TOPIC 1

Design Terminologies
Bust Circle, Bust Point and Pivot Points
Methods of Pattern Making
Pattern Symbols
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Armscye
Garment’s armhole
Apply
To sew or attach one garment part to
another
Asymmetrical Designs
Garments that are not identical on the left
and right sides
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Backing
Lightweight material applied to the wrong
side of the main fabric
Then the two are handled as one
Back tack
To secure thread at the beginning and end
of machine stitching
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Band
Straight or shaped extension stitched to the
raw edges to finish the raw edge
These include cuffs, waist bands and band
collar
Bias
Any direction of the fabric that is not on
the lengthwise or crosswise grain . True bias
is a line at a 45 degree angle to the
lengthwise grain
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Bias Facing
Narrow bias cut strip used to finish the raw
garment edge
Generally applied to the wrong side but can
also be applied to the face of the fabric
Binding
Narrow strip of material or trim that
finishes the edge by enclosing the raw edges
Visible on both face and wrong sides
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Breakpoint
The beginning of the roll line on the
garment front where the revers or lapels
begin
Casing
Fabric or thread tunnel through which
elastic or draw string is threaded
Casing can be applied or cut in one piece
with the garment part
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Copy or knock off
Adaptation of another company’s designs-
generally a more expensive garment
Crimping
Procedure for forcing more fabric into
individual stitches
Croquis
A sketch of a design idea
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Cut parts
All parts that must be cut for a garment
Cut to order
The process of cutting garments that have
been ordered by a specific buyer
Cutter’s ease
Amount of space between pattern pieces to
allow the cutter the freedom to turn and
move the cutting knife in order to cut
accurately without cutting into any other part
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Drafting
Method of making patterns using body
measurements
Draping
Method of making patterns using muslin on
a dress form
Drill holes
Common internal marks to indicate ends of
darts and tucks and pocket placements
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Easing
Process of sewing a longer section to a
shorter section smoothly
Edge stitching
Raw of machine stitching close to a
seamline or garment edge
Edge finish
Method such as facing, hem or binding for
finishing the raw edges of a garment
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Fall
Part of the collar that turns down over any
stand
Finishing
Operations such as trimming, top pressing,
adding hand tags and finishing
Flat pattern making
Pattern making method using Sloppers or
blocks to create new designs
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Fuse
Join two or more layers with heat and pressure
Gauntlet
Decorative binding on the overlap edge of a
tailored placket
Grading
Method for increasing and decreasing patterns
proportionately from one side to another in
order to make a complete range of sizes
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Interlining
Support materials used to stabilize and
support the design
Lining
Lightweight material used to support all or
part of a garment’s wrong side
In the Industry, the term is used to describe
backings and underlining
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Marker
Full scale layout of all pattern pieces to be
cut from a single lay
Lay /spread
Stack of fabric plies superimposed one on
top of another
Material utilization
Percentage of material used in the garment
components
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Notching
Method for marking edges of garment
parts so they can be joined accurately.
Off grain
Fabric defect when the filling yarns are not
perpendicular to the selvedge or fabric edge
On grain
Fabric produced with filling yarns
perpendicular to the selvedge or fabric edge
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Overlocking
Edge finish/ seam finish made by an overlocker
/serger
Used:
To prevent raveling of seams
For decoration on the face of the garment

Placket
Any garment opening
Ply
Single fabric layer
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Raw edge
Cut edge of the fabric
Ripping
Removal of stitching
Seam
Line generally sewn that joins two or more
fabric layers
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Separates
Individual garments such as pants, jackets, skirts
and blouses in a variety of styles and fabrics
May or may not be coordinated with other
separates
Silhouette
Outline of a garment
Spot tack
To secure thread ends inconspicuously by
stitching several times in one place
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Seam slippage
Fabric damage when yarns pull away from
the stitching lines because of pressure
Seam crack
Stitching defect in which the stitches are
broken and that causes the seam to unravel
or come apart
Seam grin
Stitching defect caused when threads are
loose
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Seam pucker
Stitching defect caused when one or more
threads are tight
Stay stitching
Raw of stitching used to stabilize an edge ,
rarely used in mass production
Tolerance
+ or – (plus or minus) amount that garments
can differ from established specifications
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Top stitching
Raw of stitching that shows on the face of
the garment
Trend setting
Designs that influence other designs
Trim
The process of cutting away some material
during the construction process
 DESIGN TERMINOLOGIES
Trimmings
Materials such as elastic, seam binding, ribbons,
decorative trims used in garment construction
Under stitching
Stitching on enclosed seams to prevent the seam
from rolling to the face side
Vent
Opening at a hemmed edge used on skirts,
jackets and sleeve hems
BUST CIRCLE, BUST POINT and
PIVOT POINTS
 BUST CIRCLE
Encloses area of the pattern that covers the
bust
Use a pair of campus to construct bust circle
Different size ranges use different radii for the
bust circle
For sizes 8 , 10 and 12, the radius should be 1.5
inches
For sizes 14, 16 and 18, the radius should be
between 2 to 2.5 inches
Note that 1 inch = 2.5 cm
 BUST POINT
Is the focal point for dart manipulation in the bodice
front
Fitting darts radiate out from the bust point and can be
moved around the bust from seamline to seamline
Locate bust point as follows:
Draw lines through the middle of each dart and extend the
lines until they intersect.
 The point of intersection is the bust point or pivot point

Extend the centre line and of the waist fitting dart .

Extend the top line of the bust fitting dart .
 The point of intersection is the bust point
 PIVOT POINTS: BODICE BACK
Each dart for the BB has got its own pivot
point because there is no well defined
position for the pivot point

The pivot point is about 1.5 inches away

from the tip of the dart and is in line with
the middle of the dart
 PIVOT POINTS: SKIRT
Locate pivot point half way between the tip of
the dart and the hipline
Place it directly in line with the middle of each
dart
If more than one dart is present, locate pivot
point for each dart
If the two darts are to be moved by pivoting or
slashing, a common pivot point should be
established midway between the two darts
 PIVOT POINTS: ELBOW

Locate the pivot point 1 inch (2.5 cm)

from the tip of the elbow dart
 METHODS OF PATTERN MAKING
Drafting
Method of making patterns using
measurements
Draping
Method of making patterns using muslin on a
dress form
Flat Pattern
Method of using commercial pattern pieces
(Sloppers/blocks ) to create new designs
END

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