Terms & glossary

A nickname for the four long-established American pattern companies: Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity, and Vogue Patterns.

To rip out a section of stitching, or abandon a project entirely, from the rhyme 'rip it, rip it' echoing a frog's croak.

A shop, or its stock of goods, selling sewing notions and small supplies such as thread, needles, buttons, ribbon, and trims.

A small, independently run sewing pattern company or individual designer, as distinct from one of the major legacy pattern brands.

A sewing pattern published by a small, independently owned designer or company, rather than by one of the larger legacy pattern brands.

Clothing that was sewn by the wearer themselves, as distinct from clothing that was bought ready-made or store-bought.

A rough, quickly sewn test version of a garment or design, made to check fit or check a construction method before committing to the final fabric.

The small supporting supplies needed to complete a garment beyond the fabric itself, such as thread, buttons, zippers, hooks, and elastic.

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

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

Sewing small projects specifically designed to use up leftover fabric scraps that are too small to cut a full garment from.

Sewing a project purely for oneself to wear, as opposed to sewing gifts or clothing intended for other people.

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

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 sewist's personal accumulated collection of fabric, patterns, or notions, kept on hand for future projects rather than used immediately.

Deliberately choosing to sew projects using fabric or patterns already owned, specifically to reduce an accumulated stash rather than buying anything new.

A small sample cut of fabric, kept for reference or used to test stitches, tension, or shrinkage before a full project is cut.

Short for 'unfinished object,' a sewing project that has been started but set aside or abandoned before it was ever completed.

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