Do you know what Clapper means? In the Ditch?? or 1/4 foot?
A visitor overheard some ladies in the classroom. Anybody got a quarter foot? You need to sew this in the ditch. Use the clapper for that.
It can be intimidating to hear people using specialized words. The words themselves may sound familiar The way they are used, however, can be confusing. The words may even mean something totally different from your first impression.
Numerous groups of people with specialized interests, endeavors, hobbies, or professions use words that are unique to that group. The words seem strange to outsiders. In order to really interact with these people, you need to learn their specialized language.
I have been sewing since I was nine years old, so you would think that I would have learned the language of sewing by now. Yet, once in a while, I too get stumped. You may be new to sewing or quilting; or you may have been around for a while. I suspect you understand the challenge of keeping up with all those sewing terms.
People who sew and quilt have their own language full of words whose meanings are unique to sewing. It is a rich and exciting language with very descriptive and useful words. Unfortunately, asking, What does that mean? all the time can get embarrassing.
The sewing word Clapper has nothing to do with applause or cheering at a football game. It is a special tool usually made of wood and used to press a crease. The tool flattens the crease area while drawing the heat of the iron out of the fabric leaving the crease set.
The sewing word yoke sounds a lot like joke, but please do not laugh. A seamstress knows a yoke is that part or panel of a garment running horizontally across it such as on a shoulder, waist, back, or midriff.
In the language of sewing and quilting terms like 1/4 foot and scant quarter, are very common. They have nothing to do with short feet or with saving money. They are devices that are used on the sewing machine to help make consistent quarter inch wide seams on quilts.
If your sewing teacher told to sew in the ditch, she would not be talking about the gutter, or even the drain along side of the road. She would be talking about a sewing technique in which the sewer sews a seam in the well or crack formed when another seam has already been sewn on the opposite side of the fabric. The result is a seam that is all but invisible.
Years ago, my husband heard a salesman use the word serged edge. He was embarrassed to say anything, but he had no clue. It made no sense. Later, he came to me and asked. I explained that this was simply a way to overcast the edge of a fabric so that it would not ravel under use.
Without help sewing words like, All Purpose Feet, Anchors, Arm Girth, Atique Window, and Auto Punch; may have no meaning whatsoever. And that is just a few out of the as.
There are literally thousands of sewing terms just like these. The learning process can be tedious and frustrating, but with a little help all these terms will make sense.
It can be embarrassing at times, but many sewers and quilters would love to share their knowledge. Just ask. Ask your sewing teacher. Ask a respected sewer. Read sewing and quilting books and see if they contain glossaries to help. A good sewing dictionary is also a quick and easy way to learn all these sewing terms.
If this still seams strange to you, maybe you need to follow my mothers old adage: If you really want to know look it up in the dictionary. A generic dictionary may not explain the terms in a way that relates clearly to your sewing, but a sewing dictionary will do a good job making sense of these special terms.
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