Have you ever heard of someone with a 1/4 foot? How about somebody in the ditch? Or something called a Clapper?



Recently a woman came into my store, and overheard some people in the classroom. She got this puzzled look on her face. Finally, she asked, What language are they talking? It kind of sounds like English, but strange?

Have you ever overheard a group of people using words you didnt understand? You might think they are talking a strange language. It sure did not seam like English, but it did not sound much like it.

Many hobbies, fields of endeavor, and professions use their own set of special words to communicate within their group. These words are unique to that group of people.

Sewing is wonderful. Talking about sewing with others who sew is fabulous. Knowing the right words makes it even more fun.

People who sew and quilt have their own language full of words whose meanings are unique to sewing. It is a rich and exciting language with very descriptive and useful words. Unfortunately, asking, What does that mean? all the time can get embarrassing.

The sewing word Clapper has nothing to do with applause or cheering at a football game. It is a special tool usually made of wood and used to press a crease. The tool flattens the crease area while drawing the heat of the iron out of the fabric leaving the crease set.

When you hear the word Yoke, you might think the person said joke. But it is no joking matter. To a seamstress the word yoke means the part of a garment running horizontally across it. It includes panels such as garment pieces covering shoulder, waist, midriff, or back.

If you overheard older ladies talking about how important it is to use a scant quarter or 1/4 foot, you might imagine they were quite fugal, penny pinching, concerned about quarters, maybe even skinflints. Instead, they would be talking about using a special part of a sewing machine to insure exact quarter inch seam allowances.

The sewing term, in the ditch, is not talking about something on the side of the road. Instead, it refers to a technique of sewing a seam in the well or crack formed when another seam has already been sewn on the other side of the fabric. The result is an almost invisible seam.

Words have meaning only if you understand them. For example, a serged edge is an edge of the fabric that you have sewn over using an overcastting stitch to prevent fray. It may seem weird at first, but once you understand it becomes easy.

Without help sewing words like, All Purpose Feet, Anchors, Arm Girth, Atique Window, and Auto Punch; may have no meaning whatsoever. And that is just a few out of the as.

There is a whole world of exciting creativity in sewing and quilting. The specialized sewing language has loads of unique sewing terms, but with a little help you can master these terms quickly and easily.

There are three ways to find out what these sewing terms mean. First, you can ask your sewing teacher or other experienced sewing what a term means. Second, you can read sewing books which may include a limited glossary. Third, you can find the definitions in a good sewing dictionary.

When I was growing up, we had this big two volume dictionary. It must have been all of six inches wide side by side. They were heavy too. But every time, I would ask my mother what a word meant, she would say the same thing, If you really want to know look it up in the dictionary. A typical dictionary, however, deals with words in a generic way rather than specifically relating the terms to sewing. Therefore, it is important to use a good sewing dictionary. It will define and explain the sewing terms applied to sewing.