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A woven-thread repair for holes and thin worn patches, built by stitching a grid of threads across the gap and weaving a needle over and under them to recreate fabric. Common on socks and knitwear.

A small, often spring-loaded hoop-shaped presser foot used with the feed dogs dropped for free-motion stitching, darning, and thread sketching.

A tapered fold of fabric stitched to a point that removes excess fullness and shapes flat fabric to a body curve, such as at the bust or waist.

The technique of moving a dart from one location on a pattern to another while keeping the garment's overall fit and shape unchanged.

The standard set of lines and symbols used to draw a dart on a pattern, showing its legs, apex, and fold line so it can be transferred accurately to fabric.

The process of moving a dart's point closer to or farther from the bust or hip apex to correct fit or match a design change.

A dart manipulation technique in which a pattern is pivoted around the dart apex to close an existing dart while a new dart opens automatically at another edge.

A dart that is stitched only partway to its point and released as soft fabric folds rather than pressed flat, adding gentle shaping with a softer silhouette than a standard dart.

Sewing a garment under real time pressure so it will be ready for a specific event, often finishing the final stitches at the last minute.

Surplus fabric left over from fashion industry production runs and resold in limited quantities rather than being sent to landfill.

Built-in or programmed machine stitch patterns, such as scallops or embroidery motifs, used to embellish a garment's surface or edges.

A sturdy cotton twill fabric, traditionally indigo-dyed on the warp with an undyed weft, used for jeans and workwear; presses and topstitches well.

A hip-length jacket made of denim, typically featuring a button front, chest pockets with flaps, and a fitted waistband, derived from workwear.

A sewing machine needle with a strong, slim, sharp point designed to penetrate tightly woven heavy fabrics such as denim and canvas without deflecting.

Extra room added into a pattern beyond the minimum wearing ease, chosen purely to create a looser, more relaxed silhouette in the finished garment.

Wrinkles that run at an angle across a garment, generally pointing toward the area of tightness or insufficient fabric that is causing the strain.

A serger or coverstitch feature using two independently adjustable feed dogs, front and back, to stretch or gather fabric as it feeds, preventing waves or puckering.

Software used to convert artwork or images into a stitch-by-stitch embroidery file, defining stitch type, direction, density, and sequence.

A striped or patterned fabric that doesn't line up across a seam comes from cutting pieces without matching the pattern repeat. Plan the layout so repeats align at key seams, buying extra fabric to allow it.

A sleeve cut as an extension of the garment's bodice, with a deep armhole that tapers to a narrow wrist, producing a draped, batwing-like shape.

A printed circular marking on a pattern piece indicating a pivot point, dart tip, or matching point that gets transferred onto the cut fabric.

A firm, stable knit fabric produced on a machine with two sets of needles, identical on both faces, holding its shape well and resisting curling at cut edges.

A hem turned up twice by the same amount so no raw edge is exposed, then stitched near the inner fold.

A dart pointed at both ends and widest in the middle, used to shape a fitted garment at the waist where no horizontal seam exists.

Long fabric tube, filled with stuffing, sand, or rice, placed along the bottom of a door or window to block cold air, a classic scrap-fabric project.

Diagonal or radiating wrinkles that form on a garment when fabric is pulled taut toward a point of tightness or strain, indicating where a pattern needs adjustment.

Diagonal wrinkles radiating from the bust point signal the dart isn't positioned or sized correctly for the wearer's shape. Adjust the dart point toward the fullest part of the bust and check its depth.

The way a fabric falls and moves under its own weight, ranging from stiff and structured to soft, fluid, and clingy.

The way a fabric falls, folds and moves under its own weight, ranging from fluid, as in chiffon and jersey, to stiff, as in canvas and taffeta; a key factor in pattern choice.

A dart whose shape and placement are determined by pinning fabric directly on a dress form rather than by drafting formulas, allowing organic, sculptural shaping.

A patternmaking method in which fabric is pinned and shaped directly on a dress form or body to develop a pattern, as an alternative to flat drafting from measurements.

Plain cotton fabric used in the draping process to pin and shape a pattern directly on a dress form before the design is transferred to paper.

Bag pattern gathered closed at the top by a cord or ribbon threaded through a casing, used for storage pouches, shoe bags, and gift bags.

A casing constructed with an opening for a drawstring or cord to pass through and be pulled to adjust fit at a waist, hood, or hem.

A closure made by threading a cord or tape through a casing so the opening can be cinched and tied.

A three-dimensional body-shaped mannequin, adjustable or fixed to specific measurements, used for draping, fitting, and evaluating a garment's fit off the wearer's body.

A collared, button-front shirt intended for formal or business wear, typically featuring a fitted body, cuffs, and a placket front.

A person, historically almost always a woman, who makes women's clothing to custom order or to a client's individual measurements.

Long-bladed scissors with an offset, bent handle that lets the lower blade rest flat on the cutting table for accurate cutting through fabric layers.

Waxed, colored transfer paper placed between a pattern and fabric so a tracing wheel presses temporary marking lines onto the fabric surface.