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A plain-woven, often printed cotton cloth named for Calicut, India, imported to Europe from the 17th century and later mass-produced during the Industrial Revolution for everyday clothing.

A sleeveless, close-fitting undergarment or layering top with thin straps, traditionally cut on the bias and finished with lace trim.

A short-sleeved, collared shirt with a straight hem worn untucked, featuring a notched camp collar with no top button or stand.

A heavy, plain-weave cotton or cotton-blend fabric prized for durability and stiffness, used for bags, workwear and structural garment interfacing.

A short sleeve that covers only the top of the shoulder without extending down the arm, often cut with little or no underarm seam.

A sleeveless outer garment that hangs from the shoulders and drapes over the arms, fastened at the neck or front.

Fitted trousers cut to end between the knee and ankle, traditionally slightly tapered and associated with mid-20th-century casualwear.

Trousers featuring large patch pockets, typically with flaps and pleats, applied to the sides of the legs in addition to standard pockets.

The abbreviation marked on pattern pieces and fabric for the center back, the vertical line running down the exact middle of the back of a garment.

A zipper insertion with the teeth centered under an opening and two even rows of topstitching visible on either side, often used at center back.

The abbreviation marked on pattern pieces and fabric for the center front, the vertical line running down the exact middle of the front of a garment.

A lightweight plain-weave cotton fabric with a coloured warp and white weft yarn, giving a denim-like appearance without the weight; used for shirts.

Clothing designed and graded for infants and children, typically featuring simplified construction, growth allowances, and safety-focused hardware.

French designer who founded his fashion house in 1946 and launched the New Look in 1947, reviving fitted bodices and full skirts after wartime fabric rationing.

A transparent, gridded acrylic ruler used with a rotary cutter for measuring, marking, and cutting straight and angled lines through fabric.

Snipping short cuts into a curved seam allowance, especially an inward curve, so the seam can spread and lie flat once turned or pressed.

French designer who founded her fashion house around 1910 and popularized relaxed, jersey-based women's wear, the little black dress, and the collarless tweed Chanel suit from the 1920s onward.

One of the specific color or print combinations that a single garment design is offered in across a collection.

Fabric looking dull or washed-out after repeated laundering comes from dye breaking down under heat, sunlight, and detergent brighteners. Wash in cold water, turn garments inside out, and use a detergent made for colors.

A machine controlled by an onboard computer that stores stitch patterns and adjusts tension and length automatically, typically operated through a digital screen or touchpad.

Small lined pouch, typically zippered, sized and shaped to hold makeup or toiletries, often made with a wipeable or laminated fabric lining.

Practice of constructing and wearing costumes that recreate characters from anime, comics, games, and film, often combining sewing, foam work, and prop-making.

A natural cellulose fibre harvested from the cotton plant's seed pods, valued for softness, breathability and absorbency; used in wovens and knits from quilting cotton to denim.

A natural-fibre sewing thread with a matte finish and low stretch, well suited to natural woven fabrics such as quilting cotton and linen.

French for 'sewing' or 'dressmaking,' used in English to describe fine, skillfully constructed garment sewing in general.

A fitted or loose upper-body garment cut to end above the natural waistline, exposing part of the midriff.

X-shaped hand embroidery stitch formed by two crossing diagonal stitches, traditionally worked on even-weave fabric using a grid to build geometric or pictorial motifs.

The direction fabric threads run from one selvedge to the other, perpendicular to the lengthwise grain and usually with a bit more give.

A band of fabric finishing the end of a sleeve or trouser leg, which may be fitted, folded, or fastened with a button or elastic.

Fabric covering pattern for a cushion pad, closed with a zipper, envelope overlap, or buttons, typically one of the first upholstery-style projects for a beginner.

The diagram included in pattern instructions showing exactly how to arrange all the pattern pieces on folded or open fabric before cutting.

The outer line marked on a pattern piece indicating exactly where to cut the fabric, positioned beyond the seam line by the width of the seam allowance.

A self-healing, gridded mat that protects work surfaces and guides straight or angled cuts when used together with a rotary cutter.

Pattern pieces that hang crookedly or twist once sewn were likely cut without aligning the grainline to the fabric's lengthwise threads. Measure the grainline arrow from the selvedge at both ends before pinning down.

A large, flat, sturdy work surface, often at standing height, sized for laying out fabric and patterns for cutting.

Multi-size patterns nested together make it easy to accidentally follow a neighboring size's line partway around a piece. Trace or highlight the chosen size clearly before cutting, checking closely at every curve.