Terms & glossary

Surplus fabric left over from fashion industry production runs and resold in limited quantities rather than being sent to landfill.

Fabric that stretches and recovers its shape in both the lengthwise and crosswise directions, common in swimwear, activewear, and dancewear.

The way a fabric feels to the touch, described as soft, crisp, slippery, or rough, an important factor when choosing fabric for a pattern.

The raised loops or cut fiber ends standing up from a fabric's woven base, as seen in velvet, corduroy, and terry cloth.

The exact forty-five degree diagonal line between the lengthwise and crosswise grain, the direction where a woven fabric stretches the most.

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

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

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