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An energy-efficient electric motor for industrial machines that starts instantly at the set speed and stops precisely, unlike a continuously spinning clutch motor.

A sleeve cut separately and stitched into a fitted armhole, requiring eased fullness at the cap to fit smoothly over the shoulder.

A sleeve draft producing a sleeve attached to the bodice along a separate armhole seam encircling the shoulder, the most common sleeve construction in tailored and woven garments.

A structured, often online group event in which many sewists work through the same pattern together over a set period, following shared guidance.

Interfacing without adhesive, attached by stitching into the seam allowance, preferred for fabrics that cannot tolerate heat or that would be damaged by fusing.

An organized group sewing event, often hosted by a pattern company or blogger, in which participants make the same garment together over a set period while sharing progress online.

A trip or retreat taken specifically to sew, whether at an organized workshop or informally alongside a group of fellow sewists.

A playful blend of 'sewing' and 'social,' describing the wider online community of sewists who share their projects and connect across social media.

A personal website format, prominent from the mid-2000s, where home sewists documented projects, pattern reviews, and tutorials, fostering online communities before social media platforms became dominant.

A container, often compartmentalized, used to store and organize sewing notions such as needles, thread, pins, and small tools.

A content creator who builds an online following by sharing sewing projects, pattern reviews, and technique tutorials, sometimes partnering with pattern and fabric companies for sponsored content.

A mechanical device that forms stitches in fabric, radically speeding up clothing production; workable models emerged in the 1830s-1850s and made both industrial and home sewing far faster than hand stitching.

Precautions for using a sewing machine safely, including inspecting the power cord, avoiding overloaded outlets, and unplugging the machine before changing needles or clearing jams.

A slender pointed tool with an eye for thread, made from bone or ivory in prehistoric times; mass production of steel needles began in England during the 18th century.

The rise of platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok as spaces for home sewists to share finished garments, tutorials, and pattern reviews, reshaping how sewing skills and trends spread from the 2010s.

A pre-release process in which volunteer sewists make up a new pattern to check instructions, fit, and sizing, providing feedback to independent designers before public release, common since the indie pattern boom.

Arrangement of a sewing workspace, including chair height, machine and cutting table position, and lighting, to reduce strain during long periods of sewing.

Spun or filament fibre engineered specifically for stitching, selected by fibre content, weight and finish to suit the fabric and seam it will hold.

Video tutorials teaching garment construction techniques, uploaded by hobbyists and professionals alike, which grew from the 2010s into a major free resource for learning to sew outside formal classes.

Sewing motivation or enthusiasm; a sewist who has 'lost their sewjo' feels uninspired and unmotivated to get to their machine, playing on the word 'mojo'.

A facing cut to mirror the exact curve of the edge it finishes, such as a neckline or armhole facing, rather than a straight strip.

A collar cut in one piece with the front facing, curving continuously around the back neck without a notch, typical of tuxedo jackets and cardigans.

A close-fitting, straight-cut dress with minimal ease that follows the body's contours from shoulder to hem without a defined waist seam.

Fine, sheer fabric sliding out of alignment or getting pulled into the feed dogs comes from its light weight offering little resistance. Sew between two layers of tissue paper or use a straight-stitch throat plate.

A small tuck stitched and then pulled with an overcast or zigzag stitch to create a scalloped, shell-like bump along an edge, used decoratively on lingerie and blouses.

A simple, loose-fitting dress that hangs straight from the shoulders with little or no waist shaping, often constructed with darts alone.

Multiple parallel rows of gathering, often stitched with elastic thread in the bobbin, that create stretchy, textured fullness over an area of fabric.

A dress styled like a button-front shirt, typically featuring a collar, sleeves, and a full button placket extending the length of the garment.

Reducing a garment's length, most often at the hem or sleeve, involves trying it on to mark the new length, trimming the excess, and refinishing the raw edge to match the original hem style.

A dart originating at the shoulder seam and pointing toward the bust apex, used in bodice drafting as an alternative location to shape fabric over the bust.

Attaching a shaped foam or fiber shoulder pad inside a garment's shoulder seam to build out and support the shoulder line.

The angle of the shoulder measured from a horizontal reference line, used to identify square or sloping shoulders and to adjust the shoulder seam of a pattern.

A garment coming out smaller after its first wash usually means the fabric wasn't pre-washed before cutting, or was laundered hotter than the fiber tolerates. Always pre-wash fabric the way the finished garment will be laundered.

A long, torpedo-shaped bobbin used in vibrating and transverse shuttle machines, distinct from the round bobbins used in modern rotary hooks.

A fine, lustrous protein filament produced by silkworms, prized for drape, sheen and strength-to-weight ratio; woven into fabrics from chiffon to dupioni.

A network of trade routes connecting China to the Mediterranean from around the 2nd century BCE, through which silk, dyes, and weaving techniques spread across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

A fine, strong, slightly elastic natural filament thread with a subtle sheen, traditionally used for hand basting, tailoring and hand-finishing fine fabrics.

American pattern company founded in 1927 that undercut competitors with lower-priced, simplified patterns aimed at budget-conscious home sewers during the Great Depression.

A widely produced vintage sewing machine platform known for its oscillating hook and full range of licensed and cloned versions manufactured worldwide.

A lightweight, portable straight-stitch-only Singer model, most famously the 221, prized by collectors and quilters for its smooth stitch quality and durability.