A List of Sewing Basic Terms

So! You finally decided to hop on the sewing hobby. Welcome and here is a quick glossary of terms that may come handy as you go further into your love for sewing. For some, some of these terms may already be considered as a refresher and that's no problem, as well.Here we go..

Fabric Grain

Sure we all know that kind of fabrics that we want to work with, but knowing about fabric gain will benefit how neat a sewing project will be. These are the tiny lines of fiber that criss-cross in the entire fabric, and they are basically your first guide to sewing straight along the edges of the fabric.

Selvage

Commoners call this the edge of the fabric, we at the sewing world shall call it the "selvage". But yes, these are basically the finished edges of the fabric, where most companies put their names or trademark on. So if you want to know where your fabric came from, check the "selvage".

Tacking

You will constantly hear tips on how to tack your fabric, when you encounter this, they are simply telling you to hold the fabric pieces by running a quick (huge) stitch. This stitch is temporary and is often done manually.

Ease

Every seasoned tailor is a master in adding ease or the allowance added the actual measurement of the body. This is a common mistake among first time sewers who make clothes, because they easily stick to the actual measurements thus making the clothing look and feel uncomfortable. You can already add the ease as you take the measurements.

Give

This is another fabric term which refers to the elasticity of the fabric. So, next that you are required to look for a fabric with give, you can always turn to lycra or spandex.