Sewing Techniques and Other
Terms
6th Grade Notes
Fabric
• Right Side – the printed or “bright”
side of the fabric – the good side, the outside
• Wrong Side – the dull or bad side of
the fabric – the inside
Fabric
• Raw– The unfinished edge of
fabric – unravels easily
• Selvage– The tightly woven
edge of fabric – will not unravel
Stitching
• Straight Stitch – medium length – 10-15
stitches per inch – use for most purposes
• Zigzag – sideways stitch used for
button holes and to finish seam edges
Techniques
• Seam– two pieces of fabric
sewn with right sides together
• Hem– method of finishing in
which fabric is folded under and stitched in place
Techniques and Other Terms
• Backstitching– technique of stitching
over ½ inch of a seam at each end to lock the stitching in place
• Seam Allowance– the fabric between the
seam line and the edge of the fabric
Other Terms
• Trimming/Clipping – cutting away extra seam allowance or corners