B
Back-tack
A few stitches taken in reverse to secure a line of stitching.
Backing
Generally a quilting term that defines the fabric used as the back layer of the quilt. Can also be used to describe the layer of fabric used inside a wearable art vest, ets.
Backing
Material which is placed inside or under the item to be embroidered. The backing provides support and stability to the garment which will allow better results to the finished embroidered product. Backings come in two types. Cutaway and Tearaway. With cutaway, the excess backing is actually cut with a pair of scissors. With tearaway, the excess is simply torn away after the item is embroidered.
Backstitch
Used at the beginning and end of a machine sewn seam to anchor the seam in place; it involves a couple of extra stitches back and forth.
Ballpoint needle
Ballpoint needles are designed to penetrate knit fabrics without nicking or damaging the fabric.
Banding
Another word for binding.
Bar tack
A group of closely sewn stitchs (back and forth from side to side a la zig zag) that is used to tack a belt loop or similar item in place, and is often used in buttonhole making. This is not a basting stitch and should be repeated several times on the machine to make a very short run of satin stitching.
Bar Tack
A very short thread reinforcement for points of stress
Barege
a gauze-like silk or cotton worsted fabric.
Barré
An imperfection, characterized by a ridge or mark running in the crosswise or lengthwise directions of the fabric. BarrŽs can be caused by tension variations in the knitting process, poor quality yarns, problems during the finishing process.
Basket Weave
A variation of the plain weave construction, formed by treating two or more warp yarns and/or two or more filling yarns as one unit in the weaving process. Yarns in a basket weave are laid into the woven construction flat, and maintain a parallel relationship. Both balanced and unbalanced basket weave fabrics can be produced. Examples of basket weave construction includes monk cloth and oxford cloth.
Basque
referring to a bodice, it is the extension of the bodice below the waistline, and may be cut as one with the bodice or applied at a later time.
Bast Fiber
Strong, soft, woody fibers, such as flax, jute, hemp, and ramie, which are obtained from the inner bark in the stems of certain plants.
Baste-marking
Marking with hand or machine-basting.
Baste/basting
Temporary stitching used to hold a sewing project in place and is removed when the permanent sewing is done (usually long or large stitches).
Batiste
A medium-weight, plain weave fabric, usually made of cotton or cotton blends. End-uses include blouses and dresses.
Batiste
A fine quality cloth made of flax or cotton; French in origin. Cotton batiste is off-white or ecru in color; flax batiste is grey in color.
Batten
A length of wood to attach a blind, pelmet or valance to a window frame.
Batting
A machine washable fluffy polyester fibre used as a filler for quilted items.
Batting Fiberfill
cotton, wool, or other material that is flattened and usually on a roll and purchased in precut lengths or by the yard. Uses of batting range from filling for placemats or vests to quilts. Simply, batting is the "fluff" inside the quilt or garment.
Bean Stitch
A bean stitch is a three ply running stitch which goes from Point A to Point B, then from Point B back to Point A and then finally from Point A to Point B.
Beaver Cloth
heavy, felted wool, with one side sheared smooth. It is used primarily for overcoats, much as merino wool is used today.
Bed Valance
A skirt covering the divan part of a bed.
Bedford Cord
A cord cotton-like fabric with raised ridges in the lengthwise direction. Since the fabric has a high strength and a high durability, it is often used for upholstery and work clothes.
Beeswax
A substance sold at fabric or craft stores for the purpose of coating thread when hand quilting or embroidering. It helps to prevent thread from knotting or tangling.
Beret
A sleeve type, very short but very wide in diameter. It bears some resemblance to the hat style which is also called a "beret".
Bias
A cut or line in a diagonal direction to the threads that run straight in a piece of fabric.
Bias
A diagonal line across the fabric.
Bias
A reference to any material that is cut across the grain so that it will stretch readily. Used for edgings and other trims, bias-cut material may be used in a variety of ways. While the bias may be cut from any angle, the degree to which it will stretch is greater when the material is cut at a 45º angle with reference to the grain of the fabric. Bias-cut plaids and stripes were, and are, frequently used for decorative elements, whether as bias bindings, ruches, or ruffles.
Bias
Runs diagonally to the straight grain of the fabric. This is the stretchiest part on the fabric.
Bias Binding
Strips of fabric cut on the bias.
Bias Tape
A narrow fabric that has been cut on the bias which gives it maximum flexibility.
Bias Tape
Strips of fabric cut on the bias, often turned under and pressed, and used for bindings, facings, or other application where there is a need for stretch or accomodation to curves.
Binding
A way of neatening a raw edge with a separate length of fabric.
Binding (seam)
Binding (blanket, quilt, etc.)Encasing the raw edges of a blanket or quilt with another piece of fabric. Binding also refers to the fabric that is folded and used for the encasing of the raw edges.
Bishop's Sleeve Curtains
Curtains that are made longer than necessary, tied tightly, pulled up and flounced over the tied section.
Blanket Stitch
Used to neaten the edge of a buttonhole, blanket, vest edge, or other seamline. A blanket stitch can be done by hand or machine.
Blend
A term applied to a yarn or a fabric that is made up of more than one fiber. In blended yarns, two or more different types of staple fibers are twisted or spun together to form the yarn. Examples of a typical blended yarn or fabric is polyester/cotton.
Blind
A single curtain with a fixed heading which pulls up from the bottom.
Blind Hem Stitch
Sewing stitch that is not meant to be seen on the right side of the fabric, usually accomplished by picking up one thread of the fabric at a time rather than going through the full fabric or several threads before completing a hand stitch or machine stitch. Many sewing machines come with a blind hem attachment and the manual is the best guide for how to use it and produce virtually invisible hems.
Block
A block is the individual unit used in a quilt top. Blocks can also be made to create pillows or a length of fabric from which a garment is cut. Blocks make interesting pockets and embellishment on an otherwise less-than-exciting garment.
Bobbin
A bobbin is a spool that is inside of the hook. The bobbin thread actually forms the stitches on the underside of the garment. The bobbin on an embroidery machine works in the same manner and for the same purpose as on a home sewing machine.
Bobbin
The piece of your sewing machine that holds the bottom thread (the bobbin thread) and is placed in the bobbin case. It generally is under the area the needle penetrates and it loops with the needle thread to form a locked stitch.
Bodice
The part of a pattern or garment which runs from shoulder to waist.
Bolt
A large roll of fabric which can be on a tubular roll or a rectangular form. Fabric is usually folded right sides together lengthwise on a bolt.
Bombazine
An open twill fabric of silk and wool; often black.
Boucle
A knit or woven fabric made from a rough, curly, knotted boucle yarn. The fabric has a looped, knotted surface and is often used in sportswear and coats.
Bouffant
A puffed-up portion of a garment.
Bouillon
An applied trim which is created by using a puffed-up bit of fabric, commonly made as a self-gathering puffing for skirts and bodices.
Bound Edge
A way of neatening a raw edge using bias binding.
Box Pleats
A row of folds in alternate directions. The extra fabric in the folds can be taken either to the front or the back for the desired effect.
Braid
A decorative trim.
Bretelle
A strap-shaped trim frequently seen on bodices which runs from the top of the shoulder to the point or base of a bodice.
Bridge Machine
A bridge machine has the heads suspended on a bridge that goes across the machine. Without the arm on the base, a bridge machine is able to provide a larger sewing field from front to back on the machine. A bridge machine is good for cut pieces and also for yard goods.
Broadcloth
A plain weave tightly woven fabric, characterized by a slight ridge effect in one direction, usually the filling. The most common broadcloth is made from cotton or cotton/polyester blends.
Broadcloth
A fine, sturdy, smooth-faced wool cloth which is felted or given a nap finish to resist raveling; often used for men's clothing.
Brocade
A heavy, exquisite jacquard type fabric with an all-over raised pattern or floral design. Common end-uses include such formal applications as upholstery, draperies, and eveningwear.
Brocade
Silk or other fabrics with a simple weave that has figures woven into it, either of the same or contrasting colors.
Broché
Similar to brocade, a fabric woven with a raised figure.
Buckram
A strong, open-weave fabric of cotton or linen that has been stiffened with sizing. It was generally used to stiffen petticoats, bonnets, and other garments.
Buckram
Cotton or jute fabric for stiffening, sometimes come impregnated with glue.
Buckram
Strong, heavy woven fabric used for stiffening baseball cap brims and some drapery applications.
Buff Leather
A heavyweight but flexible leather of a natural buff color, dyed on one side. Its most common use was for belts in the military, whether in local or state militias or the Regular Army. It is lighter in weight (and therefore durability) than harness leather.
Bugles
Long, thin, cylindrical beads. A bugle trim is trim comprised of bugle beads.
Bullion
A thick twisted fringe used for decoration.
Burlap
A loosely constructed, heavy weight, plain weave fabric used as a carpet backing, and as inexpensive packaging for sacks of grain or rice. Also, as fashion dictates, burlap may also appear as a drapery fabric.
Burn-Out
A brocade like pattern effect created on the fabric through the application of a chemical, instead of color, during the burn-out printing process. (Sulfuric acid, mixed into a colorless print paste, is the most common chemical used.) Many simulated eyelet effects can be created using this method. In these instances, the chemical destroys the fiber and creates a hole in the fabric in a specific design, where the chemical comes in contact with the fabric. The fabric is then over-printed with a simulated embroidery stitch to create the eyelet effect. However, burn-out effects can also be created on velvets made of blended fibers, in which the ground fabric is of one fiber like a polyester, and the pile may be of a cellulosic fiber like rayon or acetate. In this case, when the chemical is printed in a certain pattern, it destroys the pile in those areas where the chemical comes in contact with the fabric, but leave the ground fabric unharmed.
Butting
Bringing two edges together so they touch but do not overlap.
Button
A knob or round piece fastened to clothing and other things to close the, decorate them, etc.
Buttonhole
A bound slit in the fabric to allow the passage of a button for closure. Buttonholes are mostly made by machine these days, but many people do still prefer to make them by hand, using a special buttonhole stitch.
