Sewing Glossary

All the sewing words a beginner needs to know, simply explained!

Backstitch: to sew a couple stitches forward, then reverse stitch over them to create a series of overlapping stitches. Backstitching at the beginning and end of a seam keeps it from coming apart during wear.

Basting stitch: the longest machine stitch which is used for temporarily joining seams, holding things in place, or marking the locations of buttonholes, pockets, and center fronts. A basting stitch can also be used to control ease in sleeve caps and to make gathers.

Bobbin: a cylinder or spindle made of plastic or metal on which thread is wound and placed in the lower part of a sewing machine. The bobbin thread interlocks with the top spool thread to form a stitch line while sewing.

Bobbin casing: a round metal case, in which a bobbin is placed, which fits into the bottom of the machine and holds the bobbin in place during the sewing process.

Casing: a tunnel of fabric through which a drawstring or elastic is run to shape and gather the fabric in a particular manner.

Edgestitch: stitching close to the edge of a garment.

Gathers: a series of small folds of fabric, held in place by stitches, which add fullness to a garment.

Grainline: fabric is woven when threads are interlaced along the length and width of a loom. The weft threads run the width of the fabric from selvage to selvage and form the crosswise grain; the warp threads run the length of the fabric parallel to the selvage and form the lengthwise grain. These thread working together are referred to as the fabric grain.

Grain Perfection: when the warp/lengthwise threads and the weft/crosswise threads lie at perfect right angles.

Grosgrain Ribbon: a stiff heavy ribbon with distinct vertical ribs.

Hand wheel: the wheel on the right side of a sewing machine that controls the up and down function of the needle.

Pleat: a fold of fabric, that is then folded back on itself to make three layers. Pleats occur vertical to the waistline.

Press: to place the iron on a particular section of fabric and use steam to set the fabric in a permanent state. Allow each pressed section to cool before moving the fabric. Pressing a garment during constriction will result in a professional finished look.

Presser foot: an attachment to a sewing machine which holds the fabric flat and in place during the sewing process and ensures an even stitch line.

Seam Allowance: the portion of a pattern allowed for the seam usually ⅝ inch unless otherwise indicated.

Seamline: the exact line where a seam is stitched to join two separate pieces of fabric together.

Staystitch: a permanent stitch line made through a single piece of fabric, placed along the fabric edge inside of the seam allowance. It holds the grain threads in place and prevents the fabric from stretching. A staystich line on a crosswise edge of fabric requires additional construction.

Straight Stitch: the most basic stitch that interlocks the top thread with the bobbin thread to form a straight line

Selvage: the finished lengthwise edge on either side of woven fabric. The selvage holds the woven threads in place.

Understitching: a row of stitching placed close to the edge of a seam which catches the two seams and sharpens the seam edge.

Zigzag Stitch: a stitch made by the needle moving from side to side to produce a symmetrical zigzag pattern