Embroidery hoop– Is a frame used to keep fabric taut and help maintain an even tension while stitching. Frames may be two wooden rings adjusted by a screw fitting on the outer ring or a metal springform hoop which fits into an outer plastic ring; these are particularly recommended for machine embroidery. Cutting mat– Used in conjunction with a rotary cutter this self healing board is used for cutting fabic on, because it can self heal it is not left damaged or marked by the rotary cutter. They are often marked with measuring grids to help you cut your fabric to size. Y – Y-adjustment–One type of method for a full bust adjustment and described by Palmer/Pletsch. Takes its name from the shape of the alteration lines which run from i) the armhole notch to the bust apex, ii) the middle of the shoulder seam to the bust apex, and iii) vertically from the bust apex to the hem.

Dressmaking Pins – Designed to hold fabric and interface or two pieces of fabric in place, prior to sewing. When you start to sew you can come across a lot of confusing terminology. Our glossary below will help you make sense of the common sewing terms.

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W hipstitch–Visible stitches, wrapped around two edges, to join them together. Useful for sewing up soft toys. M – Mannequin–Or tailors dummy a synthetic human body that you can use to create patterns on by draping fabric onto it rather than cutting a pattern first. Sew Together– often used to indicate that the next step will be to sew the fabric right sides or wrong sides together. Can also be used when organising a group of like minded people to meet at a certain time to enjoy beverages along with cake – cake is very important – and enjoying each others company whilst sewing. Start by pinching a few stitches at one end of the seam that you’re unhappy with. Pass the pointy tip of your seam ripper under these stitches and cut them using the sharp bridge in the tool.

You should find that you can breeze through tough thread. Just beware of the grotty fluff monsters hiding inside those seams! Quilting–The stitching which holds together the 3 layers of a quilt. This can be done by hand or by machine. Upcoming guidance on Whole life carbon impacts of refurbishment vs new build and LETI Operational Energy Modelling Guide Fussy Cut – this term is used to describe a method of cutting shapes out of printed fabric which puts a motif or design in a particular place on your shape. For example, if you are working on a patchwork quilt made up of squares and you want a rose in the centre of each square you could use a clear plastic template to fussy cut your square, making sure that the rose is at the centre of the square before you mark and cut your fabric.I find this little tool super versatile and easy to use. I use myseam ripperfor a lot of other purposes, like cutting thethreadsin a button or removing an uglybuttonhole. Talking aboutbuttonholes, I also use myseam ripperfor openingbuttonholes(you can read thetutorial here). And sometimes I cut the tailthreadsin my projects or thetop threadwhen it gets tangled on theright sideof thefabricif myseam ripperis nearby.