Fabrics & materials

Metal or plastic fittings such as D-rings, swivel clips, rivets, and sliders used to attach straps, close flaps, and reinforce stress points on bags.

A sewing machine needle with a rounded tip designed to slide between the loops of knit fabric rather than piercing and breaking the yarns.

Fine, lightweight, closely woven fabric, softer and slightly more opaque than voile, traditionally cotton or linen, used for blouses, baby clothes, and heirloom sewing.

Layer of loose fibre wadding, made from cotton, wool, polyester, or blends, used as the insulating middle layer of a quilt sandwich or a padded garment.

A narrow strip of fabric cut on the bias and folded to encase a raw edge, allowing it to curve smoothly around necklines, armholes and hems.

A tightly woven, plain-weave cotton or cotton-blend fabric similar to poplin but slightly heavier, with a subtle sheen from a calendering finish.

A disc or shaped fastener sewn to one side of an opening and passed through a buttonhole or loop on the other side to close a garment.

A reinforced slit or bound opening in fabric sized to admit a button, finished by machine zigzag stitching, a bound technique, or hand stitching.