All articles

Long narrow fabric strip laid lengthwise down the centre of a table, hemmed or bound on all edges and often pieced or quilted for decoration.

Rectangular, square, or round fabric cover sized to a table, hemmed on all edges and sometimes finished with a mitred corner or decorative trim.

A flat or triangular piece of chalk or clay-based marking material used to draw temporary lines and symbols directly on fabric.

Loose loops of thread sewn through pattern and fabric layers to mark construction points such as darts and pocket placement, removed once the marks are transferred.

A hem that has come loose and hangs unevenly needs the old stitching removed, the fold pressed back to its crease, and the hem restitched, often with a fresh blind hem to match the original.

A sleeveless upper-body garment with shoulder straps and no collar, cut with wide armholes and typically made from knit fabric.

A flexible, usually fiberglass or cloth ribbon marked with inch and centimeter graduations, used to take body and fabric measurements around curves.

Focused lighting positioned at the sewing machine and cutting table to reduce eye strain and improve accuracy when threading needles or matching thread colours.

Absorbent hemmed fabric rectangle, often linen or cotton, used for drying dishes; commonly made with a hanging loop and finished edges as a quick beginner project.

A looped-pile fabric, woven or knitted, with uncut loops on one or both sides that give high absorbency; used for towelling garments and robes.

A British television competition, first broadcast in 2013, in which amateur sewists complete garment-making challenges judged on technique and creativity, credited with boosting home sewing's popularity.

A protective cap, usually metal, worn on a finger to push a needle through fabric; examples survive from Roman antiquity, and it remains a basic hand-sewing tool worldwide.

Thread that snaps repeatedly while sewing is usually old or low-quality thread, a burred needle eye, or tension set too tight for the thread weight. Use fresh quality thread, replace the needle, and ease the tension.

A tangled mass of thread, usually on the fabric underside, caused by incorrect threading, an unbalanced tension, or an improperly seated bobbin.

A dense tangle of looped thread that jams beneath the fabric, usually caused by an unthreaded take-up lever or incorrect upper threading.

A tangled clump of thread on the fabric underside, jamming the feed, comes from unbalanced tension or starting a seam without holding the thread tails. Rethread fully, check tension, and hold tails taut when starting.

A wall-mounted or freestanding storage rack with pegs or spindles that holds spools of thread visibly and within easy reach.

Small, spring-loaded scissors with short blades designed for quickly trimming thread tails and jump stitches without picking up full-size scissors.

The balance of pull applied to the upper and lower threads so they interlock at the midpoint of the fabric layers, producing an even, flat stitch.

Resist-dyeing technique in which fabric is bound, twisted, or folded and secured with string or rubber bands before dye is applied, leaving undyed patterned areas beneath the bindings.

A skirt made of two or more horizontal fabric bands, each gathered and stitched to the one above, increasing in width toward the hem.

Stitches that pucker the fabric or feel stiff usually mean tension is set too high, pulling both threads too taut. Lower the top tension and check the bobbin isn't wound too firmly.

The task of trimming and taping together the individual letter or A4 sized pages of a home-printed PDF pattern into one complete, full-size sheet.

A lightweight paper template printed with garment pieces, seam markings, and instructions, cut and pinned to fabric as a sewing guide; commercial tissue patterns became widespread from the 1860s.

A 'tried and true' pattern that a sewist has made successfully before, knows fits well, and can sew again with confidence.

French for a test garment sewn up in inexpensive fabric to check a design's fit before cutting into the final fabric; used more often outside the US than the equivalent term muslin.

A trial garment made from inexpensive fabric to test and refine the fit and construction of a pattern before cutting the intended fashion fabric.

Loops of top-color thread on the fabric's wrong side signal top tension that's too loose, or a bobbin wound or threaded incorrectly. Tighten the top tension and rewind the bobbin evenly.

Visible stitching worked on the right side of a garment, often with a longer stitch length or heavier thread, used to reinforce seams and add decorative definition.

Simple open-top bag pattern, typically constructed from two rectangular panels with straps, sewn with or without a lining, used as a foundational bag-making project.

The process of copying a pattern piece, whether from a commercial pattern, a garment, or another pattern, onto new paper so the original can be preserved and the copy altered.

A tool with a small spiked or serrated wheel, rolled along pattern lines to transfer markings onto fabric, typically paired with dressmaker's carbon paper.

A fine, lightweight net fabric with a hexagonal mesh, used for veils, tutus and skirt volume; does not fray, so edges can be left raw.

A loose, straight or lightly shaped top extending to the hip or thigh, historically derived from ancient draped garments and worn over trousers or leggings.

A seam finish made by folding the raw edge of the seam allowance under a small amount and edge-stitching it in place.

A weave structure with diagonal ribs formed by offsetting the weft float by one warp thread each row, giving fabrics like denim and gabardine extra drape and durability.