Japanese sewing and pattern terms

This is copied directly from Jennifer at her blog,  movinghands, and I claim no credit for it but have it here as reference.  The French blog referred to is Japan Couture Addicts which has a detailed file of dressmaking termsLexique couture Japonais-Anglais, conversions etc and is also very useful.

Japanese sewing and pattern terms

縫い代:  seam allowance

実物大の型紙付き: full-sized pattern pieces enclosed (this is sometimes written on the cover of a book or magazine)

表:  right side (also written in hiragana as おもて)

裏:  wrong side (also written in hiragana as うら)

布地の裁ち方: fabric cutting diagram

脇: underarm

肩: shoulder

ウエスト: waist

材料: materials (materials list)

仕上がり線: finished (sewing) line; for example, this is the main line on a pattern, to which one would add a seam allowance

ゴムテープ:  elastic (also called 平ゴム)

ファスナー: zipper

布:  fabric

バイアス布:  bias fabric

幅:  width (usually used for fabric width, e.g. 110cm幅250cm means that you need two-and-a-half meters of 110 cm width fabric)

縫う:  sew

袋縫い: French seam

切り込む:  clip (like for the seam allowance of a curve)

丈:  length (like for a skirt)

中心:  center

後ろ:  back

前:  front

接着芯:  interfacing (中厚: medium weight, 厚手: heavy weight, 薄手: leightweight)

結ぶ: to tie (in a knot, or a bow)

革ひも: leather tie

ぐし縫い:  running stitch, quilting stitch

しつけ:  baste (しつけ糸 is basting thread, thick and easy to run through fabric, usually sold in hanks in Japan)

見返し:  facing

押さえミシン:  topstitch

まつり縫い:  hem stitch

手縫い:  handstitch

型紙:  pattern

ボタン:  button

麻:  linen

木綿:  cotton

ロックミシン:  serger, or part to be serged/zig-zag stitched

袖:  sleeve

糸:  thread

レース:  lace

テープメーカー: bias tape maker (usually written with the respective size, 12 mm, 25 mm, etc.

前後: front and back (i.e. 前後スカート, which, when written on the pattern piece, means you cut two pieces)

ギャザー: gather (usually written between two points to show where to gather fabric)

返し口: the space to leave open for turning to the right side (usually slipstitched after turning)

25番刺しゅう糸: fancy way of saying 6-strand embroidery floss (DMC no. 25)

胸囲: chest measurement

わ: fold (usually written to show where to fold and sew, or where to place the pattern piece on the fabric fold for cutting)

布目線: grainline (usually accompanied by a line/arrows on the paper pattern)

ダーツ: dart(s)

フリル: frill

***Please note that this list is far from comprehensive, but will give you a start. This French blog about sewing with Japanese patterns does a much better job. In the right side column, you will find a link to a .pdf of Japanese-English translations of sewing terms, complete with diagrams.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I really appreciate your lovely comments, ideas and opinions, they make my day. Thank you for visiting Piece'n'Peace,
hugs, Lis x