Need help with the terms used in some of our patterns? Here are definitions for some commonly-used sewing terms.
You’ll find this glossary at the end of the instructions in all our patterns as well.
- Baste
- Long stitches done by hand or machine that temporarily hold fabric in place before sewing. They are removed once the final seam is in place.
- Clip
- To help flatten a curved seam, snip at even intervals along the inner curve, being careful not to cut into the stitch line.
- Ease
- To sew a longer edge to a shorter edge, resulting in slight fullness. First, stitch two parallel rows using a long stitch length. Next, leave long thread tails: tug to adjust length of longer edge before sewing.
- Edgestitch
- Adding a second row of stitches very close to the seam line on the right side of the fabric.
- Finish seam
- There are many ways to finish a seam or raw edge to get a neat look and prevent fraying. For sturdy fabrics, just trim seams with pinking shears. For lighter fabrics, use a zigzag stitch along the seam. Other methods of finishing include turned-under seams, bound edges, and serged edges.
- Gather
- To sew a longer edge to a shorter edge, resulting in significant fullness. Use a long stitch length and stitch three rows parallel to each other. Leave long thread tails which can be tugged to adjust ease before you sew.
- Grade seam
- Reducing the bulk in seams that are pressed in a single direction. After the seam is sewn, trim the seam allowance in half. Then, identify which seam allowance will be laying against the fabric once it is pressed, and trim this one in half.
- Notch
- The notches on a pattern help align the pattern pieces when you sew them together. Another type of notch is one that is added by the sewist when sewing an outside curved seam. These notches are added by cutting wedge shapes into the seam allowance at even intervals, being careful not to cut into the stitching.
- Right side / Wrong side
- The right side of the fabric will show on a finished garment; the wrong side will be on the inside.
- Staystitch
- Stitching that stabilizes a piece of fabric before it is sewn to prevent the edge from being stretched or distorted.
- Topstitch
- Stitching on the outside of a garment that is parallel to, and 1⁄4-inch from, the seam. Sew through fabric and seam allowance after pressing to help the seam lay flat. Similar to edgestitching, but more noticeable.
- Understitch
- Stitching that helps seams lie flat and prevents facings and linings from rolling to the outside of the garment. Press the seam towards your facing, then stitch the facing to the seam, very close to the seam line.