Glossary of common terms used by people directly or indirectly related to Apparel/Garment/Clothing Industry.
Glossary of Terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| A-line | A garment with sloping sides, the widest part being at the hemline |
| Alter | To change 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 | Decorative pieces of fabric applied by hand or machine |
| Armhole | The opening in a garment for the arm |
| Armscye | It is commonly known as Armhole |
| Backstitch | A small hand stitch that looks like machine stitching on the right side, but with stitches overlapping 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 buttonhole |
| 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 fibers in one yarn or different yams in one fabric, each lending its own characteristics of 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 |
| Cap sleeve | 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 |
| Center front | The position of the pattern or garment at the exact the center 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, buttonholes and furnishings. |
| Cord seam | A seam with a corded effect which is produced by turning both seam edges to one side and then stitching 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 body curves. |
| Design lines | Lines or seams that add design and make the garment different. |
| Drape | Soft folds of fabric 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 center line. |
| Eyelet | A small hole in a garment finished by hand or a metal ring 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. |
| Fastenings | 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 closing 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 a machine, that is drawn up to form even fullness. |
| Gingham | Plain weave fabric constructed with colored woven check pattern. |
| Godets | A shaped or pleated section of material inserted into garments. |
| Gore | A skirt section that is shaping up to 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 loosely from the neck or from the waist in the case of skirts. |
| Loop | A fastening which extends beyond the finished edge, used for closings with no overlap. Can be made of thread, cord or fabric. |
| Machine basting | A temporary machine stitching using the longest machine stitch. |
| Marking | Transferring all necessary 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. |
| Pintucks | 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. |
| Puff sleeves | 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 up to the neckline giving a loose and comfortable fit. |
| Ravel | Yans drew 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 the 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 thumb and forefingers of the left hand and hemming is done to hold the roll in place |
| 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 of 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 of 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 transfer 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 joining, 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 underlayer |
| Yardage | The amount of fabric needed to make a particular garment |
| Yoke | Separately made shoulder piece of bodice or the top of a skirt |
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