Lexicon

Let's speak the same language. Here are the terms of endearment.

Baste: Make long temporary stitches by hand or matching.

Bias: Diagonal direction of fabric (45 degrees slant from vertical or horizontal grain).

Bodice: The upper part of the body covering the neck to the waist.

CB: Center Back (lines up with the spine or center back of the body).

CF: Center Front (lines up with the midpoint of the front body).

Dart: Triangle created to help mold fabric to the contours of the body (bust, hips, shoulders).

Ease: Fitting seams of unequal length so excess fabric won't appear to pleat or buckle.

Gather: Make row of running stitches which, by pulling the thread, controls fullness.

Gore: A shaped, tapered section of a skirt, dress or coat which is wider at the lower edge.

Grain: Direction of woven thread of the fabric.

Lining: Fabric used to cover interior of garment or section of garment.

Marking: Transfer of lines, seams or marks from pattern to fabric

Muslin: A plain woven cotton used for draping patterns, or creating a fabric "draft" of a paper pattern. The term "muslin" applies to this cloth draft which is used to control fit, proportion and design.

Notch: A small mark on the seam allowance of patterns used to match seams.

Paper Pattern: Blueprint used in the creation of garments.

Pin baste: Pinning seams or darts before stitching

Pinking: Use of shears with zigzag blades for cutting fabric edge or finishing cut edges.

Seam: The line formed by sewing together parts of a garment or edges of fabric.

Seam Allowance: Width of fabric beyond seam line which is generally 1/4-inch for doll clothes.

Selvage: Narrow, woven border on lengthwise edges of woven fabrics.

Sloper: The basic pattern, created from the body's strategic measurements, has no seam allowance and is used as a foundation template in the creation of other garments. Also called (in the UK) a "block."

Straight of Grain: The vertical threads of fabric are perpendicular from horizontal threads.

Tack: Hand sew two fabric surfaces together with small, loose stitches.

Top stitching: A line of stitching made on outside of garment parallel to seams.

Trim: To cut away excess fabrics

4 comments:

  1. I love your blog! Just wondering what size graph paper you have used to illustrate your pattern designs. Thanks ever so much!

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  2. Hi there. Most of the time, I'm using US graph paper which has 1/4" squares. There might be a few that were made with European graph paper which comes very close to this same measure. I usually indicate the exact measurements I have use, though those measurements might vary according to the doll you're making the pattern for.

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  3. Thank you for this! If only your list included a fabric guide for dummies, I wouldn't scratch my head trying to imagine what silver lame fabric is like and what to use instead of it.

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    Replies
    1. Ha ha ha!!! Actually, I had thought of making a fabric lexicon.

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