Glossary

Notable Terms and Definitions

Appliqué: A decorative technique where fabric shapes are sewn onto a base fabric.

Baste: Temporary stitches used to hold fabric pieces together before permanent sewing.

Bias: The diagonal direction of a woven fabric, which has more stretch than the straight grain.

Dart: A folded and stitched wedge of fabric used to shape garments to fit curves.

Draping: A technique used in clothing design where fabric is pinned or draped on a dress form to create a garment pattern.

Dye: A substance used to color fabrics and textiles.

Fabric: Material made through weaving, knitting, or bonding fibers together, used for clothing, upholstery, and other textile products.

Fiber: The basic unit used to make textiles, such as cotton, wool, silk, or synthetic fibers like polyester.

Garment: A piece of clothing or an article of clothing.

Gathering: A technique used to create fullness in fabric by stitching and pulling the threads.

Hem: The edge of a piece of fabric that is folded over and sewn to prevent fraying.

Interfacing: A stabilizing material sewn or fused to the wrong side of fabric to add structure or support.

Knit: A method of creating fabric by interlocking loops of yarn with knitting needles or a knitting machine.

Lining: A layer of fabric sewn into the inside of a garment for structure, comfort, or to conceal seams.

Notions: Small items used in sewing, such as buttons, zippers, thread, and pins.

Pattern: A template or guide used to cut fabric pieces and assemble them into a garment.

Pinking shears: Scissors with serrated blades used to cut fabric edges to prevent fraying.

Pressing: Using an iron to smooth out wrinkles and set seams in fabric.

Print: A design or pattern applied to fabric using techniques like screen printing, digital printing, or block printing.

Seam: The line where two pieces of fabric are sewn together.

Seam allowance: The extra fabric between the seam line and the raw edge of the fabric.

Selvage: The self-finished edge of a fabric that runs parallel to the warp (lengthwise) threads.

Serger: A type of sewing machine that trims, finishes, and overcasts seams in one step.

Silhouette: The overall shape or outline of a garment.

Tailoring: The process of designing and sewing garments to fit a specific individual.

Tension: The amount of pressure applied to the sewing machine thread to create even stitches.

Textile: Any material made of interlacing fibers, including fabrics, yarns, and threads.

Topstitching: Decorative stitching done on the right side of the fabric, usually along seams or edges.

Understitching: A technique where the seam allowance is stitched to the facing to prevent it from rolling to the outside.

Weave: The pattern in which threads are interlaced to create a fabric.