sew

1 fasten by sewing; do needlework [syn: run up, sew together, stitch]

2 create (clothes) with cloth; "Can the seamstress sew me a suit by next week?" [syn: tailor, tailor-make] [also: sewn]

English

Pronunciation

• /səʊ/ (US)

• Homophones: so, soh, sow (sense 2)
• Rhymes: -əʊ

Etymology

From siwan.

Verb

1. To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through (pieces of fabric) in order to join them together.
2. To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through pieces of fabric in order to join them together.

Synonyms

• stitch

Translations

Sewing or stitching is the fastening of cloth, leather, furs, bark, or other flexible materials, using needle and thread. Its use is nearly universal among human populations and dates back to Paleolithic times (30,000 BC). Sewing predates the weaving of cloth.

Sewing is used primarily to produce clothing and household furnishings such as curtains, bedclothes, upholstery, and table linens. It is also used for sails, bellows, skin boats, banners, and other items shaped out of flexible materials such as canvas and leather.

Most sewing in the industrial world is done by machines. Pieces of a garment are often first tacked together. The machine has a complex set of gears and arms that pierces thread through the layers of the cloth and semi-securely interlocks the thread.

Some people sew clothes for themselves and their families. More often home sewers sew to repair clothes, such as mending a torn seam or replacing a loose button. A person who sews for a living is known as a seamstress (from seams-mistress) or seamster (from seams-master), dressmaker, tailor, or garment worker.

"Plain" sewing is done for functional reasons: making or mending clothing or household linens. "Fancy" sewing is primarily decorative, including techniques such as shirring, smocking, embroidery, or quilting.

Sewing is the foundation for many needle arts and crafts, such as applique, canvas work, and patchwork.

While sewing is often seen as a low-skill job, the task of designing good-looking three-dimensional shapes from non-stretching two-dimensional fabric generally requires extensive hands-on knowledge of the design and principles of mathematical manifolds. Flat sheets of fabric with holes and slits cut into the fabric can curve and fold in 3D space in extensively complex ways that require a high level of skill and experience to manipulate into a smooth, ripple-free design. Aligning and orienting patterns printed or woven into the fabric further complicates the design process. Once a clothing designer with these skills has created the initial product, the fabric can then be cut using templates and sewn by manual laborers or machines.

Seam allowance

Seam allowance is the area between the edge of the fabric and the line of stitching. It is usually 1.5cm away from the edge of the fabric.

Occupations requiring sewing

• Bookbinder
• Cobbler
• Corsetier
• Draper
• Dressmaker
• Glover
• Hatter
• Milliner
• Parachute rigger
• Quilter
• Sailmaker
• Seamstress
• Tailor
• Taxidermist
• Upholsterer

Sewing tools and accessories

• stitching awl
• bobbin
• bodkin
• dress form
• dressmaker's or tailor's shears
• measuring tape
• needle
• pattern
• pattern weights
• pin
• pincushion
• rotary cutter
• scissors
• seam ripper
• sewing table
• tailor's chalk
• thimble
• thread/yarn
• tracing paper
• tracing wheel
• wax, often beeswax
• sewing box

Notions (objects sewn into garments or soft goods)

Closures

• buckle
• button (buttons can be sew-through or have shanks.)
  • toggle
• chinese frog
• eye
• hook
• hook-and-loop tape (often known by brand name Velcro)
• snap
• zipper

Finishing and embellishment

• beaded fringe & trim
• elastic
• eyelet
• grommet
• heading
• interfacing
• rivet
• trims (fringe, beaded fringe, ribbons, lace, sequin tape)

List of stitches

The two main stitches of which the others are derivatives are Cross Stitch and Butterfly

• back tack
• backstitch
• basting stitch (or tacking) - for temporary fixing
• blanket stitch
• blind stitch (or hem stitch)
• buttonhole stitch
• chain stitch
• cross-stitch
• darning stitch
• embroidery stitch
• feather stitch
• hemming stitch
• lockstitch
• overlock
• padding stitch
• running stitch - for seams and gathering
• sailmakers stitch
• slip stitch - for fastening a folded edge to a flat piece of fabric, or to another folded edge
• stretch stitch
• straight stitch
• topstitch
• whipstitch (or oversewing stitch) - for protecting edges
• zig-zag stitch

References

• RIP IT!: How to Deconstruct and Reconstruct the Clothes of Your Dreams
• Sew Fast Sew Easy: All You Need to Know When You Start to Sew
• Sewing Secrets from the Fashion Industry: Proven Methods to Help You Sew Like the Pros
• Singer: The New Sewing Essentials by The Editors of Creative Publishing International ISBN 0-86573-308-2

See also

• sewing machines

External links

• Vintage Sewing Reference Library (free online access to public domain sewing books)

• History of Industrial Sewing

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