Glossary

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ADJUSTMENT LINE: A “double line” printed on a pattern indicates where alterations/adjustments of lengthening or shortening may be. A vertical or horizontal line indicates the measured distance or space to be adjusted.

BACKSTITCH: The reverse stitch on the machine.
You backstitch by sewing backward and forward at the beginning and end of a permanent seam to reinforce the stitching.

BAR TACKS: Short zigzag cross-stitches form a bar to reinforce buttonholes, ends of pocket openings, fly-zipper openings, and various stress points on a garment.
To make a bar tack, set your machine to a zigzag stitch, and on the designated area of the fabric, make cross zigzag stitches to reinforce that area.

BASTING: Basting is long-running stitches made by hand or machine and is temporary stitches removed upon completion of the permanent stitching. When basting, the ends of the threads are not back stitched or fastened to facilitate easy removal.
You can also use straight pins to baste your fabric. Like hand or machine basting, pin basting holds the fabric pieces together. Pins should be placed for easy removal as you stitch. It would help if you used as many pins as necessary to keep the layers of fabric from slipping.

BUTTONHOLES: Like buttons, buttons holes are both functional and decorative, but their primary purpose is to hold the two sides of a garment together,
There are four basic types of buttonholes:
§ Machine Stitched – can be stitched as a straight or keyhole opening
§ Bound–folded fabric covers the raw edge opening in the garment
§ Loops – are narrow strips of turned bias, with or without filler.
§ Slits – can be cut from leather, plastic, or fabric that will not unravel.
Additionally, you can stitch buttonholes by hand.
Buttonholes for this garment are to be sewn horizontally from the front center line into the garment body. The buttonholes should extend 1/8- (0.3175-cm) inches, past the center front line toward the facing edge.

BUTTONS: Buttons are functional and decorative, but their primary purpose is to hold two sides of a garment together.
There are two basic types of buttons:
§ Sew Through Buttons – have two or four holes for attaching to a garment.
§ Shank Buttons have a solid top and different shanks (wire, fabric, loop, metal, or plastic) to attach to a garment.
Stitch buttons to the left, the centerline of the garment
Sewing the buttons to a garment is known as “setting buttons.”
To set fabric-covered shank buttons:
§ Cut a 40- (10.16-cm) inch strand of thread and fold it in half or use a button twist thread.
§ Using button twist thread, or four strands of regular thread, thread the needle with the thread and tie a knot at the end of the strands.
§ Fasten the thread to the fabric with a “waste knot” about 1- (2.54-cm) inches from the button location and make two backstitches.
§ Pass the needle and thread through the button shank and back into the garment.
§ Insert a stick pin between the shank and the fabric – this will give a small thread stem between the shank and the fabric to make buttoning the garment easier.
§ Pass the needle and thread four or five times through the fabric over the pin to secure the button.
§ Pick up a stitch on the fabric under the button and wrap the thread around the threaded stem several times. Then, fasten the thread under the button.

CASING: A folded-over edge of a garment or an applied strip creates a tunnel section, through which elastic, drawstring, or ribbon is threaded.

CUTTING LINES: The cutting lines on a pattern are the lines you use when cutting out the pattern pieces (first cutting them out of the paper pattern and then cutting them out of fabric.

If a pattern comes in one size only, the cutting line is usually a solid line, and the seam lines, where you would sew on the fabric, are dotted or dashed.

If a pattern comes in multiple sizes, the cutting line uses a different design or style for each size (so a size 8 might be solid lines, a size 10 might be a dashed line, and a size 12 might be dotted lines). When cutting out patterns like these, be sure to cut along the correct line! There generally isn’t a seam line; instead, the pattern instructions tell you how large to make the seams.

DARTS: Used to take up the excess fabric of a determined amount for a specific width and tapers to nothing at one or both ends, used to aid in fitting the garments over body curves.

Dart lines on a pattern are usually diamond-shaped or two lines spread out from one concentric point. The dart lines often have dots to help you line up the stitching.

DIRECTIONAL STITCHING: Directional stitching indicates the direction for stitching seams.
§ Stitch neckline seams from the shoulder/neck area down to the center of the neckline.
§ Stitch shoulder seams from the shoulder/neck to the shoulder tip.
§ Stitch bodice seams from the underarm down to the waist.
§ Stitch skirt seams from the hemline up to the waist.

EASE: Ease is the amount of room a garment has beyond the measurements of the body, which allows for comfortable, non-binding movement when wearing the garment.
There are three types of Ease:

§ Designing Ease – is the small amount of room added to a sloper in certain body areas to allow the person to try on the sloper for fitting comfortably.

§ Negative Ease – is when the final garment measurements are smaller than your body measurements, but the stretch in the knit fabric will provide the wearing Ease.

§ Wearing Ease – also known as “positive ease” is the difference between your actual body measurements and the finished garment measurements, which will almost always be somewhat more significant than your precise body measurements. Wearing Ease allows the wearer to move comfortably without binding/restricting the fabric around the body.

EASE STITCHING: Ease stitching is done by sewing a double row of basting stitches close to the seam line. You pull the basting threads to the desired fullness.

EDGE STITCHING: Edge stitching is about 1/8-inch away from the stitched seam and is used to outline and area and add stability. You edge stitch on the right side of the fabric through all layers.

FABRIC COVERED BUTTONS: Are buttons covered in fabric.

FACING: A facing is a duplicate layer of fabric stitched to the raw edge of a garment to clean finish the seam the raw edges of the garment and to create smooth, flat edges at the neckline, armholes, and center front of the garment, after folding the facing to the wrong side of the garment.

A facing should be invisible on the right side of the garment and typically stitched to the garment fabric, with the right sides of the fabric together. After stitching the facing, understitch along the inner edge of the facing, then turn to the garment’s inside.

FINISHING SEAMS: Finish the raw edges of seams by either trimming the seam allowances to 1/4- (0.635)-inch, then zigzag stitch the raw edges together, or serge and trim the seam allowances to 1/4- (0.635)-inch.

FOLD LINES: Fold lines are just as important as grain lines. On the pattern pieces marked with fold lines (center back panel and the back facing), you cut out the whole pattern piece by placing the pattern against the fold line of your fabric before cutting. If you do not, you will end up with two cut pieces instead of one piece of fabric.

GATHER STITCHING: Gather stitching is a long-running stitch, about 4-1/2 – to 5- (11.43 – 12.7-cm) stitches per inch, similar to the basting stitch. When gathering, leave about 3- (7.62-cm) inches of loose thread at the beginning and end of each row of stitching – you will adjust the fullness of the gathering by pulling the end threads to fit the garment piece.

GRADING: Grading is turning your pattern design into additional sizes using size-specific grading increments. You can grade manually or digitally.
Grading is done in increments to increase or decrease the size of a pattern; the patterns fit a range of sizes according to the desired size specifications.

GRAIN LINES: Grainlines show you how to lay the pattern pieces on the fabric when cutting them out. It is essential to match up the grainline on your pattern to the grain of your fabric so that the garment will hang correctly.
The pattern grainline is the line drawn on each pattern piece (from end to end) to indicate how the pattern should align with the lengthwise grain of the fabric.
There are three types of grain lines:
§ Bias grain – the bias grain gives a great deal of stretch, more than the crosswise grain or the lengthwise/straight grain. The bias grain runs in a diagonal direction. The bias is a line located at a 45-degree angle to the selvage edge. Fabric cut along this line to create strips for piping, bindings, and other trims because fabric cut on the bias is more flexible and easier to shape than fabric cut parallel or at right angles to the selvage. It is unnecessary to cut knit fabric on the bias, as knit fabrics have built-in stretch. When cutting knit fabric for piping or binding, cut the strips out along the fabric with the most stretch.
§ Crosswise grain – the crosswise grain of the fabric is always perpendicular to the lengthwise grain of the fabric from selvage to selvage are woven across the fabric from selvage to selvage. Therefore, the crosswise grain has slightly more give than the lengthwise grain in the fabric.
§ Lengthwise/straight grain -the fabric’s lengthwise, or straight, grain is always parallel to the fabric’s selvage and is at right angles to the crosswise grain. The lengthwise grain is the most stable, as the strongest threads run in the lengthwise direction and have the best stretch.

GRAINLINE ARROWS: Arrows placed at both ends of the grainline indicate the placement direction to lay the pattern piece on the fabric.

GRAINLINE MARKS: A horizontal line with arrows pointing out on either end; line this up with the grain of your fabric as you position your pattern pieces. The grain of your fabric is parallel to the selvage edges.

HAND: The “feel” of a fabric – its flexibility, smoothness, softness, or texture.

INTERFACING: Interfacing provides stabilization to the interfaced areas and should be compatible with the weight or stretch of the garment.

LENGTHEN/SHORTEN LINES: Often, a pattern has two horizontal, parallel lines to indicate the point where you wish to lengthen or shorten the pattern to suit your measurements.

NOTCHES: Notches are the diamond-shaped or castle-shaped marks placed along the cutting lines of a pattern piece. Notches help match up the correct points along a seam line.

Correct use of pattern notches is essential to ensure the tension on a seam line remains taut and the fabric does not stretch when stitched.

Notches to match seams always need to be at right angles to seam allowances – in other words, a straight line, not at an angle.

ON THE FOLD: The fold line is a line with arrows pointing in a particular direction. The “ fold” marking shows where to position the edge of your pattern piece on a fold of your fabric. Cutting on the fold allows you to cut a piece of fabric twice as large as the pattern piece.
Cut the notch outwards in a v shape. If the notch on your pattern points in and cut out from it. If you have a double sewing notch, you can cut two separate “V” notches or cut across, making it one piece. Your pieces will match up as long as you are consistent in your methods.

PATTERN MAKING: It helps you to understand and interpret fashion designs with technical ability. Creating basic designs, referred to as slopers or blocks, allows you to create new designs.

Pattern making is an art. It is the art of manipulating and shaping a flat piece of fabric to conform to one or more curves of the human figure.

PATTERN MARKINGS: After cutting out the pattern pieces, the pattern markings are transferred to the fabric to aid you in sewing the garment.

PIPING: Piping is a trim or embellishment consisting of a strip of folded fabric that forms a “pipe” or tube through which you insert a string or small cord (piping). The piping is attached to a seam as a decorative detail. You cut the strip of fabric on the bias grain, which has more stretch, making the strip of fabric flexible enough to attach around curves and corners smoothly.

PIVOT: Pivoting (turning) the fabric allows you to stitch around a seam curve or angle that provides some shaping to a garment.

To pivot – stitch to the point where the stitch line begins to curve. Lower the machine needle down into the fabric and raise the presser foot. Turn the fabric around the machine needle and continue stitching.

PRESSER FOOT: The presser foot is an attachment for a sewing machine that holds the fabric stable as you stitch the fabric.

PREWASHING FABRIC: Some fabrics shrink after washing. Therefore, you should prewash your fabric to allow for shrinkage before cutting the fabric, following the manufacturer’s prewash and dry instructions.
Before prewashing, fold the fabric in half lengthwise, right sides of the fabric together along the selvage (woven) edges, then baste selvage edges together to prevent the fabric from unraveling along the edges.
Press the fabric after it has dried and before cutting, following the manufacturer’s ironing instructions.

Note: prewashing fabric is only necessary on woven fabrics, not silk, rayon, polyester, or synthetic fabrics. 100% wool fabrics should be taken to the dry-cleaners and steamed pressed to relax the threads and shrink the fabric.

SEAM ALLOWANCE: The seam allowance is the excess fabric needed to sew a seam. The amount of the seam allowance is shown on the pattern pieces.

SEAM/STITCHING LINES: Seam lines are the dashed lines shown on your pattern. The seamline is the line you stitch to join the fabric pieces together.

Seams are stitched with the right sides of the fabric together.

SELVAGE EDGE: The selvage is the narrow, firmly woven, and finished strip on both lengthwise grain edges of the woven fabric. Clipping the selvage releases the tension of the fabric.

STAYSTITCHING: Staystitching is regular machine stitching, stitched on the stitching line (seam allowance) before sewing the garment. Staystitching is used to maintain the garment pieces’ original shape and prevent stretching.

TAILOR’S TACK: To make a tailor’s tack, thread a needle with thread that will show up against the fabric using doubled thread. Next, take one small stitch through the paper pattern and both layers of the fabric at the center of the marking. Leave the thread ends about 3- (7.62-cm) inches long, then take another small stitch in the same place, leaving a loop about 3- (7.62-cm) inches long. Finally, cut off the thread, leaving the ends about 3- (7.62-cm) inches long.
Once you have made your tailor’s tacks and are ready to remove the pattern from the fabric, snip in the center of each loop, then gently remove the paper pattern from the fabric.
Then you will lift the fabric gently and snip through the threads between the two layers of fabric.

TOPSTITCHING: Topstitching is stitching that is about 4/8-inch away from the seamline. You can topstitch in contrasting thread color and a longer machine stitch if you prefer.

TUCKS AND GATHERS: The markings resemble a square missing one line; the dots at the bottom indicate where to pull in the fabric to make it meet in the middle, and the vertical lines and dots at the top point to where to sew your stitches.

UNDER STITCHING: Under stitching is stitching the facing of a garment along the edge of the seam line. Understitching prevents the facing from rolling to the outside of the garment. You under stitch 1/16-inch from the stitched seam along the inside of the facing.

WASTE KNOT: The term “waste knot” refers to a temporary knot used as an anchor for your other stitches. Once you have completed the stitches, trim the waste knot.

ZIGZAG STITCH: Zigzag stitches are machine stitches that have a saw-toothed shape. They can join two pieces of fabric together for a decorative effect or to finish the raw edges to prevent raveling.

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Glossary