Tag Archives: sewing terms

Sewing Glossary–Z is for zipper (U-Z)

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Underlining: A lining used to give body to the garment.

Understitching: A method to keep the lining or facing from rolling to the outside of the garment. Press the seam allowance and facing away from the garment and then sew through the two ⅛” from the seam. Press under and tack where needed.

View: Commercial patterns may show several versions of the garment; these are called views.

Walking foot: A sewing machine attachment that helps feed the fabric more evenly when you are sewing extra heavy fabric or several layers. A walking foot is also helpful for slippery fabrics.

Warp: The lengthwise threads of a woven fabric. (lengthwise grain)

Wearable art: Decorative, unique garments.

Weft: The crosswise threads of a woven fabric.

Welt: A way to cover the edges of a pocket; used frequently in tailoring.

Wing needle: Machine needle with flared sides to make large holes for decorative purposes.

Wrong side: Side of the fabric which has no design. Some fabrics have no detectable right or wrong side.

Zig Zag: Special stitch which zigs and zags back and forth. Used to overcast edges and for decoration. Zig zag stitching is used for stretchy knits.

Zipper: A notion with serated teeth used to close a garment.

Zipper foot: Special sewing machine foot which allows the side of a zipper to be more easily sewn.

Sewing Glossary–T is for thread

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Tack: A removable stitch which holds sections together until they can be permanently sewn.

Tailor’s tack: Tailor’s tacks are used to mark pattern pieces. Thread your needle and double the thread. Draw the thread through all layers of the fabric and then snip the thread leaving a long tail.

Tension: Pressure on the bobbin and needle thread of the sewing machine. Both the bobbin tension and the top tension must be correctly set to form perfect stitches. Bobbin tension is adjusted with a screw on the bobbin case and should be the same for most projects; adjusting the bobbin tension is seldom needed. The upper tension is set by a dial and should be adjusted according to your fabric type and thread type. Sewing machine manuals show which top tension to use.

Thimble: A cover to protect the middle finger when hand sewing.

Thread: All purpose thread is good for many projects.
Top stitch: Stitching which shows on the top of the garment; it can be functional, decorative, or both.

Tracing paper: Tracing paper is used with a tracing wheel to mark fabric. Tracing paper for marking has ink which comes off on the fabric where the wheel is traced.

Trim: Ribbons, lace, rick rack and other notions used to decorate the project. Trim also refers to cutting off part off a seam allowance to lessen the bulk of a seam.

Tuck: A sewn fold used for decorative purposes; sometimes tucks are used to adjust the size of a garment.

Sewing Glossary–S is for seam (part II)

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Sloper: A fitting pattern usually made of muslin or gingham. Slopers are adjusted to fit your figure and then the adjustments are transferred to the paper pattern.

Spool: Round cylinder on which thread is sold. Spools were once always wooden, but are now usually plastic.

Stash: A sewer’s collection of fabric. If you sew regularly and your budget allows it, it is a good idea to stock up on basic fabrics.

Stay stitch: A line of stitching placed in the seam allowance before sewing the sections together. Stay stitching is used to stabilize the fabric at necklines and other places so that it will not stretch out of shape. Commercial patterns show the direction in which stay stitching should be stitched.

Stitch in the ditch: Stitching in the seam allowance to hold a seam down.

Stitch length: Most seams require 11-12 stitches per inch; this is set on the sewing machine between 2 and 2.5 mm. Basting requires fewer stitches per inch.

Straight stitch: The standard sewing machine stitch used by modern machines. If you have your grandmother’s old machine it may sew a chain stitch.

Sewing Glossary–S is for seam (part I)

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Satin stitch: A satin stitch is a tightly packed hand embroidery stitch or a short machine zig zag stitch. If your zig zag machine does not have a special satin stitch, simply set the stitch length to nearly 0.

Seam: Where two sections of fabric are sewn together.

Seam allowance: Most commercial patterns have a seam allowance incorporated into them. The seam allowance is the distance between the line of stitching and the edge of the fabric. Most seam allowances are 5/8.”

Selvage: The finished edge of the fabric. Every fabric has two selvages, one on each side. Selvages usually do not fray, however if they are stiff you will not want to include them in your garment. Selvages can pucker when included in a seam allowance.

Separating zipper: Separating zippers come apart at the zipper stop. They are used in sporty jackets.

Serger: A sewing machine which trims the seam allowance and overlocks the edge so that it will not ravel. Sergers use three or four threads to make the seam.

Shank button: A button with a shank so that space is left between the fabric and the button. Shank buttons do not have holes that show on top.

Shrink: Becoming smaller when first washed or when washed in too hot of water.

Sizing: A fabric finish which makes the fabric crisp.

Sewing Glossary–R is for rotary cutter

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Raw edge: A raw edge of fabric is not finished or stitched.

Reinforce: Seams which receive a lot of stretching or tugging need to be reinforced. Examples are crotch seams and under arm seams. Seams can be reinforced simply by sewing next to them or directly on top of them. Delicate or thin fabric can be reinforced with bias tape over the seam. Some sewing machines feature a stretch stitch which sews two or three lines of stitching at once and does not need addition reinforcement.

Right side: The side of the fabric on which the design shows is the right side. In some fabrics this is obvious, but on solid color fabrics without a design it is not. Some fabrics do not have a right or wrong side.

Rotary cutters: A round blade with a handle. Rotary cutters are very useful when cutting through several layers of fabric at one time and quilters generally love them. Used with a ruler or a curved edged template, rotary cutters can really speed up cutting time. They are also easier on the hands and wrists than traditional shears.

Ruler: A measuring stick. Many types of rulers are available to help sewers and quilters cut straight edges.

Running stitch: A running stitch is made by taking even stitches in and out of the fabric. It is used for basting or to mark where a decorative stitch will be placed.

Sewing Glossary–Q is for Quilt

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A beautiful quilt with a stained glass design.
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Quilt: A quilt is two layers of fabric with a layer of batting or other insulation sandwiched in between. To quilt means to sew these three layers to together, usually with stitching which forms a pattern. Quilting may be done by hand or machine.

Quilts or coverlets for the bed may also be tied together; this is an older method. When a quilt is tied to together, the outer edges of the front and back fabrics are first sewn together and then the batting is inserted. A needle is used to run heavy thread through all three layers at certain evenly spaced points and the thread is tied together; this is also known as tacking.

The fabric cover for most quilts is made of fabric pieced (sewn) together in a decorative manner. Quilt patterns can be quite elaborate and some quilts are true works of art. Many cultures have their own quilting traditions.

Quilter: Someone who quilts. There are quilting clubs, magazines, and shows available for people who enjoy quilting.

Sewing Glossary–P is for pattern (part III)

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A standard sewing machine presser foot, used for most sewing tasks.
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Press: Learning to press correctly is a valuable skill for a sewer. You will press several pieces as you construct your project. Seam allowances should always be pressed flat and then open before being crossed with another seam. To press something you press down with the iron briefly, lift it up and then press it down on the next area of the piece you are pressing. Do not make the mistake of ironing, by moving the iron back and forth. Ironing is used to smooth the wrinkles out of fabric, while pressing is used to shape the project.

Presser foot: The regular sewing machine foot which lies on each side of the needle and holds the fabric in place as you sew is called a presser foot. There are many other types of sewing machine feet; the two most likely to be included with your machine are a zipper foot and a button hole foot (or attachment).

Press cloth: A cloth used to cover and protect the surface of the fabric being pressed or iron, so that the iron does not directly touch the fabric. A press cloth can be dampened to add extra moisture as you press. Cheesecloth, muslin, and wool press cloths may be used. Special see-thru press cloths are also available.

Press mitt: A press mitt is placed in sleeves and other difficult to press areas, while you press the fabric over it. As its name implies, the press mitt is used over your hand and it protect you from the heat of the iron.

Princess style: Graceful, flowing style of dress which is made of several sections sewn together. The princess style is also called the A-line style; it flatters most figures.

Sewing Glossary–P is for pattern (part II)

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Pivot: To turn a corner or curve without interrupting the seam, leave the machine needle at the corner point or about mid-way along the length of the curve. Lift the presser foot and turn the fabric in the direction you will finish sewing; then put the presser foot down and continue your seam.

Placket: A placket is an opening in a blouse front, sleeve cuff or side of a skirt. There are two straight band sections which are sewn together at the bottom of the opening. Your pattern will give complete instructions on how to sew a placket.

Pleats: Pleats are decorative folds of fabric, folded towards each other or away from each other. They are sewn in place at the top edge, usually a waist or waist band. Pleats can take the place of gathers in a skirt.

Pounding block: A pressing tool used when tailoring a heavy garment. You use the block to flatten the seams by pounding them as you steam them. This tool is also called a clapper.

Preshrink: Most fabric should be preshrunk before you cut it out and sew it. Preshrink washable fabrics by washing them in the usual way; dry clean only fabrics may be dry-cleaned. You can shrink some dry clean only fabric by using heavy steam from your iron. Hold the iron above the fabric and let the steam do the work; don’t press down. Some fabrics are already preshrunk when you buy them.

Sewing Glossary–P is for pattern (part I)

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Notice the safety pins holding the layers together, as this quilt is being quilted.
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Pattern: The design on a fabric or the paper templates (cutting guides) used to cut out the fabric so that it can be made into a finished product.

Pattern weights: Special, small weights used to hold the pattern onto the fabric. Used instead of straight pins. Some people prefer using pattern weights rather than pinning, because the weights take less time to position and remove.

Pile: Some fabrics such as corduroy and velvet have pile—a noticeable texture which adds to the attractiveness of the fabric. Pile fabrics should be cut according to the with the nap lay out given in sewing patterns.

Pinking shears: Pinking shears have a serrated edge which makes v-shaped notches along the cut edge of the fabric. Pinking seam allowances prevents them from raveling. Pinking the seam allowance of a collar or other curved garment part is a neat substitution for notching the fabric, because it allows the fabric to spread out and curve smoothly, in the same way notches do.

Pins: Straight pins are an essential sewing notion. They are used to pin the pattern to the fabric and to pin baste. Straight pins come in several lengths. Straight pins are sometimes difficult to see in a heavily piled fabric; straight pins with colorful ball heads are easier to see than regular pins. Safety pins may also be helpful, especially when basting quilt layers.

Pin tucking: Rows of narrow vertical folds of fabric sewn in place. Pin tucking is used on blouses and little girls’ dresses for a decorative touch.

Piping: Piping is a cord encased in bias tape; it is used as a decorative edge for pillows, cushions, and other items.

Sewing Glossary–O is for overlock

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Openwork fabrics: Lace and net are open work fabrics. French seams or overedge seams are the best for openwork fabrics and double stitched seams also work well.

Overedge stitch: A stitch which wraps over the edge of the fabric to prevent it from raveling. The same as an overlock stitch.

Overlock: An overlock stitch is very useful for fabric which ravels easily. Some regular sewing machines have an overlock feature. Sergers perform the overlock stitch and trim the seam allowance a the same time.

Overcasting: Overcasting refers to any form of stitch which wraps over the edge of the fabric and helps prevent it from raveling. Many sewing machines have a variety of overcast stitches. Overcast stitches can also be done by hand.