Portal:Sewing
Portal maintenance status: (October 2018)
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Introduction
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabric, archaeologists believe Stone Age people across Europe and Asia sewed fur and skin clothing using bone, antler or ivory needles and "thread" made of various animal body parts including sinew, catgut, and veins.
For thousands of years, all sewing was done by hand. The invention of the sewing machine in the 19th century and the rise of computerization in the 20th century led to mass production and export of sewn objects, but hand sewing is still practiced around the world. Fine hand sewing is a characteristic of high-quality tailoring, haute couture fashion, and custom dressmaking, and is pursued by both textile artists and hobbyists as a means of creative expression.
Selected general articles
In everyday language, a stitch in the context of embroidery or hand-sewing is defined as the movement of the embroidery needle from the backside of the fabric to the front side and back to the back side. The thread stroke on the front side produced by this is also called stitch. In the context of embroidery, an embroidery stitch means one or more stitches that are always executed in the same way, forming a figure. Embroidery stitches are also called stitches for short.
Embroidery stitches are the smallest units in embroidery. Embroidery patterns are formed by doing many embroidery stitches, either all the same or different ones, either following a counting chart on paper, following a design painted on the fabric or even working freehand. Read more...
Curtain grommets, used among others in shower curtains.
A grommet is a ring or edge strip inserted into a hole through thin material, typically a sheet of textile fabric, sheet metal or composite of carbon fiber, wood or honeycomb. Grommets are generally flared or collared on each side to keep them in place, and are often made of metal, plastic, or rubber. They may be used to prevent tearing or abrasion of the pierced material or protection from abrasion of the insulation on the wire, cable, line being routed through the penetration, and to cover sharp edges of the piercing, or all of the above.
A small grommet may also be called an eyelet, used for example on shoes, tarps and sails for lacing purposes. In electrical applications these are referred to as "insulating bushings". Most common are molded rubber that are inserted into small hole diameters up to 2" in diameter. There are many hole configurations from standard round to assorted U-shapes. Larger penetrations that are irregular in shape as well as long straight edges often use extruded or stamped strips of continuous length. These continuous length materials are referred to as "grommet edging". Read more...- JUKI Corporation (JUKI株式会社, JUKI Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese manufacturer of industrial sewing machines and recently domestic machines headquartered in Tama-shi, Tokyo. It is one of the leading industrial machine manufacturers. JUKI ranks as the no.1 sewing machine manufacturer in the world. Headquartered in Japan, the company currently has manufacturing facilities in Japan, China, Vietnam and markets its products in more than 150 countries on six continents. Up until 1988, the company was known as Tokyo Juki Industrial Company, Ltd.. The company motto, which doubles as a customer creed is "Mind & Technology" (as in 'emotionally accessible technology').
It also produces sewing machines for the home or hobbyist market, and surface mount component placement machines for electronics manufacturing. Juki have sold industrial sewing machines to customers in about 170 countries. Read more... - A hook-and-eye closure is a very simple and secure method of fastening garments together. It consists of a metal hook, commonly made of flattened wire bent to the required shape, and an eye (or "eyelet") of the same material into which the hook fits. Read more...
Buttonholes are holes in fabric which allow buttons to pass through, securing one piece of the fabric to another. The raw edges of a buttonhole are usually finished with stitching. This may be done either by hand or by a sewing machine. Some forms of button, such as a frog, use a loop of cloth or rope instead of a buttonhole. Buttonholes can also refer to flowers worn in the lapel buttonhole of a coat or jacket, which are referred to simply as "buttonholes" or boutonnières. Read more...
Husqvarna Viking sewing machine
VSM Group AB (Viking Sewing Machines), previously named Husqvarna Sewing Machines is a company based in Huskvarna, Sweden.
Founded in 1872, the company is best known for "smart" (computerized) sewing machines and sergers under the brands Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff. The VSM brand produces several lines of sewing machines, the top being the Designer series and the lowest being the mechanical (non-computerized) Huskystars. The sewing machines change every year or so as the experts create upgrades. In February 2006 VSM Group was bought by Kohlberg & Co., who already owned the brand Singer. Singer and VSM Group have been merged into a company named SVP Worldwide, with headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda, where the initials are reflecting the brands Singer, Viking and Pfaff. Read more...
A dressmaker is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. A dressmaker is also called a mantua-maker (historically) or a modiste. Read more...
Interfacing is a textile used on the unseen or "wrong" side of fabrics to make an area of a garment more rigid.
Interfacings can be used to:- stiffen or add body to fabric, such as the interfacing used in shirt collars
- strengthen a certain area of the fabric, for instance where buttonholes will be sewn
- keep fabrics from stretching out of shape, particularly knit fabrics
Detail of the Bayeux Tapestry showing text and outlines in stem stitch.
Backstitch or back stitch and its variants stem stitch, outline stitch and split stitch are a class of embroidery and sewing stitches in which individual stitches are made backward to the general direction of sewing. In embroidery, these stitches form lines and are most often used to outline shapes and to add fine detail to an embroidered picture. It is used as a hand-sewing utility stitch to attach definitively and strongly two pieces of fabric together. It is also used for writing. Read more...- List of occupations requiring sewing skills.
- Bookbinder
- Cordwainer
- Corsetier
- Draper
- Dressmaker
- Embroiderer
- Glover
- Hatter
- Leatherworker
- Milliner
- Parachute rigger
- Quilter
- Sailmaker
- Seamstress
- Shoemaker
- Tailor
- Taxidermist
- Upholsterer
Cross-stitch is a form of sewing and a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. The stitcher counts the threads on a piece of evenweave fabric (such as linen) in each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size and appearance. This form of cross-stitch is also called counted cross-stitch in order to distinguish it from other forms of cross-stitch. Sometimes cross-stitch is done on designs printed on the fabric (stamped cross-stitch); the stitcher simply stitches over the printed pattern. Cross-stitch is also executed on easily countable fabric called aida cloth but the threads are not actually counted.
Fabrics used in cross-stitch include linen, aida, and mixed-content fabrics called 'evenweave' such as jobelan. All cross-stitch fabrics are technically "evenweave" as the term refers to the fact that the fabric is woven to make sure that there are the same number of threads in an inch both left to right and top to bottom (vertically and horizontally). Fabrics are categorized by threads per inch (referred to as 'count'), which can range from 11 to 40 count. Counted Cross-stitch projects are worked from a gridded pattern and can be used on any count fabric, the count of the fabric determines the size of the finished stitching if the stitchers counts and stitches over 2 threads. The finished stitching size is reduced by half if the stitcher counts and stitches on a 28 count cross stich fabric rather than a 14 count cross stitch fabric. Stichers can also change the size of their piece by stitching over multiple threads. These methods are commonly referred to as "2 over 2"—i.e. 2 embroidery threads used to stitch over 2 fabric threads; and "1 over 1"—i.e. 1 embroidery thread used to stitch over 1 fabric thread. There are different methods of stitching a pattern, including the cross-country method where one colour is stitched at a time, or the parking method where one block of fabric is stitched at a time and the end of the thread is "parked" at the next point the same colour occurs in the pattern. Read more...- Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. Read more...
In the Draper's Shop by Adriaen Bloem - Janome (蛇の目ミシン工業株式会社, Janome Mishin Kōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha, Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese company that produces sewing machines, with manufacturing plants in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. Read more...
A lockstitch is the most common mechanical stitch made by a sewing machine. The term "single needle stitching", often found on dress shirt labels, refers to lockstitch. Read more...
Hook-and-loop fasteners, hook-and-pile fasteners or touch fasteners (often referred to by the genericized trademark velcro, despite the objections of the Velcro Brand), consist of two components: typically, two lineal fabric strips (or, alternatively, round "dots" or squares) which are attached (sewn or otherwise adhered) to the opposing surfaces to be fastened. The first component features tiny hooks, the second features smaller loops. When the two are pressed together the hooks catch in the loops and the two pieces fasten or bind temporarily. When separated, by pulling or peeling the two surfaces apart, the strips make a distinctive "ripping" sound. Read more...
Hemstitched handkerchief.
Hemstitch or hem-stitch is a decorative drawn thread work or openwork hand-sewing technique for embellishing the hem of clothing or household linens. Unlike an ordinary hem, hemstitching can employ embroidery thread in a contrasting color so as to be noticeable.
In hemstitching, one or more threads are drawn out of the fabric parallel and next to the turned hem, and stitches bundle the remaining threads in a variety of decorative patterns while securing the hem in place. Multiple rows of drawn thread work may be used. Read more...- William L. Grout (1833–1908) was an U. S. industrialist and pioneer manufacturer of sewing machines and automobiles.
In 1876 he started, together with Thomas H. White, the White Sewing Machine Company in Cleveland, Ohio. The company was founded with a joint capital of $400 which he brought in. Later, White began building steam and gasoline automobiles and became a leading truck manufacturer for decades. Read more...
A stitching awl is a tool with which holes can be punctured in a variety of materials, or existing holes can be enlarged. It is also used for sewing heavy materials, such as leather or canvas. It is a thin, tapered metal shaft, coming to a sharp point, either straight or slightly bent. These shafts are often in the form of interchangeable needles. They usually have an eye piercing at the pointed end to aid in drawing thread through holes for the purpose of manual lockstitch sewing, in which case it is also called a sewing awl. Stitching awls are frequently used by shoe repairers and other leatherworkers. Sewing awls are used to make lock stitches. The needle, with the thread in the eye is pushed through the material. The thread is then pulled through the eye to extend it. As the needle is pushed through the material, the extra thread from the first stitch is then threaded through the loops of successive stitches creating a lock stitch. The action is likened to that of a "miniature sewing machine". Styles may vary, as they are adapted to specific trades, such as making shoes or saddles. They are also used in the printing trades to aid in setting movable type and in bookbinding.
The English disparaging term "cobblers", usually meaning "nonsense", is Cockney rhyming slang for "balls" from the phrase "cobblers’ awls". Read more...
Barthélemy Thimonnier (born on August 19, 1793 in L'Arbresle, Rhône - July 5, 1857 in Amplepuis), was a French inventor, who is attributed with the invention of the first sewing machine that replicated sewing by hand. Read more...
Paavo Nurmi, in 1939, at his Helsinki haberdashery
A haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons and zippers (in the United Kingdom), or a men's outfitter (American English). The sewing articles are called haberdashery, or "notions" (American English). Read more...- The Butterick Publishing Company was founded by Ebenezer Butterick to distribute the first graded sewing patterns. By 1867, it had released its first magazine, Ladies Quarterly of Broadway Fashions, followed by The Metropolitan in 1868. These magazines contained patterns and fashion news. Read more...
Singer Corporation is an American manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is based in La Vergne, Tennessee, near Nashville. Its first large factory for mass production was built in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1863. Read more...
A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres (yarn or thread). Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, hemp, or other materials to produce long strands. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, felting, or braiding.
The related words "fabric" and "cloth" are often used in textile assembly trades (such as tailoring and dressmaking) as synonyms for textile. However, there are subtle differences in these terms in specialized usage. A textile is any material made of interlacing fibres, including carpeting and geotextiles. A fabric is a material made through weaving, knitting, spreading, crocheting, or bonding that may be used in production of further goods (garments, etc.). Cloth may be used synonymously with fabric but is often a piece of fabric that has been processed. Read more...
Traditional embroidery in chain stitch on a Kazakh rug, contemporary.
Chain stitch is a sewing and embroidery technique in which a series of looped stitches form a chain-like pattern. Chain stitch is an ancient craft – examples of surviving Chinese chain stitch embroidery worked in silk thread have been dated to the Warring States period (5th – 3rd century BC). Handmade chain stitch embroidery does not require that the needle pass through more than one layer of fabric. For this reason the stitch is an effective surface embellishment near seams on finished fabric. Because chain stitches can form flowing, curved lines, they are used in many surface embroidery styles that mimic "drawing" in thread.
Chain stitches are also used in making tambour lace, needlelace, macramé and crochet. Read more...
Brass buttons from the uniform of a Danish World War I artillery lieutenant
In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, now most commonly made of plastic, but also frequently made of metal, wood or seashell, which secures two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of folk art, studio craft, or even a miniature work of art.
Buttons are most often attached to articles of clothing but can also be used on containers such as wallets and bags. However, buttons may be sewn onto garments and similar items exclusively for purposes of ornamentation. Buttons serving as fasteners work by slipping through a fabric or thread loop, or by sliding through a buttonhole. Other types of fastenings include zippers, Velcro and magnets. Read more...
Pinking shears are scissors, the blades of which are sawtoothed instead of straight. They leave a zigzag pattern instead of a straight edge.
The pinking shears design was made by Samuel Briskman in 1931. Read more...
A shank is a device for providing a small amount of space in between a garment and a button. Shanks are necessary to provide space for fabric to sit in between the button and the garment when the garment is buttoned. Shanks also allow a garment to hang and drape nicely. Read more...- China Feiyue Sewing Machinery Group was founded in 1986 by Mr. Qiu Jibao. and is one of the largest non-governmental enterprises in China and it is located in Taizhou City in the Zhejiang province.
Mr. Qiu Jibao's entrepreneurship has earned him recognition among leaders in numerous sectors including members of the Chinese government as well as several foreign leaders. Outstanding Entrepreneur of China Private Economy’ title Foreign Office ambassadors praise Feiyue Read more... - :This glossary contains terms used in sewing, tailoring and related crafts. For terms used in the creation or manufacturing of textiles, including spinning, knitting, weaving, and individual fabrics and finishing processes, see Glossary of textile manufacturing. For terms used in dyeing, see Glossary of dyeing terms.
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising the in Paleolithic Era. Although usually associated with clothing and household linens, sewing is used in a variety of crafts and industries, including shoemaking, upholstery, sailmaking, bookbinding and the manufacturing of some kinds of sporting goods. Sewing is the fundamental process underlying a variety of textile arts and crafts, including embroidery, tapestry, quilting, appliqué and patchwork. Read more...
A collection of push-pins in a cork board
A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together, and can have three sorts of body: a shaft of a rigid inflexible material meant to be inserted in a slot, groove, or hole (as with pivots, hinges, and jigs); a shaft connected to a head and ending in a sharp tip meant to pierce one or more pieces of soft materials like cloth or paper (the straight or push pin); a single strip of a rigid but flexible material (e.g. a wire) whose length has been folded into parallel prongs in such fashion that the middle length of each curves towards the other so that, when anything is inserted between them, they act as a clamp (e.g. the bobby pin), or two strips of a rigid material bound together by a spring at one end so that, when the spring held open, one can insert some material between the prongs at the other end that, the spring allowed to close, then clamp the inserted material. According to their function, pins can be made of metals (e.g. steel, copper, or brass), wood, or plastic. Read more...
A bobbin is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which wire, yarn, thread or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in sewing machines, cameras, and within electronic equipment. In non-electrical applications the bobbin is used for tidy storage without tangles.
In electrical applications a coil of wire carrying a current has important magnetic properties as solenoids. Read more...
"Cashmere darn", a fine darning technique for twill fabric.
Darning is a sewing technique for repairing holes or worn areas in fabric or knitting using needle and thread alone. It is often done by hand, but it is also possible to darn with a sewing machine. Hand darning employs the darning stitch, a simple running stitch in which the thread is "woven" in rows along the grain of the fabric, with the stitcher reversing direction at the end of each row, and then filling in the framework thus created, as if weaving. Darning is a traditional method for repairing fabric damage or holes that do not run along a seam, and where patching is impractical or would create discomfort for the wearer, such as on the heel of a sock.
Darning also refers to any of several needlework techniques that are worked using darning stitches: Read more...
Did you know...
- ...that the United States Navy placed orders for the Gorgon IIA and Gorgon IIC missiles with the Singer Manufacturing Company, better known for its sewing machines?
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Selected images
A woman sewing as a street vendor in Bangkok, Thailand.
Early 20th century sewing in Detroit, Michigan.
Seated woman sewing a kimono, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, early 19th century. Different cultures have developed diverse sewing techniques, from methods of cutting fabric to types of stitches.
Sewing Fisherman´s Wife by Anna Ancher, 1890.
Bangladeshi women sewing clothes.
In the news
- 11 November 2018 – 2018 Australian strawberry contamination
- A 50-year-old former strawberry farm supervisor is arrested in Queensland in connection with 230 reports of sewing needles found hidden in strawberries. The "strawberry scare" spread throughout the country and to New Zealand, and devastated Australia’s multimillion-dollar strawberry industry. (BBC) (The Mail)
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Topics
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| Stitches | |
| Seams | |
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| Closures | |
| Materials | |
| Tools | |
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Sewing machine manufacturers | |
| Pattern manufacturers | |
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