learning: A-Z of Sewing terms
Our quick-reference guide to sewing terminology.
Appliqué A cutout design that’s sewn to another piece of fabric for decoration.
Backstitching Sewing back and forth over the same stitches to lock a line of sewing (either at the beginning or end).
Bias Runs diagonally to the straight grain – fabric cut on the bias has more stretch.
Basting Large, temporary stitches sewn (by hand or machine) to hold elements in place.
Binding A strip of fabric that encases the raw edges of another piece of fabric.
Chiffon A light, sheer fabric in plain weave.
Cotton A fabric commonly used for quilting and garments, cotton is hard-wearing and washes well.
Darn To repair a hole by using stitches going back and forth that fill the hole.
Dart A V-shaped, tapered adjustment to a pattern to allow for more fullness in the bust area or less fullness at the waist or back.
Embellish To add special stitching, appliqués or other decorations to your sewing project.
Facing Fabric sewn on the raw edge of the garment piece, which is turned under and serves as a finish for the edge as well.
Fat quarter A quilting term on fabric. A fat quarter is a ¼ yard of fabric, about 18x22in, as opposed to a regular ¼ yard, which is 9x45in.
Feed dog the ‘teeth’ under the plate on a sewing machine that move the fabric along.
Finish (an edge) To turn under 0.5cm and stitch or serge the edge so that it doesn’t fray or have too much bulk.
Fold line A note on a pattern that indicates where pieces should be placed on the fold of a piece of fabric.
Fuse A way of bonding two pieces of fabric using the heat of an iron to melt a central fusable material.
Free motion Generally a quilting technique that involves lowering the feed dogs (or covering them) and sewing with total free movement of the fabric.
Gathering A method of easing a seam to allow insertion of sleeves and other rounded pieces.
Grain The direction of the fabric that runs parallel to the selvedge.
Hem An edge that’s turned under to the inside of a sewn item, and sewn down.
Interfacing An unseen addition to various parts of a garment, which adds stability that the fabric alone wouldn’t add.
Jersey As a knitted fabric, jersey is very elastic with good draping qualities.
Linen Made from natural fibres, linen is a light, breathable fabric. Though prone to creasing, it’s primarily used in garments.
Notch A notch is shown on a pattern with a dark diamond. They’re commonly cut outward and should be matched on seams.
Overlock An overcast stitch to prevent the fraying of fabric edges. You can use a zig-zag stitch to achieve the same effect.
Polyester A synthetic material that’s both lightweight and strong. It washes well and is resistant to creasing shrinking or stretching.
Pressing A different process to ironing - gently lift and press the iron onto your fabric instead of running it across the fabric, to avoid distortion to the grain.
Right side The right side of the fabric is the side the design is on. Sometimes, a fabric has no discernible right side, so then it’s up to the sewer to decide which is the right side.
Rotary Cutter A cutting tool used in quilting to cut fabric instead of scissors. Shaped like a pizza cutter, it’s perfect for cutting long strips of fabric or many layers at once.
Satin Characterised by its lustrous surface and dull back, satin comes in a variety of weights and qualities.
Satin stitch A zig-zag stitch with a shortened width that form a continuous, solid white line.
Seam allowance The area between the stitching and raw edge of the fabric.
Stash A collection of fabric, threads, tools and more, which you need for sewing projects.
Stay stitch A line of stitching just inside (about 1/8in) the intended permanent stitch line on the curved edges, which stabilises the curve.
Selvedge The edges of the fabric printed with the manufacturer’s information.
Stitch in the ditch A method of stitching close to a seam allowance or in the seam itself, often used in quilting.
Top stitch A decorative or functional stitch that’s usually around 0.5cm from the edge of a seam and visible on the right side of your piece of sewing.
Tension Your sewing machine has 2 types of tension – the thread and bobbin tensions. The tension must suit both your thread and fabric to prevent stitches from puckering.
Tack To sew a few stitches in one spot, by hand or machine, to secure two items together, often temporarily.
Walking foot An attachment for your sewing machine that enables smoother sewing when quilting several layers of fabric together.
Warp The threads that run the length of a woven fabric.
Weft The threads that run at right angles to the warp – also known as the cross grain.
Wrong side The side of the fabric that has no design or that you don’t want facing outwards.
Zig-zag stitch A stitch a stitch that goes one way (zig), then the other (zag), providing a nice finish to a seam to prevent fraying. It can also be used as a decorative stitch.
