| A-line |
A garment with sloping sides, the widest partbeing
at the hemline |
| Alter |
To change a patterns so that it corresponds to
body measurements |
| Allowance |
Extra fabric outside the seamline or within the
garment to accommodate gathers, ease, tucks and
pleats. |
| Applique |
Ecorative pieces of fabric applied by hand or
machine |
| Armhole |
The opening in a garment for the arm |
| Armscye |
It is commonly known as Armhole |
| Back stitch |
A small hand stitch that looks like machine stitching
on the right side, but with stitches over lapping on
the wrong side |
| Bands |
Strips of fabric, ribbon or bias applied to edges or
set into garments to finish or decorate. |
| Bar |
A group of cross threads used to stay the ends of a
button hole |
| Basque |
A woman's tight fitting dress-waist made separate
from the skirt and having the waistline finish attached
to the waist portion |
| Basting |
A long, loose temporary stitch made by hand or
machine |
| Bell sleeve |
A straight sleeve flaring at the bottom |
| Bias |
Any direction in the fabric which does not follow
exactly the selvedge or weft yarns. A true bias makes
and angle of 450 across the lengthwise and
widthwise grain. It has maximum stretch. |
| Binding |
A bias strip of material used to enclose a raw edge
as a finish or trim |
| Bishop's sleeve |
A long, full sleeve gathered onto a narrow cuff |
| Blend |
A mixture of different fibres in one yarn or different
yams in one fabric, each lending its own
characteristics to the fabric |
| Blind stitch |
A form of hemming made by catching only one
thread of the outer fabric |
| Braid |
A woven novelty trim, finished at both edges |
| Brides |
The threads of warp or weft connecting parts of the
pattern in lace |
| Buckram |
A stiff fabric made by impregnating a light-weight
open cloth with adhesives and fillers |
| Cap |
The top part of a sleeve which is curved to fit the
armhole |
| Capsleeve |
Extension of the shoulder and upper armhole to
cover the top of the arm |
| Casing |
A hem with an opening so that ribbon or elastic may
be drawn through |
| Centre front |
The position of the pattern or garment at the exact
centre of the front section of the garment. |
| Clip |
A small cut in the seam allowance of a garment
which allows a comer or curved area to turn and lie
flat. |
| Closing |
A placket or any garment opening. |
| Construction |
Basic seams that give shape to flat cloth.
lines |
| Co-ordinates |
A number of garments which match and can be worn
together in different combinations. |
| Cord piping |
A cord which is encased in bias fabric and used to
finish and decorate edges, waistlines, button holes
and furnishings. |
| Cord seam |
A seam with a corded effect which is produced by
turning both seam edges to one side and then
stiching through the three thicknesses of material. |
| Costume |
Dress belonging to a given country, time and class. |
| Count of Yarn |
A number indicating the mass per unit length or the
length per unit mass of a yam. |
| Dart |
A fold of fabric stitched to a point at one end. Used
to fit to body curves. |
| Design lines |
Lines or seams that add design and make the
garment different. |
| Drape |
Soft folds of fabr 7ic controlled by pleats or gathers. |
| Draped |
A style in which the fabric is gathered or folded into
unpressed pleats to create a soft effect and provide
shaping. |
| Dressform |
A duplicate of the human form which is useful for
fitting or draping a garment. |
| Ease |
(a) Extra measurement allowed for comfort. It is
the difference between actual body measurement
and the size of the garment.
(b) To work in excess material that has been allowed
for comfort. |
| Edge stitch |
A line of stitching placed along an edge, usually
decorative finish. |
| Edging |
Narrow lace having one finished edge and the other.
usually scalloped or indented. Used for trimmings. |
| End |
An individual strand of yarn. |
| Extension |
Additional fabric jutting out beyond a seam or a centre
line. |
| Eyelet |
A small hole in a garment finished by hand or a
metalring to hold the prong of a buckle. Also for
lacing with ribbon and cord. |
| Facing |
A shaped or bias piece of self fabric applied to a
garment edge as a finish. |
| Fastenighs |
Hooks and eyes, press buttons, and zippers used
to fasten garments. |
| Fittings |
Adjusting the pattern or garment-to fit the individual
figure. |
| Flared |
A style which is much wider around the lower edge. |
| Flounce |
Flared bands of fabric, sometimes gathered and
used to decorate edges of garments or used in tiers
to make a skirt. |
| Fly front |
A colsing which conceals buttons or zippers of
trousers. |
| Fray |
The threads which come out during the handling of
fabric. |
| Gathering |
One or two rows of stitching, either by hands or
machine, that are drawn up to form even fullness. |
| Gingham |
Plain weave fabric constructed with coloured woven
check pattern. |
| Godets |
A shaped or pleated section of material inserted
into garments. |
| Gore |
A skirt section that is shaped upto the hip level and
then flared out to the hemline. |
| Grain |
The direction of threads in a woven fabric. The
lengthwise grain runs parallel to the selvedge and
the cross-wise grain from selvedge to selvedge. |
| Grey goods |
Woven fabrics as they leave the loom before being
bleached dyed or finished. |
| Gusset |
A shaped piece of fabric inserted usually at the
underarm of the garment to provide comfort. |
| Hand finishing |
The details sewn by hand to finish the garment. |
| Hem |
The finish formed by folding back the raw edge of a
garment to the wrong side. |
| Hemline |
The line designating the finished length of a garment. |
| Knife pleats |
Series of-pleats that turn in the same direction. They
are usually equal in width and are pressed straight
down to the hem. |
| Layout |
The arrangement of pattern pieces on the material
so as to ensure economical cutting. |
| Lining |
A fabric used inside garments. Its edges may be
attached to the garment at the seams with slip stitch
or it may hang loose from the neck or from the waist
in the case of skirts. |
| Loop |
A fastening which extends beyond the finished edge,
used on closings with no overlap. Can be made
with thread, cord or fabric. |
| Machine basting |
A temporary machine stitching using the longest
machine stitch. |
| Marking |
Transferring all necessiary pattern lines or markings
to the wrong side of the fabric. |
| Nap |
The word means "pile" Pile fabrics should always
be cut in one direction only. |
| Notch |
A small V-shaped mark or cut, on seam allowance
of the pattern pieces. |
| Opening |
Term used interchangeably with closing. |
| Pile |
Weave of a fabric with upright surface yams such
as velvet or velveteen. |
| Pin tucks |
Tucks as fine as the width of a pin. |
| Pinking |
Jagged cut finish for a raw edge. |
| Placket |
A closing or opening in a garment. |
| Pleats |
Folds of fabric used to control fullness. |
| Princess line |
Seam lines running from shoulder or armhole to the
hem with no waist seam. |
| Pucker |
To draw up into folds and wrinkles. |
| Puffsleeves |
Short sleeves having fullness gathered into the
armhole, and into a band or binding at the lower
edge. |
| Raglan |
A style in which the armhole seams run upto the
neckline giving a loose and comforeable fit. |
| Ravel |
Yams drawn out along the edge of the fabric. |
| Ribbon |
An attractive woven fabric with a lustrous
appearance, used for trimming and adornment. |
| Ricrac |
A flat, woven braid made in zigzag form |
| Rip |
To open a seam by pulling out or cutting the stitching |
| Rolled hem |
A kind of hem used on sheer fabrics. The edge is
rolled tightly between the thum and forefigers of the
left hand and hemming is done to hold the roll in
placle |
| Ruffle |
A band of fabric that is gathered or pleated and
applied to an edge as a trimming |
| Sag |
The stretch-that occurs in the bias grain of a garment
after hanging or as the effect of strain on any part
of a garment |
| Scallop |
An edge finish made up of a series of semicircles |
| Smock |
A straight garment with a gathered or smocked yoke |
| Stay |
A reinforcement in fabric or tape, to hold a part of a
garment securely in position |
| Stay binding |
A narrow, woven fabric generally used for the
covering of seams and the strengthening of
garments |
| Stay stitching |
A row of stitching worked just inside, the seam
allowance and close to the stitching line in order to
prevent areas on the bias or curve from stretching |
| Straight of goods |
A term used to designate the length-wise in a fabric |
| Tack |
To fasten two fabric surfaces together loosely by
running stitches |
| Tailor's tack |
A stitch used to trarnsfer pattern markings to the
fabric |
| Taper |
To decrease width gradually and bring to a point |
| Thread count |
The number of threads in a square inch of fabric |
| Top Stitching |
A line of stitching along the seam line on the right
side of a garment, to add strength or design |
| Trim |
To cut off ragged edges or a part of a seam allowance
to prevent it from being bulky and to give the seam
a neat edge |
| Trimming |
An ornamental addition used on garments |
| Tubing |
A hollow cylinder of fabric used for button loops and
decorative trim |
| Tucks |
Straight folds of fullness, evenly stitched |
| Underlap |
A part of a garment that extends or laps under
another part |
| Underlay |
An additional piece of fabric placed under a section
for the purpose of joiningl, as in a pleat or slot seam |
| Weave |
The pattern of interlacing of warp and weft yams in
a wove fabric |
| Wrap |
The upper part of an opening which overlaps the
under layer |
| Yardage |
The amount of fabric needed to make a particular
garment |
| Yoke |
Separately made shoulder piece of bodiece or the
top of a skirt |