Term | Definition |
bound buttonhole | Rectangular hole in the fabric that is bound or faced and backed with narrow strips of fabric that meet like lips to cover the opening. |
buttonhole twist | Heavy, lustrous thread |
broken seam | Seam that has split apart because the stitches have broken |
finish pressing | Pressing done at end of assembly process; also called off pressing. |
facing | Piece of fabric used to finish raw edges of a garment; the facing is turned to the inside of the garment so that it backs or faces the garment at the edge. |
flat seam | Joint in which raw edges are abutted (or sometimes slightly overlapped) and sewn together; also called butt seam or exposed seam. |
two-piece sleeve | Sleeve consisting of two portions; the main sleeve piece and a second narrow, shaped sleeve piece under the arm. |
french seam | A "seam within a seam"; operator sews a narrow plain seam with the back sides of the fabric plies together and then sews a slightly wider plain seam with the face sides of the fabric plies together to encase the seam allowances of the first seam. |
gorge line | Seam where collar and lapel meet |
kimono sleeve | Sleeve cut as one with the body of the garment. |
monogram | embroidery that forms the initials of the wearer's name. |
raglan sleeve | sleeve attached to the garment witha diagonal seam that runs from the underarm to the neckline of the garment. |
plain seam | simple, superimposed seam; appears as a line with no visible stitches on the outside of the garment, but the seam allowances are visible inside the garment; the most common seam for sewing structural garments. |
thread shank | thread wrapped around the stitches between the button and the garment, suspending the button away from the fabric. |
topstitching | visible, decorative stitching done on the outside of the garment; also called accent stitching. |
underlap | pience of fabric underneath a closure. |
placket | finished structural opening in a garment that allows a body part to pass through for dressing and undressing. |
seams | Joint resulting when two or more fabric pieces are sewn together. |
seam pucker | lack of seam smoothness that detracts from the appearance of the garment. |
seam grin | unsightly result that occurs when the seamline spreads open, exposing the stitches so taht they appear similar to the teeth of a grin. |
seam stay | any stable, narrow, nonbulky tape, ribbon, fabric strip, or other device used to stabilize a seam. |
underpressing | pressing during construction. |
slit buttonhole | buttonhole with raw edges; a slit in the fabric that serves as a buttonhole. |
waistband curtain | prefabricated waistband facing that consists of a strip of firmly woven fabric attached to a bias-cut piece of interfacing; the lower edge of the curtain is a bias-cut fold of fabric. |