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Thread, commonly rayon, polyester, or metallic, engineered with a fine, glossy finish and high strength to withstand the stress of high-speed decorative stitching.

Skipped stitches on knit fabric happen when the needle pushes fabric down into the plate hole instead of piercing it, usually from a sharp needle or overly stretched fabric. Switch to a ballpoint needle and support the fabric.

French couturier active from 1912 to 1939, celebrated for pioneering the bias cut and draping fabric directly on a miniature mannequin rather than working from flat sketches.

Fastener using paired magnets sewn behind a garment placket to replace buttons or snaps, allowing a garment to be closed with one hand or reduced dexterity.

Patterns sold by post directly to home sewers from catalogs or magazines, a distribution model that let rural and small-town customers access current fashions from the 1870s onward.

The manufacture of garments in large standardized batches using factory division of labor and specialized machinery, a shift that accelerated after the sewing machine's spread in the mid-19th century.

A traditional training path in which a novice works for years under an experienced tailor, progressing from basting and pressing to pattern drafting and full garment construction.

Stretch fabric panel inserted into the front of trousers or skirts to accommodate a growing abdomen while keeping the waistband in place.

American sewing pattern company founded in 1870, known for the long-running McCall's Needlework and Crafts magazine and for pioneering printed, rather than perforated, pattern markings in the 1920s.

An annual online sewing challenge, started in 2010, in which participants pledge to wear garments they made themselves throughout May and document the experience on social media.

A fabric woven or knitted with metallic yarns, or coated with a metallic finish, prone to fraying and heat sensitivity during pressing.

A seam that imitates the appearance of a flat-felled seam by pressing both allowances to one side and topstitching them, without actually wrapping the raw edge.

A regenerated cellulose fibre from beech tree pulp, softer and more shrink-resistant than viscose, often blended into knits for underwear and loungewear.

A lustrous, resilient animal-hair fibre from the Angora goat, known for a fuzzy halo and durability, used in sweater knits and specialty wovens.