Terms & glossary

A quarter-yard cut of fabric shaped as a roughly square piece rather than a long narrow strip, popular for quilting and small projects.

The common abbreviation for 'full bust adjustment,' a pattern alteration frequently discussed by name in sewing forums and pattern instructions.

The actual dimensions of a completed garment, including all built-in ease, as opposed to the raw body measurements the pattern was originally drafted around.

A person with standardized body measurements who tries on sample garments during development so a design house can check and refine the fit.

A pattern drafted using measurements, rulers, and math directly on paper, as opposed to draping fabric on a body or dress form.

Fabric that stretches and recovers its shape in both the lengthwise and crosswise directions, common in swimwear, activewear, and dancewear.

A hybrid pattern created by combining pieces or design elements from two or more different existing patterns into one new design.

The gradual unraveling of a cut fabric edge as individual threads work themselves loose from the weave over time or handling.

To rip out a section of stitching, or abandon a project entirely, from the rhyme 'rip it, rip it' echoing a frog's croak.

A measurement taken horizontally around the body at the fullest, most projecting point of the bust, one of the core measurements used to choose pattern size.