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05-06

Glossary of Sewing Terms

F ashion designers and seamstresses seem to have a

vocabulary all their own. The following list is a col-
lection of the more common terms used to describe
the silhouettes, styles, and details of clothing design, as well
as fabric qualities, notions, and construction procedures.
Having a working knowledge of these terms will increase
your confidence when discussing and constructing gar-
ments.
A-line – Dress or skirt resembling the shape
of an A.

Alter – To change the pattern or garment so

that it fits the body and represents
body measurements and propor-
tions.

Extension Family Development

Applique – A cut-out decoration, design or mo-
and Resource Management Specialists tif applied to base fabric.

Armscye – Armhole; opening for a sleeve.

Asymmetrical – One-sided, not geometrically bal-

anced.

Baste – Stitches made by hand or machine

to hold fabric pieces together tempo-
rarily.

Bias – Diagonal direction of fabric. True

bias is at a 45-degree angle to the
grain line.

Binding – Strip to encase edges as a finish or

trim.

Blind hem – Sewing a hem invisibly with hand

or machine stitches.
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Blouson – Bloused effect of fullness gath- Dart – A tuck in the fabric that helps
ered in at and falling over a in fitting the garment over the
seam, typically the bodice over body curve.
a skirt.
Dolman – Sleeve set into a deep armhole
Bodice – Portion of garment above the so as to resemble a kimono
waist. sleeve.

Bolt – Unit in which fabric is packaged Double-breasted – Front closing that overlaps
and sold by the manufacturer. enough to allow two rows of
Usually contains 12 to 20 yards. buttons.

Boning – Flexible strips used to stiffen Drum lining – Lining not sewn into garment
seams or edges. seams.

Casing – A folded-over edge of garment Ease – The even distribution of slight

or area through which elastic or fullness when one section of
ribbon is threaded. a seam is joined to a slightly
shorter section without forming
gathers or tucks. Used to shape
Chevron – V-shaped stripes.
set-in sleeves, princess seams,
etc.
Clean finish – A method for finishing the
raw edges of pockets, hems or
Edge stitching – Stitching placed 1⁄16 inch from
seams.
the edge; may be stitching
detail, such as topstitching or
Clip – A cut in fabric to allow ease on stitching done to finish the outer
curves or corners. Also used to edge of a seam or facing edge.
indicate notches in pattern.
Empire – High waistline bodice with a
Closure – That which opens or closes a loose, straight skirt.
garment (buttons, snaps, etc.,
or the area on which they are
Enclosed seam – A seam allowance along a faced
placed).
edge that is stitched and turned
to form an enclosed seam be-
Colorfast – Fabric that will not fade or run tween two layers of fabric.
during cleaning or laundering.
Eyelet – Small, round, finished hole in a
Contrasting – Opposing; showing off differ- garment or fabric.
ences of color, fabric, shading,
etc.
Fabric hand – The way a fabric feels and
drapes; its flexibility, smooth-
Crease – A line made by folding the fab- ness and softness.
ric and pressing the fold on this
specified line.
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Facing – To finish an edge by applying Grade – To reduce the bulk of enclosed

a fitted piece of fabric, binding, seams by trimming the individ-
etc. Also the right side of the ual seam allowances different
fabric. widths, clipping inward curves
and corners, notching convex
curves, and trimming away ex-
Fell stitch – Neat, tiny, vertical stitches used
cess fabric at outward corners.
in tailoring.

Grosgrain – Silk fabric or ribbon having

Finger press – Pressing a small area by creas-
heavy crosswise ribs.
ing with the fingers.

Gusset – A fabric piece inserted at the un-

Finish – Any means of completing a raw
derarm to give ease in the sleeve
garment edge to keep it from
area.
raveling, rolling or fraying.

Hem – The finished portion on skirts,

Flap – Shaped garment piece attached
jackets and sleeves held in place
by only one edge, such as a flap
with a hemming stitch.
pocket.

Interfacing – A carefully selected fabric

Flare – Portion of garment that spreads
placed between the garment
out or widens.
and the facing fabric for added
body, to give support, and to
Fly – Fabric used as lap to conceal an maintain shape.
opening in a garment.
Join – A term used in pattern direc-
Fold line – The line where fabric is folded, tions that usually means to
usually vertically, when cutting stitch together the pieces re-
out a garment. It is common for ferred to using normal seam
the center front of a garment to allowances and regular stitches.
be placed on a fold line.
Keyhole – Rounded neckline with an in-
Fusible web – A web-like adhesive that melts verted, wedge-shaped opening
when you apply heat and mois- at front or back.
ture.
Lap – To fold or extend a garment
Gather – To draw up fabric fullness on a piece over another.
line of stitching.
Lapels – Part of a garment that turns
Give – The amount of stretch on fabric back, especially the front neck-
that yields to pressure without line fold of a jacket.
tearing or breaking.
Layout – Cutting chart on instruction
Gore – Tapered section of a garment; guide sheet showing the place-
wider at the lower edge. ment of pattern pieces.
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Line – Style, outline or effect given by Pin basting – Pinning seams before stitching.
the cut and construction of a
garment.
Pinking – Cutting raw edges with pinking
or scalloping sheers to prevent
Marking – Transfer of construction sym- raveling.
bols from paper pattern to
fabric.
Pintuck – A narrow channel of fabric
stitched together to form tuck
Match – To bring notches or other design detail, used in french
construction markings on two hand sewing.
pieces together.
Pivot – Stitching around a corner by
Miter – To form a diagonal seam at a leaving the needle in the fabric,
square corner. raising the presser foot, and
turning the fabric in a new di-
rection.
Motif – Unit of design; used as decora-
tion or pattern.
Placket – Garment opening fastened with
zipper, snaps or buttons. Finish
Nap – Soft surface with fibers that lie
applied to sleeve opening with
smoothly in one direction.
cuff.

Notch – Cutting wedges from seam al-

Pre-shrink – Washing/dry-cleaning fabric
lowances of an outward curve.
to allow for shrinkage of fabric
Also a pattern symbol trans-
before construction.
ferred to fabric to indicate seam-
ing.
Princess line – Garment fitted with seams in-
stead of darts.
Notions – Items other than fabric or a pat-
tern required to complete a gar-
ment, such as buttons, thread, Ravel – To fray.
zipper, etc.
Raw edge – Unfinished edge of fabric.
Pattern markings – The symbols for construction
printed on the pattern, such as
Right side – Finished side of fabric, outside
for darts, buttonholes, notches,
of garment.
dots or tucks. They are trans-
ferred from the pattern to the
fabric by means of tailor’s tacks, Rip – To remove stitches improperly
notches, chalk, basting or tem- placed; also tearing fabric along
porary fabric markers. the straight grain.

Peplum – Small flounce or extension of Roll – Desired curve and fold (com-
garment around the hips, usu- monly on a collar); shaping
ally from the bodice. established by pressing, pad
stitching, etc.
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Seam – Two or more edges of fabric Silhouette – Outline or contour of a figure or

held together by sewing. Seam garment.
should be well constructed and
appropriate for the fabric, type
Single-breasted – Center front closing with
of garment, and the location on
enough flap to allow one row of
the garment.
buttons.

Seam allowance – Width of fabric beyond the seam

Slash – Cut taken in fabric to facilitate
line, not including the garment
construction or turning of fabric
area.
at a point or corner.

Seam binding – Ribbon-like tape used to finish

Slip stitch – A hand stitch used to join two
edges.
layers of fabric from the right
side.
Secure – Fasten permanently by means of
a knot, backstitching, etc.
Stay – Means of maintaining the shape
of a garment area, by using a
Self fabric – Of the same material as the rest small piece of fabric or tape that
of the garment. is sewn to an area of the gar-
ment to reinforce and secure a
position.
Selvage – Lengthwise finished edges on
all woven fabrics. Running par-
allel to the lengthwise grain. Stitching in The technique of sewing a
the ditch – straight stitch inconspicuously
in the seam well on the correct
Semi-fitted – Fitting to conform partly, but
side of a previously stitched
not too closely, to the shape of
seam. Used to complete waist-
the figure.
bands, cuffs, collars, and french
bias binding.
Serger – A machine that overcasts and
trims an edge simultaneously.
Tack – Joining two garment layers with
small, loose, hand stitches or
Shank – Link between button and fabric thread loops.
to allow for the thickness of
overlapping fabric.
Tailoring – Construction technique requir-
ing special hand sewing and
Sheath – Close-fitting dress with a pressing to mold fabric into a
straight skirt. finished garment.

Shirtwaist – Dress with bodice details simi- Taper – Cutting or stitching at a slight
lar to a shirt. diagonal, generally to make
gradually smaller.
Shrinking – Constricting fabric with steam
or water to eliminate excess in a Template – A shape made of a stiff sub-
specific area. Also done to fabric stance, such as freezer paper,
before cutting out a garment to usually the size of the finished
prevent further fabric shrinkage. design. (i.e., pocket, applique
shape or quilt pattern)
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Tension – Amount of pull on thread or Underlining – Lining joined in garment seams

fabric during construction. that is used to give shape or
Also the relationship of the support.
needle and bobbin thread and
how they interlock to form the
Understitching – Folding the entire seam allow-
sewing machine stitch, creat-
ance to the facing side or under-
ing a balanced, looser or tighter
side and then stitching on the
stitch.
correct side of the facing close
to the seam edge. This allows
Thread count – Number of threads in 1 square the seam to lie flat and keeps the
inch of fabric. seam edge from showing on the
correct side of the garment.
Topstitching – Line of machine stitching paral-
lel to a seam or edge, done from Vent – Faced or lined slash in a gar-
the right side of a garment. ment for ease.

Trim – To cut away excess fabric. Welt – Strip of material stitched to a

seam, border or edge.
Trimming – Feature added to a garment for
ornamentation, such as braid or Wrap-around – Garment or part of a garment
self fabric. wrapped around a person, such
as a skirt.
Turnover – A garment section, usually a col-
lar or cuff, that folds back upon Wrong side – The inside of a garment or back
itself. side of fabric.

Twill tape – Firmly woven tape used for tai- Yoke – Fitted portion of garment, usual-
loring to reinforce and prevent ly at shoulders or hips, designed
stretching. to support the rest of the gar-
ment hanging from it.

This publication was adapted from “Garment Construction Terms” by Cynthia Klumpp,
Master Clothing Volunteer Coordinator, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas.