While teaching a beginning class this morning, I realized that there are several sewing terms I use a lot that could do with a little more explanation.
Here’s a mini-vocabulary lesson for someone learning to sew:
Baste: To baste is to sew, but using a very long (and easy to remove later) stitch.
Seam Allowance: Your seam allowance is the distance between the edge of your fabric and your needle. Seam allowances can vary between 1/4 inch (common for quilting and piecing) to 5/8 inch (common for commercial patterns). Line up the edge of your fabric with the line on your foot plate that corresponds to the seam allowance listed in the pattern.
Right Sides Together: Place your fabric with the pretty sides together and ugly sides out. (Note: some fabrics don’t had a “right” and a “wrong”. You pick!)
Wrong Sides Together: Place or fold your fabric with the ugly sides together and pretty (right) sides out.
Press: Press your seams as you complete them, as opposed to ironing them. To press, set the hot iron down, heat the fabric and then lift the iron and press it down elsewhere on the fabric. Ironing can distort your seams.
So 2 questions:
1. For those of you with lots of sewing experience: what sewing terms do you use/run across frequently that could also do with a little more explanation?
2. For those of you just learning to sew: is there a sewing term or phrase that you’ve run across lately that stumped you?