Sewing & Pattern-Making Glossary

These 24 detailed guides collect the working vocabulary of sewing and pattern making in one place: how patterns are drafted and resized, how darts are moved, how fit is corrected for real bodies, what ease really means, and the construction details — seam finishes, interfacings, pressing and couture hand stitches — that separate a homemade look from a professional one. Each guide explains the term, shows where it is used, and links onward to the related techniques.

New to the subject? Begin with the fitting shell and the three ease guides, then move to dart manipulation. Looking for general sewing resources instead? The main Apparel Search sewing section covers machines, associations, tips for home and professional sewers, and more.

Pattern Grading

Increasing or decreasing a base pattern into other sizes using fixed grade rules.

Dart Manipulation

Moving dart shaping around a pattern — rotating, splitting, or converting darts into seams and fullness.

Slash and Spread

Cutting along pattern lines and opening the pieces to add flare, fullness or length.

Pivot Method

Moving darts and fullness by pinning a pattern at a pivot point and tracing as it rotates.

Trueing

Verifying that seam lines meet smoothly, dart legs match, and curves flow after alterations.

Blending

Smoothing a seam line, curve or grade into a flowing line with no sudden steps.

Walking the Seams

Checking that two pieces meant to be sewn together have matching seam lengths.

Crotch Curve

The curved seam between a trouser's legs — its length, scoop, and front/back balance.

Fitting Shell

A basic, unstyled test garment sewn in muslin to perfect fit before cutting fashion fabric.

Tissue Fitting

Pinning the paper pattern together and trying it on to check fit and mark alterations.

Full Bust Adjustment (FBA)

Adding room only where a fuller bust needs it, keeping the rest of the pattern in size.

Small Bust Adjustment (SBA)

Removing unneeded length and width over a smaller bust.

Swayback Adjustment

Removing excess back length for a curved lower back.

Forward Shoulder Adjustment

Moving the shoulder seam, sleeve and armhole to sit over a forward-rolled shoulder.

High Round Back Adjustment

Adding length and shaping over a rounded upper back.

Wearing Ease

The minimum extra beyond body size so a garment allows breathing and movement.

Design Ease

All fullness beyond wearing ease, added deliberately to shape the silhouette.

Negative Ease

A pattern made smaller than the body, used with stretch fabrics so the garment fits by stretching.

Seam Finishes

Bound, Hong Kong, welt, clean and serged finishes — what each suits and how they differ.

Hong Kong Finish

Binding each raw seam allowance edge with a bias strip, used on unlined garments.

Hair Canvas

The traditional tailored interfacing that gives jacket fronts their shape and roll.

Underlining

A layer cut with each garment piece and basted to it for body, opacity and support.

Pressing Tools

Tailor's ham, seam roll, clapper, sleeve board and point presser — what each one does.

Couture Hand Stitches

Pad stitch, catch stitch, fell stitch, herringbone and slip stitch explained.

Common Questions

What is pattern making?

Pattern making is drafting the flat pieces from which a garment is cut — starting from a basic block or sloper, then manipulating darts, adding fullness, grading sizes and adjusting fit, as the guides in this section explain step by step.

Where should a beginner start with these guides?

Start with the fitting shell and tissue fitting to understand fit, then wearing ease, design ease and negative ease, then dart manipulation and slash and spread for changing a pattern's shape.

What is the difference between pattern grading and dart manipulation?

Grading changes a pattern's size using fixed grade rules; dart manipulation changes its shape by moving dart fullness to a new position or converting it into seams, gathers or flare — without changing the size.