Machines & tools

A pen filled with ink or dye designed to mark fabric temporarily, with the mark later removed by water, heat, or exposure to air.

Metal teeth beneath the needle plate that rise, move forward, and drop in a rotating motion to grip and advance fabric through the machine with each stitch.

A sewing machine with a continuous flat sewing surface and no removable arm, providing a larger work area suited to flat garment pieces and yardage.

A serger stitch sewn with loose tension so the seam pulls flat and open, leaving a ladder of thread on one side, often used decoratively on knits.

An overlock stitch using two needle threads and two looper threads to form a durable seam that both sews and finishes an edge in one pass.

Decorative stitching created by manually guiding fabric under a lowered or disengaged feed dog, allowing the stitcher to draw with thread in any direction.

A spring-loaded presser foot that hovers just above the fabric, letting the quilter move the fabric freely in any direction with the feed dogs lowered.

A machine whose bed narrows into a slim, removable arm, allowing tubular items such as sleeves, cuffs, and trouser legs to be sewn without flattening the fabric.

A curved plastic drafting template used to draw smooth, precise curved lines when drafting or adjusting armholes, necklines, and other patternmaking curves.