Part II — Anatomy & Design Theory
Chapter 11: Design Vocabulary Every Woman Should Know
This closing chapter of Part II consolidates a working glossary of terms that will recur throughout the remainder of the book — useful both as a quick reference while reading and as practical vocabulary for shopping, discussing alterations with a tailor (Chapter 51), or working with a pattern (Part VII).
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Rise | Distance from crotch seam to top of waistband (Chapter 8) |
| Inseam | Length of the inner leg seam, from crotch to hem |
| Outseam | Length of the outer leg seam, from waist to hem |
| Crotch curve | The shaped seam joining front and back pieces between the legs |
| Ease | Extra room built into a pattern beyond exact body measurements |
| Dart | A stitched fold used to shape flat fabric to the body |
| Pleat | Folded, stitched-down fabric at the waist, functional or decorative |
| Yoke | A shaped panel, often at the back waist, providing structure without darts |
| Fly front | The overlapping front closure concealing a zipper or buttons |
| Waistband facing | An internal finishing strip that stabilizes a darted, bandless waist |
| Hand (of fabric) | The way a fabric feels and drapes — stiff, soft, fluid, crisp |
| Drape | How fabric falls and moves on the body |
| Grain | The direction of woven threads; affects stretch and drape (Chapter 15) |
| Bias | A diagonal cut across the fabric grain, allowing more natural stretch and fluid drape |
| Break | Where a trouser hem meets the shoe; a "full break" pools slightly, a "no break" sits precisely at the shoe |
| Taper | Gradual narrowing of the leg from thigh/knee to hem |
| Godet | A triangular fabric insert adding flare or fullness at the hem |
| Facing | An internal fabric layer finishing a raw edge, such as a waistband or fly |
| Interfacing | A stabilizing layer fused or sewn inside a waistband or fly for structure |
| Grading | Adjusting a single pattern proportionally across a range of sizes (Chapter 39) |
| Muslin/Toile | A test garment, usually in inexpensive fabric, used to check fit before cutting final fabric |
Using This Glossary: These terms will appear, unexplained, throughout the remainder of this book from this point forward — Part II establishes them once, in depth, so that later chapters on styling, construction, and alteration can move efficiently without repeated definition. A full alphabetized version of this list, expanded with additional specialized terms introduced in later parts, appears in Chapter 75.
End of Part II.