Techniques

Small, diagonal hand stitches worked in rows through canvas and fabric layers to permanently mold and shape a tailored collar or lapel.

A pocket made from a separate piece of fabric stitched directly onto the outside of a garment, with its top edge left open.

A flat collar with rounded, close-fitting corners that lies against the garment without standing up at the neckline.

A waistband faced or entirely constructed from ribbed petersham ribbon, molded with heat and stitched to sit smoothly inside a skirt or trouser waist without a separate facing.

A finish combining a line of straight stitching near the raw edge with pinking beyond it, adding fray resistance to lightly fraying fabrics.

A raw-edge finish made by trimming the seam allowance with pinking shears to create a zigzag edge that resists fraying without additional stitching.

A very narrow, stitched fold of fabric, typically a few millimeters wide, sewn in parallel rows as a decorative textural detail on blouses and fine garments.

A folded bias strip encasing a cord, inserted into a seam so a raised, corded edge shows along the seamline as a decorative or defining detail.

The most basic seam, formed by stitching two fabric layers together along a seam allowance with right sides facing, then pressed open or to one side.

Blunt-tipped hand tool used to push out fully stitched corners, such as collar points or pocket flaps, without piercing the fabric or fraying the seam.

A protective layer of cloth placed between the iron and the garment fabric to prevent shine, scorching, or direct heat marks during pressing.

Pressing both seam allowances flat in opposite directions from the stitching line, reducing bulk and producing a smooth, flat seam.

Pressing both seam allowances together in the same direction, adding strength and often required before edge-stitching or topstitching.

A variation of backstitch that picks up only a tiny amount of fabric on the right side, used to hand-set zippers or topstitch in couture work almost invisibly.