Sewing Terms Glossary
Listed below is a glossary of basic sewing terms. After each definition are links to the lessons (L#) and patterns (P#) that correlate with that term.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
all-purpose thread: generic, cotton/ polyester thread that is used for most sewing tasks. (L1)
back stitch: a decorative hand-stitch made by stitching forward and back to make a solid line. for machine back stitching, see reverse stitch. (L2, P5, P6)
baste: a straight stitch set to the longest stitch length; used to temporarily keep fabric in place. (L15, L17)
bias: the 45 degree angle on a woven fabric; the greatest stretch. (L3, L14, P9)
bobbin: a small spool/spindle that holds the lower thread on the sewing machine. (L1, L5, L6, L15)
bound edge: a seam finish using bias tape on the raw edge of a seam allowance. (L16)
buttonhole: a slit in fabric for a button to pass through, usually bound with a zig zag stitch to prevent stretching and fraying, but sometimes bound with fabric. (L18, P12)
casing: a tube sewn into fabric, usually using a wide double hem, to hold elastic or a drawstring. (L17)
clean finish: a seam finish done by pressing and sewing the raw edge of the seam allowance under. (L16)
clip: a process used to prevent puckering in the seam allowance; used on corners and curves. (L9, L12, P5, P6, P7, P8)
cutting mat: a large cut resistant board marked with a measurement grid for cutting fabric with a rotary cutter and ruler. (L4)
double hem: a hem folded under twice to hide the raw edge. ( L8, L9, P3, P12)
edge stitch: a top-stitch done right next to the outer edge; a stitch about 1/8″ from a folded or seamed edge. (L16)
fabric shears: a large pair of sharp scissors meant for cutting fabric, dulled by cutting other objects such as paper. (L1, L4)
feed dogs: the metal teeth in the needle plate; help move the fabric through as you sew. (L5)
fray: the unraveling of yarns at the raw edge of a weave material. (L3, P1)
french seam: a seam allowance that completely hides the raw edge between two seams. (L16)
gather: fabric scrunched to make a long piece of fabric shorter. (L15)
grain: the direction of a woven fabric that runs lengthwise, parallel to the selvage; often marked on commercial patterns to indicate which direction to cut the pattern out. (L3)
hem: a raw edge of fabric, turned under and sewn for a finished edge. ( L8)
interfacing:a fabric stabilizer that can be either iron-on (fusible) or sew-in, comes in varying weights. (L8)
iron: a heating tool used to press fabric or remove wrinkles; most irons have varying settings for heat and steam. (L4, L8, P3)
knit: fabric that is manufactured using a knitting machine, using the same method as hand-knitting, has significant stretch. (L3)
ladder stitch: a hand stitch used for binding an edge or closing an opening. (L2, P5, P6, P7, P8)
mitered corner: a clean diagonal joint at a 90 degree corner, sewn from the inner edge to the outer corner before sewn around the edges; used for blanket binding and hemming edges such as cloth napkins. (L9, P3)
needle: referring to the needle on the sewing machine, with an eye for threading at the tip; there are varying types of sewing machine needles used for different sewing purposes. see also hand needle. (L5, L9, P3)
non-woven: fabric that is neither woven or knit, made of small fibers held together with heat, pressure, and sometimes glue. (L3)
notch: in sewing on a curve, a notch is a triangular cut into the seam allowance to prevent puckering; in patterns, a notch is a marking to show where particular pieces should line up. (L12, L13, P5, P6, P7, P8)
notions: any material needed for a sewing project other than the fabric; examples include thread, zippers, elastic, etc. (L13)
overstitch: a seam finish done by sewing a zig zag over the edge of the raw edge of a seam allowance. (L16)
pinked edge: a seam finish done by cutting the edge of a seam allowance with pinking shears to prevent fray. (L16)
pinking shears: a pair of fabric shears that cut in a zig zagged line to help prevent fabric from fraying. (L16)
pivot: a method used to sew around a corner; with the needle down and the presser foot up, the fabric can be turned, or pivoted, to turn the direction of a seam. (L9, L20, P3, P9)
pleat: a fold sewn into fabric that can be used for fitting, or simply as a decorative effect; examples are the knife pleat, inverted pleat, box pleat, and accordion pleat. (L19, P13)
preshrink: laundering fabric according to care instructions before sewing with it, to avoid the final product shrinking in the wash later. (L4)
press: to hold an iron firmly over fabric, lift the iron, and set it back down onto fabric rather than gliding the iron from side to side over the fabric. (L8, L19)
presser foot: the part of the sewing machine that holds the fabric in place as you sew; can be replaced with specialty presser feet such as the zipper foot or the buttonhole foot. (L5, L9, L18, L20, P3)
reverse stitch: a reinforcing stitch made on the sewing machine by stitching in reverse two or three stitches. (L5, L7, P3)
right-side: the front side of the fabric, usually with a more bold color or texture. (L13)
rotary cutter: a round, rotating cutter used with a ruler and cutting mat, most often to cut straight pieces of fabric such as strips or quilt blocks. (L4)
ruler: a clear plastic ruler marked with a grid of measurements to aid in cutting out fabric; used with a rotary cutter and cutting mat. (L4, L14)
running stitch: a hand stitch that runs the thread over and under the fabric in a quick, continuous motion; usually used for basting. (L2, P8)
seam allowance: the space between the stitching of multiple pieces of fabric together and the edge of the fabric. (L7, L13)
seam ripper: a hand-held tool with a sharp point and blade small enough to slip underneath a stitch to cut it. Used to rip out a seam, usually when a mistake has been made. (L1)
selvage (selvege, selvedge): the edges along the length of the fabric that are manufacturer bound and marked; this edge typically does not fray. (L3)
shank: the spacer between a button and the fabric; some buttons come with a shank, others can be “shanked” by wrapping thread under the button several times. (L2)
shears: (see fabric shears)
shrink: some fabrics shrink when washed and/or dried, it’s a good idea to preshrink your fabric before sewing. (L4)
stitch length: an adjustment on the sewing machine that changes the length of stitch; short–>long. (L5, L10, P4)
stitch width: an adjustment on the sewing machine that changes the width of a stitch; narrow–>wide. (L5, L10, P4)
straight pins: pins, sharp at the tip, used to temporarily hold fabric in place as you sew. (L1, L4, L18)
top-stitching: a stitch on the top of a project/garment; usually sewn about 1/4″ from the edge. (L14, P3, P9, P12)
warp: threads running along the length of a woven fabric; compare to weft. (L3, P1)
weave: fabric manufactured with vertical and horizontal yarns weaved in an over-under pattern. Typically non-stretch, unless woven with elastic fibers. (L3, P1)
weft: threads running along the width of a woven fabric; compare to warp. (L3, P1)
whip stitch: a hand stitch that runs through two or more layers of fabric, off the edge, and back through the fabric to create a seam. (L2)
wrong-side: the back side of the fabric, usually with a duller color or texture. (L13)
yarn:
zig-zag stitch: a stitch that jumps from left to right as you sew. (L16, L17, P4, P6, P7, P8)