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A fitting problem in which the armhole edge stands away from the body instead of following the arm and torso closely, often exposing underwear or skin.

An armhole standing away from the body in a visible gap, common on sleeveless garments, comes from an opening cut too large or left unstabilized. Stay-stitch the edge and take a small dart at the gap.

A fitting problem in which a neckline stands away from the body in loose folds rather than lying flat, usually caused by excess fabric or an overly wide curve.

A waistband standing away from the body at the back or sides, despite fitting at the hip, usually means the waist is smaller than the band was cut for. Take in the waistband seam or add a dart.

A skirt formed by gathering a rectangular or panelled length of fabric into a waistband, producing soft, even fullness below the waist.

Drawing fabric along one or more rows of stitching to reduce its width into soft, even fullness before attaching it to another piece.

A presser foot that gathers a single layer of fabric as it feeds, or gathers one layer while attaching it to a flat layer beneath, in one pass.

A sheer, lightweight crepe-weave fabric with a dull, crinkled surface from tightly twisted alternating S and Z yarns, similar to chiffon but with more texture.

A lightweight plain-weave cotton fabric woven from dyed and white yarns to form even checks, popular for shirts and summer dresses.

A triangular piece of fabric inserted into a seam or hem to add extra flare and fullness to a skirt, dress, or sleeve.

In industry usage, the process of mathematically scaling a base pattern up and down to create a full, consistent range of sizes for production.

The systematic process of increasing or decreasing a pattern's measurements at each point to produce a full range of sizes from a single base pattern.

Blending two adjacent pattern sizes, such as a smaller bust with a larger waist, is done by tracing each size's line at the relevant area and drawing a smooth curve connecting them across the piece.

Trimming layered seam allowances to different, staggered widths so the layers taper gradually and do not create a visible ridge under the fabric.

The direction of the warp and weft yarns in woven fabric, or the wales and courses in knit fabric, which pattern pieces are aligned to for correct hang and stretch.

The lengthwise direction of woven fabric threads, running parallel to the selvedge, that pattern pieces must be aligned to so a garment hangs and fits correctly.

The double-headed arrow printed on a pattern piece that shows how the piece should be aligned with the fabric's lengthwise grain when laid out.

A straight arrow printed or drawn on a pattern piece indicating the direction the lengthwise fabric grain must run when the piece is laid out for cutting.

A reinforced metal or plastic ring set into a punched hole in fabric to prevent tearing and to allow lacing or cord to pass through.

Stitched horizontal tuck added to a child's garment hem or sleeve to shorten it temporarily, released later to lengthen the garment as the child grows.

A heavy, openwork lace in which the decorative motifs are held together by connecting threads rather than by a net background fabric.

A small diamond or triangular piece of fabric inserted at the underarm or crotch seam to add ease of movement and reduce stress on the seam.