Terms & glossary

A structured wardrobe-planning approach, popularized by a well-known online course, for building a cohesive handmade wardrobe around a person's real needs and style.

The lengthwise threads held taut on a loom during weaving, running parallel to the selvedge in a piece of woven fabric.

A fit-testing garment that was expected to be purely disposable but turns out well enough that the sewist actually wears it afterward.

The minimum extra room built into a pattern beyond a person's exact body measurements, needed so a finished garment can be put on and moved in comfortably.

The crosswise threads woven over and under the warp threads to construct a woven fabric, also known as the fill or the woof.

Selling garments or fabric in bulk quantities to retailers at a reduced price, rather than selling individual pieces directly to consumers.

The measurement taken across the back from wrist to wrist with both arms outstretched, occasionally used to check sleeve and shoulder width in a pattern.

Short for 'work in progress,' a sewing project currently being made, often photographed and shared on social media before it is finished.

The reverse, less finished side of a piece of fabric that is meant to face inward and stay hidden from view.

Positioning two layers of fabric so their unfinished, wrong sides touch each other, leaving the right sides visible, as used for some enclosed seams.