Sewing Glossary

Also known as armscye. The opening in a garment where you attach a sleeve.

Temporary, loose stitches to hold a seam together before permanent stitches are applied. Can be done by hand or by using the longest stitch length of a sewing machine.

Loop sewn on a garment's waistline, which is used to support a belt.

The diagonal direction of a piece of fabric. 45-degree angle, that falls between the lengthways and crossways grain.

Upper body of a garment.

Opening through which a button is inserted. Can be sewn with a sewing machine with either a buttonhole foot or a normal foot, or by hand. 

The straight, centre line on the front of the body in a sewing pattern and garment.

The straight, centre line in the back of the body in a sewing pattern and garment. 

A small but very sharp chisel to cut through a machine-stitched buttonhole.

Small snips towards the seam line in curved or angled areas, to allow a seam to lay flat along a curve, when turned right side out. For best results, cut close to the seam line but not through it.

Darts are folds, generally shaped like a V, sewn into fabric to provide shape to areas in a garment, such as bust and waist. They are used in fitted garments and with materials without much stretch.

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Wearing or movement ease is the additional space in a sewing pattern and garment added to a person’s body measurements for comfortable movement. Design ease is the additional space to achieve a certain look. The Éclat dress has a negative ease to create a very fitted silhouette.

A simple straight stitch, slightly longer than a normal stitch, but not as long as a baste stitch. Used to create a gather in a fabric, in order to better fit two different-sized pieces together. Most commonly used in sleeves.

Facing is a way to finish the raw edges of a garment and to add structure to areas such as necklines and armholes. It is turned to the inside of the garment, giving the garment a finished and professional appearance.

A sewing technique to create fullness or ruffles. Gathers are created by using a long stitch length on a sewing machine, and then shortening the fabric by gently pulling on the bottom thread. Loosen the top tension on your sewing machine to make gathering easier.

The direction of the threads in a woven fabric. There are three different grains: lengthwise grain, crosswise grain and bias grain.

Lengthwise grain refers to the threads in a fabric which run parallel to the selvage.

Crosswise grain runs perpendicular to the selvedge.

A bias grain is a diagonal grain at a forty-five-degree to the lengthwise and crosswise to the fabric. The bias has more stretch than the other two, so garments cut on bias hang differently. There are designs that are intended to be cut on bias to look more flattering, for example some silk or satin slip dresses. 

Hem ​refers to the bottom edge of a garment. There are different ways to finish the raw edges of the bottom of a garment. Hems are often folded up towards the inside of the garment, either with a single or a double fold, to create a neat and even finish where no raw edges can be seen.

The distance from the raw edge of the fabric to the hemline. In other words, the amount of fabric turned under in a hem. The typical seam allowance in my sewing patterns is ⅝" (1.5 cm), whereas the hem allowance is usually always a bit longer, due to the fact that it is folded up twice to create a neat and professional looking hem.

A small fastener used at either single point of a garment opening or to fasten an entire opening, instead of buttons or a zipper.​

An additional layer of fabric used on the wrong side of a fabric, to give structure and support in areas such as necklines and collars. Can be either sewn-in or fusible.

A special type of sewing machine zipper foot used to sew in invisible zippers. It allows the needle to stitch closer to zipper teeth than a regular zipper foot would.​

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Alignment markings to help line up the garment pieces. They come in pairs and must be matched up.

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A type of sewing machine that can trim and overlock raw edges. Has at least two threads. Also known as a serger.

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Many fabrics shrink when washed for the first time. Preshrinking means washing and drying the fabric the same way that the finished garment would be washed and dried. It prevents the finished garment from getting distorted when washing it afterwards.

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The unfinished cut edge of the fabric. If a raw edge is left unfinished, the fabric might fry. Raw edges are usually finished with either overlocking, pinking, overcasting, or with the turned under seam finish.

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On most fabrics, the right side is the front of the fabric. Some fabrics might have both sides identical with no right or wrong side. See also wrong side.

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A type of sewing machine that can trim and overlock raw edges. Has at least two threads. Also known as an overlocker.

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A type of stitch used for reinforcement.

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A firm cushion that is used as a curved mold when pressing curved areas of garments, such as princess seams or sleeves. It allows a garment to better fit the curves of the body. Also known as dressmaker’s ham.

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Line of stitching on the outside of a garment. Can be either decorative or functional.

A test garment made from an inexpensive fabric, before cutting and sewing the actual and often more expensive fashion fabric. A toile helps determine if the chosen size works, and if any alterations are needed. Also known as muslin.

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A technique used for creating professional-looking finishes on facings. Helps to secure facings in place and makes them look neat.

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On most fabrics, the wrong side is the back of the fabric. It usually appears slightly different in colour, has a slightly duller sheen or might be rougher in texture. Some fabrics might have both sides identical with no right or wrong side. In case you like the ‘wrong’ side better, you can usually use that instead.

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A type of geometric side to side stitch used for seam finishing or sewing stretch fabric, or where a straight stitch will not suffice, such as in reinforcing buttonholes.

A special type of sewing machine foot used to sew in zippers. It allows the needle to stitch close to zipper teeth.