Fabrics & materials

The diagonal direction across a woven fabric, at 45 degrees to the grainlines, along which fabric has maximum stretch and drape; used for bindings and fluid-cut garments.

The way a fabric falls, folds and moves under its own weight, ranging from fluid, as in chiffon and jersey, to stiff, as in canvas and taffeta; a key factor in pattern choice.

A raised, directional surface texture, as on velvet, corduroy or fleece, that reflects light and feels different depending on which way it is stroked; pattern pieces must be cut in one direction.

A fabric's resistance to distortion or stretching out of shape during handling, cutting and sewing, often improved with interfacing or stay tape on loosely woven or stretch fabrics.

A measure of how far a knit or stretch-woven fabric extends compared to its resting length, used to check a fabric against a pattern's required stretch and recovery.