SEWING TERMINOLOGY
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
RIGHT/WRONG SIDE OF THE FABRIC: The shaded areas in the
illustrations indicate the RIGHT side of the fabric. Seams which join
2
two pieces of woven fabric are sewn
with the RIGHT sides of the
fabric together, unless otherwise instructed.
RIGHT SIDE
(printed fabric)
WRONG SIDE
(all fabrics)
PINNING: Place pins so they2 are perpendicular to the
cut edges of the fabric. When machine sewing, remove
the pins as you come to them or be careful not to hit
them with the needle while stitching.
NEEDLE: Use a size 11 or 14 needle.
MACHINE STITCHING – STRAIGHT STITCH:
– Use a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
– Set your stitch length to 12 stitches per inch.
– Stitch again (within
the seam allowance) 1/8 inch from
2
2
previous stitching.
– Patterns with 1/4 inch seams do not need to have the seam
allowances trimmed.
MACHINE STITCHING – ZIGZAG STITCH:
– Set controls for2 a narrow width zigzag (approximately 1/8 inch
wide) stitch.
– Practice sewing on a scrap piece of fabric and adjust the width
to your preference.
BACKSTITCH: When using a conventional
sewing machine, backstitch to secure the
beginning and end of each stitching line. Begin
with 4 or 5 forward stitches, then stitch backwards
to cover. Sew to the end, then take 4 or 5 stitches
backwards, and then stitch to the end again.
BASTE: Sew with long removable stitches.
Basting is used to mark placement lines, or to
temporarily attach pieces together.
CLIP/WEDGE: Clip corners before turning right sides out. Where
the seam curves inward, clip it. Where the seam curves outward,
cut small wedges into the seam allowance.
clip
corners
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wedge
TOP STITCHING/EDGE STITCHING: Top
stitching or edge stitching is a single or multiple
set of stitching lines that are both decorative and
functional. Since top stitching is highly visible
clipit is important that
on the front of your project,
clip
the stitching lines are very straight. You may
wedge
corners
prefer to slightly lengthen your stitch length to 8
to 10 stitches per inch, and stitch more slowly to
maintain a straight seam.
UNDERSTANDING PATTERN
SYMBOLS
NOTCHES: Diamond shaped symbols are used
to match two pieces of fabric. There may be one
notch or more. A number may be used along with
the notch to accurately align adjoining pieces.
CUTTING LINE: Cut along this solid line.
SEAMLINE: Stitch along this broken line. The
seamlines on this pattern are 1/4 inch from the
cutting line.
PLACEMENT LINE: Shorter solid or broken
lines within the body of the pattern indicate
construction details or placement lines.
OPENING FOR TURNING: This type of
placement line along a seamline may be
accompanied by a dot or square indicating where
you should start and stop stitching. This marked
area should be left unsewn as the project will be
turned right sides out through this opening.
222
2
2
2
2
22
2
2
GRAINLINE: A heavy solid line with arrows
at each end is used to make sure a pattern
is positioned along the straight of grain. The
grainline should be pinned parallel to the fabric
selvage.
FOLD LINE: A solid line with arrows pointing to
the edge of the pattern piece indicates that the
outer line is to be placed exactly on the folded
edge of the fabric.
PATTERN ADJUSTMENT LINES: Two solid
lines placed closely together across the width of
the pattern represent the appropriate place to
lengthen or shorten the pattern. This should be
done before the pattern is placed on the fabric.
ZIPPER PLACEMENT LINE: This symbol
indicates the position of a zipper in the seamline.
The top and bottom markings show the precise
length of the zipper to be used.
DOTS AND SQUARES: These symbols
indicate a construction detail such as a pivot
point, a matching or ribbon placement point, or
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the beginning and ending points forclip
stitching a
clip
corners
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corners
seamline.
corners
corners
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BUTTONHOLES: A solid line withcorners
dash marks
at each end is used to mark the position of a
buttonhole.
clip
corners
BUTTON POSITION: A large X is used
clip to mark
the position of buttons. However, the
final button
corners
placement should be made after the buttonholes
have been sewn.
clip
clip
corners
corners
For additional worksheets and more information, visit www.HaanCrafts.com.
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clip
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corners
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© 2017 HC
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BONUS WORKSHEET
Pattern Symbols Review
Write the letter representing each SYMBOL NAME on the line next to the corresponding symbol on the pattern
pieces below. For symbols which appear more than once, mark only one time.
A
B
C
D
E
F
single notch
double notch
cutting line
seamline
open for turning
grainline
G
H
I
J
K
L
fold line
pattern adjustment lines
zipper placement line
pivot dots
squares
buttonhole placement
2____
9____
5____
1____
10____
6____
FRONT
BACK
11____
7____
3____
4____
12____
8____
TRUE OR FALSE Questions
A NOTCH is used for matching two pieces of fabric. True False
The GRAINLINE ARROW should be placed on the fold.
True False
The BUTTON placement will be marked with a large B. True False
Solid CIRCLES or SQUARES indicate a construction detail such as a pivot point.
The triangles at each end of the ZIPPER PLACEMENT LINE indicate the precise length of the zipper required for the project.
True False
True False
A PLACEMENT LINE in the body of a pattern may be a single solid line or a dashed line. True False
MATCH EACH TYPE OF STITCHING WITH THE CORRECT STATEMENT: Baste, Top Stitch and Back Stitch
A stitch used to secure the stitches at the beginning and ending of a seamline is called _____________________.
Temporary machine stitching that may hold two pieces together is called ________________________________.
A single or multiple row of stitches on the front or right side of your project is called ________________________.
For additional worksheets and more information, visit www.HaanCrafts.com.
© 2017 HC