Have you ever talked to anyone about sewing and come across a term you didn’t understand? As in other crafts, sewing has its own terms and meanings of certain words. These words tell you how and what to do without requiring long explanations. To help you out, here are five common sewing terms and their definitions that you will encounter in your sewing adventures.

Change: means making changes or modifications to the design or product you’re sewing, as well as changes to the finished products. General changes in finished products include reducing the length of a shirt or trousers. When you make changes to the pattern, it’s important to think about how these changes will affect the rest of the pattern in terms of how the different parts will be grouped together. For example, if you shorten the length of the shirt in front, you should also shorten the length of the back, otherwise they will not match each other.

Base or base: means temporarily bonding two pieces of cloth together with long, easily removed stitches. One of the reasons you’ll use the frame is to show yourself what any changes or adjustments you make after you’ve finished. So if you don’t like the look, you can always easily change it. Another reason for using the foundation is to keep the fabric in place during sewing, for example, if the fabric was smooth.

Hem or bottom: Is made on finished product or clothing by turning the edges under it and sewing inside the product. Stitching is done to reduce the length of an item of clothing, such as a skirt or dress. Because the edge does not remove excess material, the edge can affect the appearance of the product, weighing it down. This extra weight may be desirable as it will affect how the clothes hang. The extra weight of the seam depends on the amount of tissue returned and the weight of the tissue.

Knitted fabrics: there are two different types of fabrics: knitted and woven. The fabric consists of threads intersecting at a 90-degree angle, and the jerseys use loops made of threads that hold the fabric together. Knitted fabrics are much more elastic than woven fabrics. The stretchability of the knitwear depends on the type of fabric, so pay attention to the pattern when it shows how stretched the fabric is. If you choose a fabric that does not have sufficient elasticity, the finished product will not fit as it should. When sewing knitted fabrics, allow your sewing machine to serve the fabric. Always create a sample first – you may need to adjust the pressure that comes out of the downforce so that the fabric does not stretch during sewing.

Seam intake: length between the clipped edge of the fabric and the seam. The length of the seam can vary from model to model, so always check and follow the instructions. The suture is created when two or more pieces of fabric are connected. To make an even seam, always line the trimmed edges of layers of fabric that will be stitched. Finally, to make sure that the parts of the pattern fit together correctly, make sure that the seams are accurate and have the same length.