Uncategorized Archives - Page 11 of 13

Wing needle

A machine needle that has “blades” on either side of the shaft to make a wider hole for a decorative look.

Wonder Under ®

A popular fusible product made by Pellon ®. It allows you to affix a fabric design on another piece of fabric using a hot iron.

Wrong side

The side of the fabric with no design. If you can see no difference between the sides of your fabric, you can pick which is the wrong side.

Zigzag (or zig zag)

A wide stitch that crosses back and forth over the seam in a zigzagging pattern. Can be used as a decorative stitch.

Tuck

A fold or pleat that is sewn into the fabric.

Accent colors

Contrasting colors that look good next to each other. Usually from opposite ends of the color wheel.

Appliqué

A design cut out of fabric that is sewn onto or otherwise attached to another piece of fabric. This is often done with a satin stitch around the edge.

Balloon shade

A shade made with inverted pleats, which gathers into a series of puffy festoons when raised.

Ballpoint needle

This sewing machine needle has a slightly rounded point that allows it to go through tightly woven fabric without cutting the threads.

Bar tack

A series of close stitches designed to reinforce a point on a seam. Most often used on garments.

Baste or basting

A series of long, loose stitches used to temporarily hold together two pieces of fabric during construction.

Batting

Filling used for quilts or bedcovers. It’s made of cotton, wool or synthetic fibers and comes in sheets or bats.

Bias

A diagonal line in comparison to the up-and-down and side-to-side weave of a fabric.

Bias tape

A narrow strip of fabric that has been cut out diagonally from the material. The strip’s fibers are at a 45 degree angle to the weave of the fabric, making it stretchier.

Binding

A strip of fabric sewn along the edge of an item like a blanket or tablecloth. It finishes and decorates the edge.

Blanket stitch

A wide stitch used to bind the raw edge of the material. Often used on blankets, it can be decorative as well as utilitarian.

Bobbin

A specially designed spool which feeds thread from underneath the needle plate, completing each stitch. Usually, bobbin thread shows only on the back side of your fabric.

Bolt

The large rolls of cloth you see at the fabric store. Widths are vary from 44″ for dress fabric up to 60″ for upholstery fabric.

Buttonhole

The hole a button goes into. Can be a hole, slit or even a loop.

Cafe curtains

Curtains that cover the lower part of a window to give privacy. Often used in the kitchen.

Casing

A strip of fabric folded over and sewn to provide a covering for a cord, drawstring or elastic.

Making a series of small cuts after you’ve sewn a curved seam so that when turned right side out the fabric will lay flat without puckering. You don’t need to clip if you use a serger to finish your seam.

Cording (or welting)

A piece of cotton cord wrapped in fabric that is sewn into a seam to create an accent. Often used in slipcovers.

Covered button

A button which can be covered in a coordinating fabric. A back piece secures the fabric over the top.

Crosswise grain

A fabric woven perpendicular to the selvage, giving it a slight amount of stretch.

Cutting mat

A mat designed to be used with a rotary cutter. They are often made of self-healing material and have grids printed on them.

Darn

What you yell when you’ve sewn your sleeve to your project. Also, a repair made to a fabric hole by repeated stitches going back and forth.

Drape

The way fabric hangs on an item. Most often used to describe garments.

Drapes

A formal window covering which hangs from a rod.

Edgestitch

A stitch made very close to a folded edge, generally 1/8″ or less.

Embellish

Adding decoration to an item. Includes embroidery, appliqué, decorative stitching, beading, sequins, needlework, etc.

Fabric blends

A fabric made with any combination of fibers: cotton/polyester, wool/polyester, silk/cotton, wool/cotton, etc.

Feed dog

The “teeth” under the needle which pull the fabric forward in synchronization with the stitch.

Finger pressing

Pressing open a seam with your finger where it may not be appropriate to use an iron.

Finish (a edge)

Turning under an edge and sewing or serging it so it doesn’t ravel.

Flat felled seam

A seam that is flattened by having one seam allowance trimmed close to the seam and the other seam allowance sewn over the top of it. Often used to reduce bulk in a seam.

Fold line

Some patterns will have pieces that are placed onto a folded piece of fabric in order to get a piece double the size of the pattern. The fold against which you place the edge of your pattern piece is the fold line.

Foot or presser foot

The foot-shaped piece the sewing machine presses down against the fabric to allow it to be moved by the feed dogs. Sewing machines use many kinds of presser feet, which are specialized for different types of sewing.

Fusible

Having the ability to be permanently attached by ironing. Fusible items use a heat-activated glue.

Gather

Pulling fabric into miniature pleats either to compress it in size or for a decorative effect. To create a gather two parallel basting stitches are sewn on the right side of the fabric ¼” apart. Long tails of thread are left for gathering. The bobbin threads are gently tugged, evenly gathering the fabric.