Glossary of Tailoring Terms You Need to Understand

The sewing world has many terms of its own. Those who have been sewing for a long time are simply used to these terms and their meanings. But if you are new to this area, you may not understand or even be scared by any of these terms. That's why I separated some terms most used in sewing.

Basting – Sewing provisional stitches, usually wide, with a hand needle. The basting is used to avoid the deviation of two pieces of fabric to be sewn. Sometimes it also serves to indicate where to sew definitively. TIP: Always use a thread of a different color than the fabric for basting, as it will be easier to see when you need to undo it.

Buttonhole – Part of the closure with a button. The buttonhole is the hole in the fabric through which the button passes, usually made on the machine to perfect the finish. It can be handmade or used as a decoration effect.

Overcast – Sew along the edge of the fabric seam allowance with hand stitched or machine stitches with zigzag stitches to prevent the fabric from unraveling. Alternatively, an overlock machine can be used.

French sewing – Used on fine fabrics or silk. The seam is sewn twice, first on the right side and then on the wrong side, thus involving the first seam.

“Right with Right” – Means placing the right face of one piece of fabric on the right face of another part. The wrong sides of the fabric face out.

Right and Reverse – The right side is the most beautiful side of the fabric, which has more intense colors. With the model ready, it corresponds to the external side. The wrong side of the fabric has a less intense and more opaque color. It is usually on the inside of the model.

Fabric Fold – Marking on the pattern that indicates that it should be positioned over the fabric fold for cutting. When cutting, it is not necessary to leave a margin on this edge, as the model will not have a seam there.

Embedding – Joining two pieces of fabric of different sizes so that they are both the same size, without the larger part being pleated or puckered. Ex.: Usually the head of the sleeve is a little bigger than the armhole. To embed the sleeve it is necessary to pass a wide stitch around the highest part of the sleeve head and pull one of the seam lines to make a slight gather. After that, it is necessary to fit the sleeve in the armhole, distributing the fabric well so that it fits without forming folds or puckering after the final sewing.

Woven Thread – This is the direction of the threads in loom fabrics. The warps, or warp threads, are the longitudinal threads, extended in the direction of the selvedge. The cross thread is called the weft. When you say “in the direction of the thread”, in general, it refers to the direction of the warp (parallel to the selvedge).

Lining – Extra fabric sewn next to the main fabric. It always stays on the inside of the piece to give it more volume, make the piece less transparent or to hide seams.

Fold - Means to reduce the width of a piece of fabric, forming small folds. For this, you must pass two parallel seams on the edge of the fabric you want to gather, with large stitches. Then you need to pull the lower threads until you have the desired width of the fabric.

Lapel – This is the front edge of coats or blouses facing backwards, where the collar is sewn.

Moulage – Three-dimensional modeling technique where the molds, instead of being made on paper using measurements and geometry, are made directly on the mannequin, with the help of pins.

Gores – Triangle-shaped fabric that is added to a piece to give it more circle.

Pala – The clasp can be present on the back of a piece, such as in dress shirts or at the waist of skirts. It's a cut made in the piece to finish or camouflage brushes.

Pences – It is a pleat made into the piece, in the shape of a triangle. It serves to model the fabric according to the shapes of the body.

Pleat – is a series of folds made in the fabric, most often sewn in parts. Usually used in skirts and also in fabrics for decoration. Today you can already find factory pleated fabrics.

Repairing a part goes beyond the thread and needle. Sewing is a beautiful way to help your wardrobe and renew your clothes.