Ready…
Set…
SEW!
Basic Sewing Terms and Definitions
Backstitch
At the beginning, and end of your stitching, a few reverse
stitches on your machine locks your stitches, so they don’t
unravel.
Want it to look
good? Then BACK
that STITCH up!
Running stitch
Hand-sewn stitch that weaves in and out of the fabric,
resulting in a dashed line.
Like walking in a straight line and leaving footprints!
Edgestitch
Straight stitching very close to the edge of a seam, trim,
or outer edge. It secures seam allowances, prevents the
edge from stretching, and supports the fabric.
When you are walking on the edge you are walking on the
outer part of something
Slip stitch
Used to join two folded edges or one folded edge to a flat
surface, for an almost invisible stitch.
Slip your needle into your fabric, slide it through and
repeat above your initial slip to make an invisible seam!
Stitch Width
How wide each stitch can be made, from a narrow stitch to
a wide stitch. The stitch width adjustment gives the
machine the ability to go from a straight line stitch to a
zigzag stitch
Zig-Zag Stitch looks like a ‘W’ pattern!
Woo!
Stitch Length
Length of a stitch determined by the movement of the
feed dogs
The higher the number for your height the taller you are.
The higher the number of the stitch length, the longer
your stitch!
Seam allowance
This is the amount of space between the edge of the
fabric and where you will sew the fabric together.
Seam line
This is the line on which you sew. The straighter this line
is, the more tailored your garment or project will look
Look down at the
side of your leg
right now. You can
SEE the Seam!
Pins should be PERPENDICULAR to the raw edge.
The heads of the pins should be facing OUT!
The head of your pin should be along the outside of your
fabric. Think about roasting marshmallows; the
marshmallow is like the head of your pin!
How to cut
Special Cuts
Trim
To cut away excess fabric
Clip
A small cut into the seam
allowance to allow fabric to bend
at curves and points.
Want to trim weight…you also want to trim fabric!
Clip so you can flip!
Right side of the
fabric
This is the side you see when the garment is finished. This
side may be brighter or smoother than the wrong (or inner)
side.
Wrong side
Usually the inside of a garment or the backside of fabric
The RIGHT side is the BRIGHT side!
Selvage
the part of fabric where you often see manufacturer’s
information, contrasting trim, etc. The selvage does not
fray
Hey what do you say?!
The selvage won’t fray!
Lengthwise grainline
This thread runs the entire length of the fabric and is
parallel to the selvage. When you place a pattern on the
fabric, you align the pattern’s grainline with the fabric’s
lengthwise grain
GrainLine
L-LENGTH
Notches
Pattern marks shaped like diamonds or triangles that are
printed on the cutting line of a pattern to indicate where
the seams should match
If you don’t cut your
NOTCH…you’ll have an
uneven CROTCH!
Raw edge
Unfinished, cut edge of fabric
Hem
This is at the edge of a finished sewing project. Usually it
is folded over at least once and then sewn in place.
Inseam
The inside seam on pants—runs from the hem of the pant
to the point of the crotch
Tracing wheel
An instrument with a smooth-edged, small serrated or
needle-pointed wheel mounted on one end of a handle to
transfer markings onto paper or fabric
Tracing paper
Paper which has been coated on one or both sides with
white or colored wax or chalk—used in conjunction with the
tracing wheel
Seam Ripper
A tool with a small curved blade that has a sharp point on
one end and a plastic tip on the other end that is used to
remove stitches
When a seam is no good, rip it out!
RIP seam!
Sewing
Tape Measures
A tape measure is a must-have tool for sewing. It is a
flexible ruler to allow you to measure your body’s curves.
Hand
Sewing Needles
“Eye” of the needle
Make the correct choice when choosing a hand sewing
needle to eliminate damaging fabric and make the task
easier
Sewing Gauges
Sewing gauges are hand tools for measuring small areas as
you are sewing
Shears
Accurate cutting for any given sewing task helps maintain
accuracy
For fabric only!
The raised handle shape of shears is so you can lay them
flat on the cutting surface and guide your cuts accurately.
Now you have your
very own sewing
dictionary!