A handy glossary of common sewing terms covering everything from stitches and fabrics to essential techniques. Perfect as a quick reference guide for beginners just learning to sew, and for more experienced sewers to refresh their knowledge.
I'll be adding to this as I create new patterns, but please reach out if you notice any terms that should be added to the list!
A traditional water-soluble embroidery stabiliser. Clear dense film. Cold water soluble (lukewarm is ideal).
A sturdy stitch often used for seams or repairing fabric. It’s created by stitching backwards first and then moving forward, forming a strong line that can withstand tension.
Diagonal direction of the fabric. True bias is at a 45% angle to the grainline, which allows it to stretch and drape.
A strip of fabric cut on the bias, used for binding edges or hems.
A substance or object capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms and thereby avoiding pollution.
Blackout fabrics are triple-layered with a central black layer to completely block out light. The outer layers provide the style and colour.
A decorative stitch used to finish the raw edges of fabric, creating a sturdy, zigzag pattern that’s both functional and visually appealing.
To remove natural or applied colour or impurities from yarn or fabric by a chemical treatment.
The combining of two or more different fibres in the same yarn or cloth.
A hairy surface produced by brushing some of the cloth fibres with a wire brush or teasel. (See Raised).
An opening in the fabric meant for a button to pass through, often reinforced with stitching.
A channel sewn into the fabric to hold elastic or drawstring.
A commonly used in embroidery and can create beautiful, textured designs. It forms a series of loops that resemble a chain.
Cutting small notches in the seam allowance to help curves lie flat.
Coated Fabrics are finished or coated with substances to prepare them for either printing or to make them waterproof etc.
A sturdy interlining is placed between two pieces of cloth, which gives the collar its stiffness and strength.
A decorative embroidery technique that involves creating X-shaped stitches on fabric, forming delightful patterns or images.
A fold sewn into the fabric to create shape and fit at bust, waist, and hips.
Digital Textile Printing is a process of printing on textiles and garments using inkjet technology to print colour onto fabric. The fabrics used in this process must be coated with a substance specifically to enable digital printing.
Discharge printing, also called Extract Printing. A method of applying a design to dyed fabric by printing a colour-destroying agent to bleach out a white or light pattern on the darker coloured background.
Dissolvable or water-soluble fabric is traditionally used in commercial machine embroidery to prevent stitches from sinking into high-pile fabrics like towels and fleece. It can be dissolved in cold or hot water depending on the fabric you choose.
The technique of slightly gathering fabric to allow it to fit into another piece.
These fabrics are readily available from nature, are not processed with harmful chemicals or toxins and will biodegrade, making them friendly to the planet.
The orientation of threads in the fabric, including the lengthwise (warp) and crosswise (weft) threads.
A separate piece of fabric used to finish the edges of necklines, armholes, or hems.
A lovely decorative detail that resembles feathers. It’s often used on quilts or embellishments, showcasing your creativity in a playful way!
Fabrics can be treated with a flame-retardant coating, this gives the fabric the ability to delay or hold back the flame, reducing fire hazards.
French knots are crafted by wrapping a thread around a needle before pulling it gently through the fabric. This fun technique creates cute, textured dots that add detail to any project.
French seam - A clean, enclosed seam that hides raw edges, often used in delicate fabrics.
A fabric which can be joined to another fabric in a fairly permanent bond through the application of heat, moisture and pressure. The fusible fabric has dots of polyamide resins on the wrong side, this is then placed on the wrong side of the outer fabric, and the heat melts the resins and fuses to the outer fabric.
Creating soft folds in fabric by pulling on threads to create fullness.
The grain of a fabric refers to the direction of the warp and weft threads used in weaving.
Haberdashery - a store selling small sewing items like buttons, ribbons, zippers, and fabric. It can also refer to the items themselves.
The finished edge of fabric where the raw edge is folded and sewn.
A stitch is created by alternating diagonal stitches that form a zigzag pattern, starting from one side and mirroring across the centre.
Interfacing is used to shape detailed areas of a garment. It adds body, crispness and stability to garment edges, cuffs, collars, pockets and waistbands, depending on the type and weight of interfacing used. There are several types of interfacing, woven, non-woven, knitted, sew-in and iron-on fusible.
Interlining is a layer of fabric that is intended to provide additional warmth. Generally, a wool, brushed cotton, or non-woven polyester fleece is placed between the lining and the face fabric.
A textile that results from interlocking yarn together with long needles. The knitted fabric falls into two categories: weft knitting and warp knitting.
Perfect for invisibly hemming garments or securing linings in place. Stitches can be placed on either side of a seam and pulled tight to close. Also known as a slip stitch
A seam where fabric pieces overlap and are sewn together, often used for thick fabrics.
Used in a variety of sewn articles such as clothing, bags and curtains, they provide a neat finish to the inside of a garment, concealing interlinings, raw edges and padding.
The nap refers to the way the fibres (pile) lay. If you stroke the fabric from top to bottom "with the nap", you'll feel they lie smoothly. If you are unsure. stroke in all 4 directions. When they fibres stick up, you're stoking from bottom to top "against with the nap".
Sewing supplies such as buttons, zippers, threads, and other small items.
Painting canvases are made from cotton or linen fibres, that are tightly woven. This cloth would be backed or framed as a surface for painting on, i.e., an artist’s canvas.
A piece of fabric sewn onto a garment to cover holes or add
Fibres are brushed up on the surface, which lie smoothly in one direction. The nap refers to the direction in which this pile lies.
An opening in a garment, usually for buttons, designed for ease of wearing.
Using an iron to set seams and shapes in fabric for a crisp look.
The stitching process used to join layers of fabric, often featuring decorative patterns.
A hairy surface is produced by brushing some of the cloth fibres with a wire brush or teasel.
Recycled fabric is made from waste material that is reprocessed into new fibres and then spun into new yarns and fabrics.
The simplest and most basic stitch in sewing. It's formed by a series of small, evenly spaced stitches that create a straight line. Perfect for basting, hems, or adding decorative elements to your projects.
A process by which the fabric is treated to give it an even softer surface texture, almost a suede-like feel.
A decorative stitch which creates a smooth, shiny finish, perfect for embroidery details. It’s composed of closely spaced zig-zag stitches that cover a shape.
A cleaning treatment process is used on certain textiles. It removes soluble and insoluble impurities. It is important to use scoured fabric if you want to achieve a good even dye.
The area between the fabric edge and the stitch line, which provides extra fabric for assembly.
The finished edge on woven fabrics that prevents fraying.
Another term for overlocking, typically used for finishing edges to prevent fraying.
A material added to fabric to prevent stretching or distortion during sewing.
An embroidery technique that creates a smooth, curved line, making it perfect for outlining stems and other delicate details in your stitching projects.
Referring to fabric cut with the threads running parallel to the selvage.
The dye-sublimation printing process uses heat to transfer dye onto the fabric.
A temporary stitch used to hold pieces together before permanent stitching.
A hand method of producing patterns on textiles by tying portions of the fabric so that they will not absorb the dye.
Essentially like a ‘floating’ layer of glue on a release paper liner, used for a variety of bonding and laminating applications.
Extra fabric, ribbons, or other decorative elements added to garments for embellishment.
A technique that involves sewing the facing to the seam allowance to keep it in place.
To remove stitches, typically done with a seam ripper, or unpicker.
Wadding can be made from various fibres, and it is a soft material for stuffing and padding. It is used as a layer of insulation between fabrics and is typically used in quilt making.
Water Repellent fabrics are treated with a surface coating of wax, resin or silicone. This finish will not easily be penetrated by water, usually leaving beads on the surface of the fabric rather than soaking through.
These fabrics are able to resist the penetration of water to some degree, but eventually, the water will soak through.
Great for hemming or securing the edges of fabric. The whip stitch works by going over the edge of the fabric and looping around, which gives a neat finish.
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