G
Gabardine
A tightly woven, twilled, worsted fabric with a slight diagonal line on the right side. Wool gabardine is known as a year-round fabric for business suiting. Polyester, cotton, rayon, and various blends are also used in making gabardine.
Gather
Gathering allows for making a long piece of fabric to fit with a shorter piece of fabric and also is a method of easing a seam to allow insertion of sleeves and other rounded pattern pieces. When making an apron, there is a waistband that is the size of the person's waist, plus some extra for tying the apron around the body. The apron itself usually is gathered, fluffy, almost pleated and has more fabric that flows from the waistband. The apron seam was gathered and then sewn to the waistline. To gather the seam, two parallel lines are sewn on the right side of the fabric, a scant 1/4" apart. Long tails of thread are left for gathering. The bobbin threads (on the wrong side of the fabric) are held on either end of the seam and gently tugged, gathering the fabric evenly on the threads. Do not scrimp and only sew one thread of long length stitches; you will need both.
Gauge
A measurement most commonly associated with knitting equipment. It can mean the number of needles per inch in a knitting machine. However, in full fashioned hosiery and sweater machines, the number of needles per 1-1/2 inches represents the gauge.
Gauze
A thin, sheer plain-weave fabric made from cotton, wool, silk, rayon, or other manufactured fibers. End-uses include curtains, apparel, trimmings, and surgical dressings.
Gauze
A very thin, light, almost transparent silk fabric.
Georgette
A sheer lightweight fabric, often made of silk or from such manufactured fibers as polyester, with a crepe surface. End-uses include dresses and blouses.
Georgian Cloth
A light-weight broadcloth that first became popular in the first decade of the 19th century.
Geotextiles
Manufactured fiber materials made into a variety of fabric constructions, and used in a variety civil engineering applications.
Gingham
A medium weight, plain weave fabric with a plaid or check pattern. End-uses include dresses, shirts, and curtains.
Give
The degree of elasticity in a fabric or a thread.
Glass Fiber
An inorganic fiber which is very strong, but has poor flexibility and poor abrasion resistance. Glass will not burn and will not conduct electricity. It is impervious to insects, mildew, and sunlight. Today, the primary use of glass fiber is in such industrial applications as insulation or reinforcement of composite structures.
Grading
Trimming each seam allowance to a different width to reduce bulk and avoid a ridge.
Grading (seams)
Trimming raw edges in graduate widths to reduce bulk. The narrowest seam edge should be closest to the body, as a general rule.
Grain
Direction of the fabric that runs parallel to the selvage (a stretchier grain is found running perpendicular to the selvage). Commercial patterns have an arrow on them <-----> indicating direction of the grain to assit in laying out the pattern pieces correctly.
Greige Goods
An unfinished fabric, just removed from a knitting machine or a loom. Also called grey goods.
Grenadine
A thin, gauze-like fabric of wool or silk.
Gros
A heavy silk fabric with a dull finish.
Gros Grain Silk
Also called grosgrain or grogorine, it is a sturdy silk fabric with heavy transverse cords.
Gusset
A bit of fabric sewn into a seamline to provide fullness (to let a garment out) or decoration. A lot of gussets were used in the early 50s that were diamond shaped and were used under the arm of a dress to give it more movement.
