Sew Fast Sew Easy: All You Need to Know When You Start to Sew (16 page)

Fusible
A lightweight nonwoven or tricot (knit) that has glue on one side only. Used for skirt and pant waistbands, collars, lapels of jackets, and anywhere a stiff, crisp finish is needed. If ironed on well, it will survive washing and dry cleaning.

Grain
The threads that are running along the length or the “warp” of the fabric.

Hem
The fabric usually folded up into the inside of the garment and finished with a hemstitch. There are many different styles of hem finishes, such as dressmaker finish with hem tape, a sportswear finish using the sewing machine, and a rolled hem finish using a serger.

Hem tape
A rayon tape that is sewn over the raw edge of the hem. It also can be purchased as an iron-on tape.

Hemline
The finished bottom edge on skirts, dresses, jackets, and sleeves.

Knits
These fabrics are made by a chain of interlooping yarns.

Lengthwise straight grain
The warp threads that run up and down the fabric parallel to the selvage.

Lockstitch
The basic stitch formation made by a sewing machine. The top thread from the needle forms a loop that “locks” with the bobbin thread loop to form each stitch.

Lycra
A trademark for a man-made fiber, which is a synthetic rubber (spandex). It is used as a blend in many knits and wovens to create stretch and better “recovery.”

Man-made fibers
Formerly called synthetic fibers. This term includes all man-made textile fibers that are chemically engineered, such as polyester, acrylic, spandex, nylon, and Lycra.

Nap
A surface produced by brushing up fibers in the cloth. Fabrics with nap will be a different shade of color depending on the direction you cut and sew it together. Fabrics with nap include velvet, corduroy, Ultrasuede, knitted panne, and polar fleece.

Needlepunch
A nonwoven fabric. It is used in between quilts to create thickness. It is also used to create body in tote bags and used for the shoulder area of suit jackets.

Needle
Metal spike with a sharp point and eye to pass thread. There are many different types of needles that are used for sewing. For example, “betweens or sharps” are used for regular hand sewing; crewel needles with a large eye are for embroidery thread; and beading needles are very thin to be able to thread on beads. Darners and tapestry needles are used for heavy mending and sewing thick home decor fabrics.

Notions
A term used to describe sewing supplies, such as needles, thread, scissors, etc.

Notches
Matching points that are marked on pattern pieces usually in a symbol of a triangle or U. Matching them helps sew the seams up correctly.

Overlock machine
See
Serger

Parallel
Anything that measures at equal distance apart. For example, the straight grain on your pattern piece must be parallel to the selvage.

Pillow form
A pillow without covering. It’s usually made out of Dacron fiberfill and comes in different sizes.

Pins
Pieces of steel with sharp points used to hold two pieces of fabric together when sewing. They come in many different sizes and varieties. It is best to buy dressmaker size 17 for all-purpose use. The nickel-plated stainless steel variety can easily be picked up by a magnet when you drop them on the floor. Some pins come with a plastic ball at the top; these are mostly used by quilters.

Piping or cording
A narrow strip of fabric folded on the bias that sometimes has cording filler in it. It is used to trim a pillow edge or a garment.

Polyester
A man-made fiber that is made from plastic. It resists wrinkles and will wash very easily. There are many fabrics that are blended with polyester.

Presser foot lifter
A lever on the back of the sewing machine that lifts the presser foot up and down.

Rolled hem
A very small hem made on an overlock machine. It can also be done by using a zigzag stitch on a sewing machine. It is seen on scarves and clothing as a finish to a raw edge.

Rotary cutter
A cutting tool that must be used with a cutting mat. It is great for cutting straight strips of fabric or tougher coverings such as leather.

Seam allowance
The distance between the cut edge of the fabric and the sewing line.

Seam guide
An adjustable attachment to the sewing machine that is placed along the side of the foot. It will give you straight seams as you sew if you keep your eye on the guide. The easiest style to use is a magnetic seam guide.

Seam line
The line you sew your séam on.

Selvage
The woven or printed edge on each side of the length of a fabric. It won’t fray. Sometimes you can identify it by its little poke holes, contrast band, or fringe on both sides of the length of your fabric.

Serger and overlock machines
Machines that sew an overlock stitch. Sergers are five-thread machines and overlocks are four-thread machines. Sergers sew an overlock stitch with a chainstitch alongside the overlock stitch. A serger will not replace a sewing machine since it cannot do a lockstitch. All sergers perform the function of cutting, trimming, and seaming fabric.

Sewing machine foot
A plastic or metal attachment that holds your fabric under the needle. There are many different types of sewing feet you can attach to the presser foot. Sometimes your machine will come with extra feet. You should refer to the instruction book that comes with your machine. Each foot is designed to help you sew different treatments on your project. For example, a zipper foot is designed to help you get closer to the edge of what you’re working on. You can use it to sew in the elastic to your skirt waist and add piping to your pillow. Of course it can be used to sew in a zipper, too.

Skirt hem marker
A gadget that consists of a ruler and a bulb with marking powder that you can puff onto a garment while you are wearing it.

Slit
An opening from the hem up on a skirt or dress. It is usually seen in a tapered silhouette because it allows you to walk more easily.

Snap fastenings
These are metal grippers that come in black or silver and are available in several sizes. They are often used to snap close the very top corner of a dress or jacket. They can be used to close the envelope side of a pillow cover and are often used on baby clothes.

Stitch length
The average length setting for most sewing is usually set at 2.5 to 3 on a home sewing machine and 4 or 5 for a machine basting.

Straight grain
When you have pinned your pattern to the fabric and it is parallel to the selvage.

Tailor’s chalk
A small solid piece of chalk used for marking. It can be greasy like a crayon or dry and powdery. The dry clay chalk is best for your sewing projects since it won’t leave a permanent mark.

Tailor’s ham
A basic tool for pressing that is a firm cushion and looks like a canned ham; sometimes also called a dressmaker’s ham. It’s used to press and shape darts, sleeves, and places which need a curved shape.

Tapestry
A thick fabric that is woven in a floral design, story, or paisley. It is commonly used for wall hangings, bedspreads, upholstery, handbags, pillows, and coats.

Tencel
A trademarked name for a new cellulose or rayon fiber.

Topstitch
A decorative stitch that holds two seams together. It is usually ¼” or
1/8
” away from a finished edge of fabric.

Thread
A very thin twisted yarn and filament used for sewing. There are many types of thread used for many purposes. The most common for all types of sewing projects is the “all-purpose thread,” which is cotton-wrapped, polyester core thread. Thread is made from yarn but yarn is not made from thread.

Tracing paper
A special paper that comes in different colors that has a waxy, crayonlike finish. It is used to trace pattern markings such as darts or fit corrections.

Tracing wheel
A tool with a handle used for transferring pattern markings to fabric by rolling it over tracing paper.

Twin needle
Two needles mounted on one post that you can insert in the needle clamp of your sewing machine. By using two spools of thread on your sewing machine you can sew a double-needle jean effect on your project.

Velcro
A trademarked name for tape that is a fastener. One side is fuzzy and the other side is prickly; when pressed together, they stick.

Viscose
A term used in Europe for rayon. Rayon is a cellulose fiber made from wood pulp.

Warp
The threads that run vertically or lengthwise in fabric. Warp threads are pulled tight since they need to be strong; they do not stretch.

Weft
The horizontal threads in a woven fabric. Weft yarn can be softer and weaker than the warp.

Woven
A textile structure made by interlacing warp threads with weft threads. The primary weaves are plain weave, twill, and satin.

Yard
A term used to measure 36 inches of fabric length.

Yardstick
A wooden or metal ruler that is marked in intervals of
1/8
, ¼, ½, 1 to 36 inches, which is one yard. This tool is helpful when laying pattern pieces on the straight grain and also to measure hemlines of bias-cut garments.

Yarn
The assemblage of fibers or filaments, either natural or man-made, twisted together to form a continuous strand.

Zipper foot
A sewing machine foot that is narrow so you can get closer to the side of what needs to be sewed. It can be used for sewing along the side of braiding, piping, and elastic as well as for putting in a zipper.

Appendix

Sewing on a Button

In order to sew on a button so that it won’t come off, you should use a thicker thread. This kind of thread is called “button and carpet” thread. Button and carpet thread has a tendency to knot while you are sewing. In order to avoid that from happening, make sure to run the thread through some beeswax. You can buy beeswax in a removable grooved plastic holder at any sewing supply store. A flat button will have two or four holes in the center. When sewing flat buttons you need to create a shank with your sewing thread. The length of the shank depends on the thickness of the fabric that the button is being sewed onto. The shank will prevent the button from falling off.

Step 1

Mark with a pencil where you are going to sew your four-holed button. Make sure to knot your thread at the end. Start by sewing your thread from the wrong side of your fabric. Pull the thread all the way through until you reach the knot.

HOW TO SEW ON A BUTTON

Step 2

Then slide your button onto your needle and thread, careful to keep the right side of the button facing you. Then push the needle through an adjacent hole and pull the thread tight, until you are holding the button ½ inch above your fabric. Continue back to the wrong side of the fabric while maintaining your ½ inch shank. Repeat this two or three times before continuing to the next pair of holes.