LGCSE Fashion & Textiles (0191) key terms

The basic hair-like unit from which yarns and fabrics are made, either natural (such as cotton or wool) or manufactured (such as polyester), usually too short or fine to be used on its own.

Short fibres measured in centimetres, natural or cut from filament, that must be twisted together into yarn; their length gives fabrics a softer, hairier surface than continuous filament.

A very long continuous fibre, either extruded through a spinneret in manufacturing or produced naturally by silkworms, which can be used as yarn with little or no twisting.

A continuous strand of twisted fibres or filaments suitable for knitting, weaving or sewing; the amount and direction of twist affects strength, smoothness and handle.

The process of drawing out and twisting fibres into a continuous yarn; in industry it also covers extruding manufactured filaments, while hand spinning uses a spindle or wheel.

The set of parallel lengthwise yarns held under tension on a loom; they form the foundation of a woven fabric and are crossed by the weft.

The yarn carried across the width of a woven fabric, passing over and under the warp threads; also called the filling or pick yarn.

The simplest weave, in which each weft yarn passes alternately over and under one warp yarn; strong, firm and inexpensive, used for calico, poplin and many shirting fabrics.

A weave producing diagonal lines on the surface because weft yarns float over two or more warp yarns in a stepped progression; durable and drapeable, as in denim and gabardine.

A weave in which floats of yarn pass over several others before binding, giving a smooth, lustrous face and a duller back; fluid but prone to snagging.

The firmly woven longitudinal edge of a woven fabric that prevents fraying; it runs parallel to the warp and is usually cut off or hidden in a seam.

A single-knit fabric in which loops interlock on one side, producing a smooth face and a purled back; it stretches across the width and curls at cut edges.

A fabric made directly from fibres bonded by heat, chemicals, needles or water jets rather than by weaving or knitting, such as interfacing, felt and some disposable textiles.

A measurable behaviour of a textile in use, such as strength, abrasion resistance, absorbency, elasticity, flammability or colourfastness, tested to judge suitability for a garment.

The ability of a dyed or printed textile to keep its colour without fading or bleeding when exposed to washing, light, rubbing, perspiration or dry cleaning.

A written statement agreed with a client that sets out the target customer, purpose, budget, deadline, style requirements and constraints a design must satisfy.

A visual collection of images, colours, fabrics and textures assembled to communicate the feeling and direction of a design idea before drawing or sampling begins.

The staged cycle of research, specification, idea generation, development, sampling, evaluation and refinement that turns a need into a tested, producible textile product.

A technical document listing every measurement, material, colour, component, seam and finishing instruction needed to make a garment consistently to the agreed standard.

A simple, close-fitting master pattern with no design features, made to a set of body measurements and used as the starting point for developing other styles.

The method of drawing a pattern to exact body measurements using rulers and calculations, allowing precise control over fit and the easy development of new designs.

The process of systematically increasing or decreasing a base pattern's dimensions to create a range of sizes while keeping fit proportions consistent across the size set.

The extra width added beyond the stitching line on a pattern, usually 1 cm to 1.5 cm, which is trimmed, clipped or pressed during construction and is not part of the finished garment.

A marked arrow on a pattern piece showing how it should be aligned with the warp (lengthwise) grain of the fabric so the garment hangs and behaves correctly.

A tapered fold stitched into fabric to remove excess fullness and shape it to the body, commonly used at the bust, waist, shoulder and elbow.

A trial garment made in inexpensive fabric such as calico to test the fit, proportions and construction of a pattern before cutting the final material.

A method of neatening raw seam edges to stop fraying and give a clean inside, such as overlocking, French seams, flat fell seams or bias binding.

A machine that trims the seam allowance while enclosing the raw edge in a multi-thread stitch, producing a stretchy, secure finish quickly and commonly used on knits.

A non-woven or woven fabric coated with heat-activated adhesive that is pressed onto garment parts such as collars and waistbands to add firmness and stability.

The balance of thread tightness on a sewing machine; incorrect tension causes looping, puckering or breaking threads and must be adjusted to suit the fabric and thread.

A colouring substance that forms a chemical or physical bond with fibres so colour penetrates and stays, as opposed to pigment which sits on the surface of the cloth.

A resist dyeing technique in which fabric is tied, folded or bound so that dye cannot reach parts of it, producing characteristic irregular patterns where the bindings were placed.

A resist technique in which melted wax is drawn or stamped onto fabric before dyeing; the waxed areas resist colour and crackle lines appear when the wax is removed.

A printing method in which ink is forced through a mesh screen onto fabric, with areas blocked by a stencil or photographic emulsion to create the design.

The unit of a printed or woven design that is repeated across the fabric; its size and matching affect how much extra material must be bought for pattern cutting.

A flat, to-scale, accurately labelled line drawing of a garment showing seams, topstitching, fastenings and construction details, used for specification rather than to suggest mood.

An expressive drawing that communicates the mood, movement and styling of a design, often with elongated proportions and dramatic media, rather than exact construction information.

A quick sketch of a stylised, elongated fashion figure used as the base on which garments are drawn; it establishes pose and proportion before design details are added.

Made-to-measure clothing produced by licensed Paris houses to strict legal criteria, hand-finished and sold to private clients at very high cost.

Ready-to-wear clothing produced in standard sizes and sold finished in shops, as distinct from made-to-measure or haute couture garments.

A business model of rapidly producing cheap, trend-led garments in short cycles, encouraging frequent purchase and disposal and raising significant environmental and ethical concerns.

An approach favouring fewer, higher-quality, longer-lasting garments made with minimal environmental and social harm, often from traceable or recycled materials.

A system in which materials are kept in use through repair, reuse, remanufacture and recycling, so waste and the demand for new raw resources are minimised.

The full sequence of organisations and processes that turn raw fibre into a finished garment and deliver it to the customer, including farms, spinners, mills, factories, transport and retail.

The practice of disclosing where and how each stage of a product is made, allowing buyers and auditors to check labour conditions, chemical use and environmental claims.

An independent inspection of a factory or supplier against a code of conduct covering wages, working hours, child labour, safety and freedom of association.

A manufacturing approach that removes waste from each step, using just-in-time delivery, small batches and continuous improvement to cut cost and lead time.

The planned checks and tests carried out at stages of production, such as fabric inspection and finished-garment measurement, to ensure goods meet the agreed specification.

Arranging pattern pieces on the fabric as economically as possible, respecting grain, nap, repeat and one-way designs, to minimise the length of cloth used.

The set of graded sizes in which a design is offered, defined by a base size and grading rules that determine how measurements change across the range.

A documented process of identifying hazards in a workshop or factory, judging who might be harmed and how, and recording measures taken to reduce that risk.

Items worn to reduce injury risk in the workshop, such as goggles when using dyes, heat-resistant gloves at an iron or a mask when spraying adhesives.