I want to make a sewing terms sheet to send with my patterns and to have available online. I remember when I first started sewing, I had to search so many terms to figure out what they meant! I want to make it easy and try to put the basic terms in one place. This would not only be good for beginner sewers, but others for whom English is not their first language. The other week one of my friends called me asking me what certain terms were on this sewing pattern because she was used to hearing the terms in her first language. Here is what I thought of so far that I had to look up or am asked about frequently via email:
Gather
Baste
Raw Edge
Right side of fabric
Wrong side of fabric
Shirr(ing)
Casing
Zig-zag Stitch
V-Stitch
Finish seam
Top stitch
Any other sewing terms you can think of?
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Corie @ Red Letter Rising says
June 26, 2010 at 11:34 amAs someone who longs to sew but has no machine, I’m definitely a beginner. Just show me a pattern and I’ll tell you every word I don’t understand!
JB Kronborg says
June 26, 2010 at 12:25 pmHahaha. I second Corie’s comment, but also: selvage!! What the heck?
sheabella says
June 26, 2010 at 12:28 pma few that come to mind….dart, selvage, bias
😉
Garilyn says
June 26, 2010 at 12:44 pmFrench seam was something I had to look up. I have to think about this somemore.
SummersDesigns says
June 26, 2010 at 1:13 pmWhen I started sewing I really didn’t know any of the terms and still don’t know them all, thank goodness for internet! Here are some: bias, ease, and dart
SAMZE says
June 26, 2010 at 2:12 pmbias & grain.
Katie says
June 26, 2010 at 2:49 pmclip and notch are words I had to look up the first few times. I may be dense, but it did take me a few patterns to understand what ‘finish all seams’ meant too.
megan.futo says
June 26, 2010 at 3:55 pmI dont know if a French seam is the same a Finish seam, but I just recently sewed a dressed that called for a french seam and I had to search and search for a good description for a french seam.
Anonymous says
June 26, 2010 at 9:25 pmrouched
Erin says
June 27, 2010 at 12:00 amruched? I am still confused on the difference between ruched/gathering/shirring … they’re kind of the same thing, right?
Momma Knits says
June 27, 2010 at 7:48 amidentifying the grain of the fabric… I get the whole grain thing, but which way does it go? How do you know? does it really make a difference?
Jackie says
June 27, 2010 at 8:32 amselvage, and cutting on the grain or bias, i have been sewing for 20 years and still have to look that up! for real.
Kathryn says
June 27, 2010 at 9:24 amBackstitch, slipstitch, woof and weft (and I would still have to look the last one up to this day).
Chris, Kristina, Nathan and....Audrey! says
June 27, 2010 at 11:18 pmHow about stay-stitch and rolled hem.
Lydia says
June 28, 2010 at 2:30 amAs someone who JUST finished her FIRST pattern ever, I’m thinking you should market this idea to the pattern companies. 🙂 stay stitch, baste, with nap, yoke, selvage, ease…just open a pattern and put about every other word in there. lol.
JulieAnn says
June 28, 2010 at 9:24 pmThe different kinds of stitches.
And ditto on the kinds of hems.
Maybe even go through one of your tutorials and explain EXACTLY what you mean…
Patty says
June 29, 2010 at 8:33 amGRAIN! I can never figure out if that is the width of the fabric, selvage to selvage or the length.
Ali says
July 3, 2010 at 3:19 pmOh man this is a great idea!!! I’ a beginner and am sewing with a pattern for the first time ( started last night)! The thing I dont get is – what are all those triangle on the pattern for??
Carol says
July 3, 2010 at 6:59 pmI’ve been sewing for a really long time and learned from the best (my mom), but in trying to explain to my nieces, the terms that come up are straight of grain, both lenghwise and crosswise, and the importance of cutting on grain. Grade and trim seams and interfacing are a couple others. Oh, and I was in a fabric store with my engineer husband who thought they measured fabric by square yards! Maybe an explanation of how fabric is measured would help too.