lining is cut of the same pattern pieces as the garment and often is made of "slippery" fabrics. It provides a minimal amount of warmth and usually extends the life of a garment. Linings should be washable if the garment is washable and should be prewashed.

Mitreing a corner makes a smooth, tidy finish to a 90-degree corner, neatly squaring the corners while creating a diagonal seam from the point of the corner to the inside edge. Mitreing is used for quilt corners, craft projects, some vests and jackets, and sometimes on collars.

Nap is the "fuzzy" part of a fabric that is usually directional in nature. Corderoy and velvet are good examples of fabric which has a nap or a pile. If smoothed with the hand in one direction, nap is typically shiny in one direction and not shiny in the other. When cutting out a pattern, care should be taken to keep fabric pieces going in the same direction nap-wise unless one is intentionally mixing naps and piles to produce a different kind of look. This also applies to single direction patterned fabrics.

Sewing machine needles come in a variety of sizes and types - ball point and sharps are the two major categories. Ball point is used for knits and regular sharp needles are used for nonstretch fabrics. There are also all purpose needles, but it is recommended that you use ball point or regular rather than all purpose. There are wing needles, wedge needles, needles of varying sizes and shapes, as well as twin needles for some fancier stitching.

Fabric that is not made of thread or yarn. Think suede, leather, etc.

Usually, the notch is shown on a pattern with a dark diamond. They are traditionally cut outward (but for economy can be cut inwards) and should be matched on seams when joining for sewing.

Serger (USA) = Overlocker (UK) 

 A machine that cuts, stitches seams and finishes edges all at once. Can be 3-5 threads. 

                                                                                                             

Pins are used for temporary basting of fabric. They are used to hold patterns in place while cutting and to hold fabrics together while stitching. It is not recommended to machine sew over pins as they have been known to break sewing machine needles, jam the machine, or cause other problems but done with correct, right angle to edge, pinning and sewn with care this should be alright unless the fabric is very tough. Often, large safety pins are used to baste quilt layers before the final quilting. Care should be taken to use a pin that will not leave a large hole and to not leave pins in fabric too long; they could cause stains where they touch the fabric.

 

A fold in fabric that is either inverted or folded outward, is not sewn except on the top edge (as in a skirt or slacks waistband), and provides decorative or functional fullness.

Using an iron in a press/pick up/move/press/... pattern. Pressing is not moving back and forth on fabric with the iron. Pressing is done "as you go" while creating a garment.

The part of the sewing machine that holds the fabric in place as it is being sewn and fed through by the feed dogs. Specialty feet such as zig zag, buttonhole, cording, blind hem, and others are often included with a sewing machine upon purchase and are best learned by consulting the sewing machine manual.

a sleeve that sits flat often used for sweat shirts finished.

The edge of fabric that is not stitched or finished.

The right side of the fabric is the design side. There are instances of fabric with no right or wrong side visible, and the determination and appropriate markings are then made by the person doing the pattern cutting and sewing.

Gathering the fabric, usually in a seam, to provide decoration, accent, or fullness.

A simple stitch made by running the thread over and under the fabric. This stitch is often used for basting or as the basis (marking) for another more decorative stitch.

When two pieces of fabric are sewn together along a line.

The fabric between the edge of the fabric and the line of stitching, about 5/8" for most patterns. (Craft patterns often allow 1/4" seam allowance.)

A tool with a small hook on one end that can slip under a stitch and get close enough to it to cut the stitch. I personally have learned as much about sewing with my seam ripper as I have with making stitches by hand or machine.

 

Serger (USA) = Overlocker (UK)

A machine that cuts, stitches seams and finishes edges all at once. Can be 3-5 threads.                                                                                                               

Often marked with information from the manufacturer (colour code, identifying data, etc.), this is the edge of the fabric which generally does not fray due to manufacturer's finish. In most cases, this edge should not be included when you cut your fabric, as it may cause puckering of your seam later on.

A zip that comes completely apart when unzipped. There is a special tab at the bottom of a separating zipper for bringing it together and starting the zip. Usually seen in jackets, sweatshirts, and wearable art.

The portion of the garment that covers the arm from the shoulder to wrist for long sleeved, shoulder to just below elbow for three-quarter sleeves, and about halfway between shoulder and elbow for short sleeved.

A closure device generally composed of two parts – male and female. The male snaps into the female to hold tight. Snaps can be sewn in or you can use a special snap tool (similar to pliers) to attach pronged snaps to the fabric.

Very small cutting tool somewhat resembling scissors used to snip threads. Not meant for cutting fabric patterns. Usually used with hand sewing or portable projects.

The holder of thread. There are wooden spools, plastic spools, cardboard tube spools, and cone spools, as well as others.

Stretch Stitch= SS

A line of stitching just inside the intended permanent stitching line (seam line) on curved edges that stabilizes and keeps the curve from distorting. The direction of the stay stitching is shown on the pattern. If not, it generally goes from shoulder to centre on necklines. There are other indications for stay stitching, but this is one of the more common. If you do clip curves, use stay stitching first to guide the tip of your scissors - don't cut beyond the stay stitching.

In general, regular sewing is about 11-12 stitches per inch, basting/gathering/bunching/sleeve easing is about 6 stitches per inch (plus or minus 1 or 2 stitches for some applications). There are rare occasions when stitches need to exceed 12 per inch, but they are few. Stitch length for zig-zag is the same as with regular straight stitching; it refers to the number of stitches per inch. The scale varies from machine to machine, so be sure and check your manual. A satin stitch can be created using a zig-zag stitch length of zero.

Stitching made with single stitches moving in a line. This is the regular stitch (the lock stitch) that most sewing machines make and may or may not require a special presser foot.

A temporary stitch to hold pieces together, usually removed after final stitching. Tacking is also known as a term for starting off a seam with a few stitches back and forth for stabilizing.

A long, flexible measuring tape. One of the most used tools in your sewing kit.

Tension is one of the least understood concepts of sewing machines. It refers to the pressure being placed on your needle and bobbin thread by your machine. There are two types of tension on your sewing machine - the thread and bobbin tensions. It is best to read your sewing machine manual for specifics. Rarely does one need to adjust bobbin tension. If the machine is correctly threaded and the top and bottom threads are compatible neither should be seen on the opposite side of the fabric. E.g. if the bobbin thread comes to the top then the tension is set too high so a lower number needs to be selected and if the top thread shows on the underside of the fabric the tension is too low so a higher number is needed.

A complementary or like thread is chosen for garment or project construction on a machine. The bobbin should be wound of the same type of thread or the exact same thread whenever possible, to prevent knotting, bunching, etc. The first step for most sewing machine trouble shooting is to change the thread and needle. When hand sewing with one thread, cut the end of the thread that is nearest to the spool before tying a knot in the same end. This will prevent ravelling and knotting.

A sometimes decorative, sometimes functional stitch that is usually 1/4" from the edge of a seam. It is visible because it is done on the top of the item. For instance, once a vest is turned or a facing to a jacket is turned and pressed, one may stitch 1/4" from the edge on the top of the garment to provide a bit of stabilization. This can be done in same or contrasting thread, depending on the decorative effect one wishes to achieve.

Trim is a general term which includes rick rack, ribbon, laces, fringe, cording, and other decorative items used to embellish a garment. Trim is also used to define the act of trimming excess seam allowances or fabric with scissors.

 

A method of folding and then sewing fabric together resulting in a raised seam, often seen in heirloom sewing, the bodice of a woman's blouse or a man's formal shirt. E.g. pin tucks.

A slightly rounded tip to use for woven or knit fabrics. It is preferred to use a sharp needle for wovens and a ball point needle for knits.

Threads running the length of a woven fabric. Also known as the lengthwise grain (little to no stretch). About 90° from the weft and 45° from the bias. (see weft and grain)

Threads running at 90° angles to the length of woven fabrics (or the width). Also known as the cross grain. It has little stretch and is usually 45° from the bias. (see warp and grain)

The wrong side of the fabric is the side on which there is no or less decorative design, such as a print. There are instances of fabric with no wrong side visible, and the determination and appropriate markings are then made by the person doing the pattern cutting and sewing. Sometimes, people use the wrong side as the right side to mix things up a bit or to accent the right sided design.

Closure device for clothing and accessories which includes interlocking "teeth" that open and close by coming together/interlocking when engaged by pulling up or down a zip pull.

A stitch that goes one way (zig) and then the other (zag) and provides a nice finish to a seam to prevent raveling, can be a decorative addition to any garment, and can allow for give with knits. A very short to non-existent stitch length with zig-zag stitching is the same as a satin stitch. Stitch length for zig-zag is the same as with regular straight stitching; it refers to the number of stitches per inch. The scale varies from machine to machine, so be sure and check your manual. A satin stitch can be created using a zig-zag stitch length of zero.

 

Excerpts (with a few additions and changes to uk terminology) from http://www.thesewingdictionary.com/#abbrev for the full version follow this link