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!
Special Cuts
ClipA small cut into the seam
allowance to allow fabric to bend at curves and points.
Trim To cut away excess fabric
How to cut
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
FRAY!Hey what do you say?!The selvage won’t fray!
Weft
What the line of thread moving from selvage to selvage is called
In sewing, the weft is mostly referred to as the crosswise grainline
I like to think of it with this rhyme: right to left, weft. Kind of cheesy, I know, but it helps!
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
Make the correct choice when choosing a hand sewing needle to eliminate damaging fabric and
make the task easier
“Eye” of the needle
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!