Have you ever heard of someone with a 1/4 foot? How about somebody in the ditch? Or something called a Clapper?
The ladies in the classroom were having so much fun, they could be heard down the sidewalk. A lady stopped me as I was carrying some items into the store and asked, What are they talking about? Is sounds like a strange form of English?
Maybe you can relate to the unusual or special words that some people use so freely. Maybe you feel uneasy. Maybe you even feel a little intimidated.
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.
I have been sewing since I was nine years old, so you would think that I would have learned the language of sewing by now. Yet, once in a while, I too get stumped. You may be new to sewing or quilting; or you may have been around for a while. I suspect you understand the challenge of keeping up with all those sewing terms.
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.
You might hear the word Clapper and think someone is referring to applause. When the word is used in sewing, it refers to a special tool used to press a crease.
It is no joke when a seamstress is referring to the yoke of a shirt. She is not talking about farming with oxen either. The yoke is that panel of material running horizontally across the garment such as at the shoulder, back, waist, or midriff.
In the language of sewing and quilting terms like 1/4 foot and scant quarter, are very common. They have nothing to do with short feet or with saving money. They are devices that are used on the sewing machine to help make consistent quarter inch wide seams on quilts.
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.
Years ago, my husband heard a salesman use the word serged edge. He was embarrassed to say anything, but he had no clue. It made no sense. Later, he came to me and asked. I explained that this was simply a way to overcast the edge of a fabric so that it would not ravel under use.
Without help sewing words like, Ease, Edgestitch Seam, Entredeaux, and European Sham; may have no meaning whatsoever. And that is just a few out of the es.
The world of sewing and quilting is fun and exciting. While there are thousands of special sewing terms, they can be easily mastered. There is help to learn all these terms closer than you think.
It can be embarrassing at times, but many sewers and quilters would love to share their knowledge. Just ask. Ask your sewing teacher. Ask a respected sewer. Read sewing and quilting books and see if they contain glossaries to help. A good sewing dictionary is also a quick and easy way to learn all these sewing terms.
My mother use to say, If you really want to know look it up in the dictionary. She was right. Looking up these unique sewing terms in a sewing dictionary really does work. Sometimes the generic dictionary fails to clearly define terms relative to sewing, but a sewing dictionary does the job.
