96 WWW.GATHERED.HOW/SIMPLYSEWINGDr P
A termusedtodescribetheway
a fabrichangsunderitsown
weight.Differentfabricshave
differentdrape qualities.E e
Theadditionofextrafabricin
a patterntoallowthefinished
garmenttofitthe body well.Ed E Ti C
A rowofstitchingonthevery
edgeofa garment,usually
2-3mm( ⁄ - ⁄ in)fromthefolded
orseamededge.Usedtohold
thefabricedge neatly in place.Fa I
Thispatternpieceis cut
separatelytostabiliseandcreate
a neatfinishontheedgeof
a garment,suchas the neckline.f Qu R e
A termusedtodescribea cut
pieceoffabricoftenusedfor
patchworkprojects,usually
measuring46x55cm(18x22in).Fi I H g/Ne T N g r Ed E
Thisis donetostopthefabric
edges,particularlyofa seam,
fromfraying.It canbedoneby
machinezigzagstitch,usingan
overlockerortrimmingtheraw
edgewithpinkingshears.Gr I /Gr I L e
Thelengthwisefabricgrain,
runningparallel to the selvedge.n
Fabricslikevelvet,corduroyand
furhavehairsorloopswhichall
lieinonedirectionandare
calledthenap,orpile.When
cuttingoutpatternpiecesmake
surethegrainlinearrowalways
runsinthedirection of the nap.No I n
Small tools or accessories usedGLOSSARY
insewingsuchaszips, fasteners,
laceandbuttons.Ri H S e (r ) / Wr N S e (w )
Therightsideofthefabric,also
calledthe‘public’side,hasthe
designonit.Thewrongsideis the
otherside– thisis usuallya little
dullerorfadedonplain fabrics.S m Al O A e
Thefabricbetweentheraworcut
edgeofthefabricandtheseamis
calledtheseamallowance.Your
patternwilltellyoutherequired
seamallowancemeasurement.
Thisis usually1.5cm( ⁄ in)for
dressmaking, but can vary.Se V d
Thefinishedwovenedgeoffabric,
oftenwiththefabricnameprinted
onit.Thegrainrunsparalleltothis
andthebiasdiagonally. Called
selvageintheUS.St Y Ti C i
A lineofregularmachinestitching
usuallyworked3mm( ⁄ in)inside
theseamline,oftenusedto
stabilisecurvededgestostop
themstretchingout of shape.T k/Ta K n
A lineoftemporarystitchingused
toholdfabricpiecestogether
beforemachinesewing,workedin
thesamewayasrunningstitch.
Knownasbasting in the U.S.To S It H n
A lineofstitchingworked5mm
( in)fromthefoldedorseam
edge.Usedtoholdtheseamin
placeandasa decorative finish.Un E St T H g
A lineofstitchingworkedthrough
thefacingandseamallowance
3mm( ⁄ in)fromtheseamtostop
thefacingrollingtotheoutsideof
thegarment.Understitchingwill
not be visible on the outside.111232 34534 2La D St T
Usedtojointogetherandclose
twoturned-underedgesinvisibly,
suchasona dressliningorsoft
toy.Bringtheneedleupat1 on
onesideoftheseam,theninat 2
ontheoppositesideandoutat3,
sothestitchis 3mm( ⁄ in)long.
Pushtheneedlebackinthe
opposite side at 4 and out at 5. Repeat this to close the edges.S p St T
Thisstitchis usedmostoftenfor
hemswhereyouneedtostitch
a turned-underedgetoa flat
pieceoffabricusingsmall,almost
invisiblestitches.Bringtheneedle
upat1 ontheturned-underhem
thenbackinat2 andoutat3.
Makethishorizontalstitchas
smallaspossiblesoit can’tbeseenfromthefront.Repeatthisby
makinga verticalstitchbackintotheturned-under edge then
continue in this way to complete the hem.W p St T
Whipstitchis usedtojointhe
edgesoftwofabricstogether,
suchasfeltandotherfabricsthat
don’tfray.Withtherightsides
together,bringyourneedleoutat
1 onthefrontofthefabric,then
overtothebackoftheother,and
throughandoutat2.Continueto
work small stitches close together over the top of the two fabric edges.Ru N n St T
Thiscanbeusedtogatherfabric
andasa decorativestitchworked
aroundtheedgeofa finished
project.Bringtheneedleoutat1,
inat2,thenoutat3 andinat4,
andsoon.Makethelengthofthe
stitchesthesamelengthasthe
gapsbetweenthemforaneven
finish. You can work several running stitches on your needle at once.STITCH GUIDE
Usethesebasichandstitchestocomplete
your home and dressmaking projects.12Fora fullglossaryofsewingterms
visit http://www.gathered.how/simplysewingThe guide
FRESH IDEAS WITH FABRIC