Terms & glossary

A version of a PDF sewing pattern formatted to print as a single large sheet at a copy shop, sized to the international A0 paper standard.

An early, not-yet-finalized version of a sewing pattern sent out to testers for feedback before the pattern's official public release.

Extra room added into a pattern beyond the minimum wearing ease, chosen purely to create a looser, more relaxed silhouette in the finished garment.

A pattern drafted using measurements, rulers, and math directly on paper, as opposed to draping fabric on a body or dress form.

The way multiple sizes of a pattern piece are layered and printed as concentric cutting lines on a single sheet, one inside the other.

The process by which sewists outside a designer's own team sew a new pattern before its release, checking fit, instructions, and grading across sizes.

A pattern alteration method that involves cutting a pattern piece apart along marked lines and spreading the resulting pieces to add fullness or length.

A seam or design line on a pattern that also performs a shaping function, such as a princess seam that both fits and decorates.

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.