Basic Sewing Skills

The basic terms and skills used in simple dressmaking are presented in this film. A close up of a loom shows a plain weave and illustrates warp, woof, and selvage, as they are related to grain line. Stay-stitching, clean stitching, understitching, plain seams, darts, gathering and blind hemming on the straight stitch sewing machine are all shown in close ups from the operator's point of view. Uses for each process are suggested. Sewing terms illustrated include: right and wrong side of fabric; lengthwise and crosswise grain; bias and selvage.