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Color transferring onto another fabric during washing, or running when the garment gets wet, comes from unfixed or excess dye in the fibers, common in dark or hand-dyed fabrics. Wash separately in cold water with a color-catcher sheet.

The difference between a garment's finished measurements and the body measurements it is intended to fit, allowing for movement, comfort, or a specific silhouette.

A line of long machine stitches sewn within a seam allowance and gently pulled up to shrink an edge slightly without forming visible gathers.

Distributing a small amount of extra fullness in one fabric edge smoothly over a slightly shorter matching edge, without leaving visible gathers or puckers.

American tailor who in 1863 introduced graded, multi-size tissue paper sewing patterns sold to home sewers, founding a company that made dressmaking accessible beyond professional tailors.

A presser foot with a central guide blade that rides along a folded or seamed edge, keeping the stitching a precise, consistent distance from the edge.

A row of straight stitching worked very close to a finished edge or seamline, used to keep facings flat and add a crisp, defined line.

A row of topstitching sewn very close, often about an eighth of an inch, to a finished edge or seam to keep it flat and crisp.

A stretchable band, braided, knitted or woven with rubber or spandex core yarns, used in waistbands, casings and cuffs for gathered, adjustable fit.

A fabric tunnel formed by folding and stitching fabric to hold elastic, allowing the waist or edge to stretch and fit without a separate closure.

Fine elastic-cored thread wound onto the bobbin and used with regular thread on top to create shirring, gathering fabric into stretchy rows as it is stitched.

A waistband constructed with elastic sewn directly to the fabric or inserted into a casing, giving stretch and eliminating the need for a fastener.

A machine with an electronic motor and circuit board for consistent speed control, while stitch selection is still set mechanically via dials, blending durability with convenience.

American inventor who patented a working lockstitch sewing machine in 1846, using a needle with an eye near its point and a shuttle carrying a second thread.

Software used to browse, resize, combine, and edit purchased or created embroidery designs before sending them to an embroidery machine.

A proprietary or standardized file type, such as .pes or .dst, that encodes stitch placement and machine commands for a specific embroidery design.

A pair of concentric rings that clamp fabric taut and, for machine embroidery, attaches to the machine's drive arm to be moved automatically during stitching.

A sewing machine, often computerized, that stitches pre-programmed decorative designs by moving a hooped fabric under the needle according to digital instructions.

A sewing machine needle with a larger eye and a light ballpoint to reduce thread fraying and shredding during dense decorative stitching.

Small, sharply pointed scissors, often around four inches long, used for precise trimming of thread and detail work close to fabric.

A bodice draft with the horizontal seam positioned just below the bust rather than at the natural waist, used for empire-waist dresses and tops.

A dress style with a high waistline gathered just below the bust and a slim, flowing skirt, fashionable in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and named for the Napoleonic era.

A dress with a seam positioned just below the bust, from which the skirt falls loosely, historically associated with early 19th-century fashion.

A tailoring style developed on Savile Row in the 1920s-30s that adds fullness across the chest and back for ease of movement while maintaining a structured silhouette.

A decorative shoulder strap or tab, often buttoned at one end, originally used on military uniforms and later adopted on trench coats and shirts.

A zipper inserted so the teeth and tape are visible on the outside of the garment as a design feature, rather than concealed by fabric.

Fabric gathering into folds right at the needle instead of feeding smoothly usually means too much foot pressure, a dull needle, or bulky layers meeting at once. Reduce foot pressure and pivot slowly over intersections.

Standardised symbols printed on fabric bolts or garment labels indicating washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and dry-cleaning instructions for a textile.

Process of applying colour to fibre, yarn, or finished fabric using dye baths, which may be immersion, hand-painted, or resist-based, altering or refreshing a textile's colour.

A pen filled with ink or dye designed to mark fabric temporarily, with the mark later removed by water, heat, or exposure to air.

Fabric that stalls under the presser foot is typically caused by dropped feed dogs, too-light foot pressure, or lint packed under the plate. Check the feed dog setting, raise foot pressure, and clean out lint.

Pattern pieces ending up slightly distorted despite careful layout often come from fabric sliding under the pattern weights or shears as you cut. Use a rotary cutter with a mat, or weight the pattern heavily.

The reduction in a fabric's dimensions after washing or steaming, caused by relaxation of finishing tension or fibre swelling, addressed by pre-washing before cutting.

Layers shifting out of alignment as they're stitched, common with silky fabrics, comes from insufficient friction between layers and the feed dogs. Pin generously, hand-baste, or use tissue paper and a walking foot.

A home sewist's personal accumulated collection of fabric purchased for future projects, a common feature of hobbyist sewing culture often documented and discussed in sewing communities online.

A seam that ends up longer than the fabric it was cut from, common on knits and bias cuts, comes from the foot or hands pulling fabric taut while sewing. Support the fabric's weight instead of pulling it.

A fabric's mass per unit area, commonly measured in grams per square metre, used to judge suitability for a garment and to match pattern recommendations.

A hem finished by attaching a separate shaped facing strip to the raw edge instead of turning up fabric, used when the garment lacks allowance for a folded hem.

A shaped piece of fabric sewn to an edge such as a neckline, armhole, or hem and turned to the inside to finish the raw edge cleanly.

A decorative technique that joins two finished edges with an open, ladder-like pattern of stitches across a visible gap, rather than a closed seam.