Terms & glossary

The French term for elaborate trimmings such as decorative braid, tassels, and cord, used to embellish garments as well as upholstery and home decor.

A modification made to an existing commercial or indie sewing pattern to change its style, features, or fit without drafting an entirely new pattern.

One individual printed or drafted shape from a sewing pattern, representing a single part of the finished garment to be cut from fabric.

The growing collection of sewing patterns, whether printed or digital, that a sewist has purchased or downloaded but not yet actually sewn up.

The process by which sewists outside a designer's own team sew a new pattern before its release, checking fit, instructions, and grading across sizes.

A sewing pattern sold as a digital file, printed at home across multiple sheets of paper or sent to a copy shop for large-format printing.

A joking acronym for 'project half done,' describing the pile of unfinished sewing projects that many sewists accumulate over time.

The raised loops or cut fiber ends standing up from a fabric's woven base, as seen in velvet, corduroy, and terry cloth.

The fixed reference point on a pattern, often a bust point or hip point, around which a dart is rotated during dart manipulation.

Stopping with the sewing machine needle down at a corner, lifting the presser foot, and turning the fabric to continue stitching in a new direction.

A finished, reinforced opening in a garment, strengthened with an extra strip of fabric, that allows buttons, a zipper, or the head to pass through.

A section of fabric folded back on itself and pressed or stitched in place, adding controlled fullness or decorative shaping to a garment.

Short for PatternReview.com, a long-running online community where sewists post detailed reviews of commercial and indie sewing patterns before others buy them.

French for 'ready to wear,' describing standard-sized clothing manufactured for general sale rather than garments custom fitted to one person.

Products that are manufactured by one company but sold to the public under a different company's own brand name.

A finalized manufacturing pattern, complete with every size graded and all construction markings added, ready to be used on a factory floor.