Sewing Vocabulary Worksheet – Needle, Stitch, Fabric

All 36 terms

Needle, thread and button 12

button A round fastener stitched to clothing, often with holes. A flat button has holes for the thread.
buttonhole The slit that a button passes through. A button on a shirt front slides through a buttonhole.
eye The hole in a needle that the thread goes through. Thread goes through the eye before sewing begins.
fastener Anything that holds a garment closed. Buttons, zippers and snaps are fasteners.
knot A tight loop tied in thread so that it cannot slip. A knot at the end keeps the thread from pulling out of the cloth.
needle A slim steel sliver, sharp at one end, that carries thread. The thread passes through a hole at the blunt end of the needle.
pin A sharp bit of wire with a head and no hole. Pins hold two pieces of cloth together until they are sewn.
sewing machine A machine that stitches cloth with two threads. Most sewing machines form a lock stitch.
shank A loop on the back of a button, in place of holes. A shank button is sewn on through the loop on its back.
stitch A single pass of needle and thread through the cloth. Stitches can be made by hand or by machine.
thimble A finger guard used for pressing the needle through cloth. A thimble helps push the needle through thick cloth.
thread A fine cord of twisted fibers used for sewing. Thread is sold wound on a spool.

Show all 36 terms (24 more)

Stitches and seams 12

appliqué Decoration made by stitching one fabric on top of another. A felt star sewn onto a bag is appliqué.
backstitch A stitch that doubles back to meet the one before it. Backstitch holds a seam tightly.
blanket stitch A strong stitch worked along an edge. Blanket stitch finishes the edges of blankets.
buttonhole stitch A looped stitch that edges the slit for a button. Buttonhole stitch is much like blanket stitch.
chain stitch A stitch of loops linked one through the next. Chain stitch is used in both sewing and embroidery.
cross-stitch A double stitch in the shape of an X. Rows of cross-stitch can build up a picture.
darning Repairing a worn spot with rows of interlaced stitches. Darning is a common way to mend a sock.
embroidery Fancy needlework that decorates a surface with thread. Embroidery can add a name or a flower to plain cloth.
hem The turned-up border at the bottom of a garment. A hem keeps the bottom of a skirt from fraying.
running stitch The simplest stitch: a dashed line of even steps. Each stitch and each gap between stitches is the same length.
seam The join where two cut pieces are stitched together. A shirt has a seam down each side.
seam allowance The extra margin of cloth left outside a line of stitching. A pattern says how wide the seam allowance should be.

Garment and fabric 12

bias The diagonal direction across woven cloth. Cloth stretches most when pulled on the bias.
crease A line left in cloth where it was folded. Folding a piece of cloth in half leaves a crease.
cuff The end of a sleeve, at the wrist. A shirt cuff often closes with a button.
fabric Any cloth, whether woven, knitted or pressed from fibers. Cotton, wool and silk are made into fabric.
lining Smooth material that hides the inside seams of a garment. A coat often has a smooth lining.
pattern A paper guide used to cut out the pieces of a garment. The pieces of a pattern are traced onto the cloth.
right side The face of the cloth meant to show. The right side often has the brighter color or pattern.
selvage The self-finished border along each side of woven goods. The selvage does not fray.
twill A weave that shows diagonal ridges. Twill is woven so that slanted lines show on its surface.
warp The lengthwise threads of woven cloth. The warp is crossed by the weft.
weft The threads woven from side to side. The weft passes over and under the warp.
wrong side The face of the cloth meant to be hidden. Seam allowances are usually hidden on the wrong side.

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-03. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. The terms were chosen with the articles Glossary of sewing terms, Button, Sewing needle and Sewing of English Wikipedia open, read the same day (https://en.wikipedia.org/; Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license). The example after each meaning is our own. Every meaning was read against its source again on 2026-10-05. Licence: own work

How it works

This printable sewing vocabulary worksheet has twelve words down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. Three sets cover needle, thread and button; stitches and seams; and garment and fabric.

Read the full guide

Free sewing a button vocabulary worksheet

Set opens on Needle, thread and button, the words of a first lesson on sewing on a button: needle, thread, eye, knot, thimble, pin, button, buttonhole, shank, stitch, fastener and sewing machine.

Stitches, seams and fabric

Stitches and seams prints running stitch, backstitch, chain stitch, blanket stitch, cross-stitch, hem, seam, seam allowance, darning, embroidery and appliqué. Garment and fabric has selvage, bias, pattern, lining, cuff, warp, weft, twill, right side and wrong side.

The sheet names the tools and stitches. It does not show how to sew.

Questions and answers

What are the basic sewing terms?

For hand sewing: needle, thread, eye, knot, thimble, pin, stitch, seam and hem. A stitch is one pass of needle and thread through the cloth, a seam joins two pieces, and a hem is the turned-up border at the bottom of a garment.

What is the difference between warp and weft?

The warp is the set of threads that run the length of woven cloth. The weft is the set woven across them from side to side. The selvage is the finished border at each side.

What is a shank on a button?

A shank is a loop on the back of a button. A shank button is sewn on through that loop, where a flat button is sewn on through the holes in its face.

Does the sheet print with a key?

Yes. The key is the last page, the same sheet with each word linked to its meaning by a line. To print the sheet alone, uncheck the key under More options.