- Home
- Glossary
Glossary
Craft and Making terms, explained
Short, plain definitions of the words you'll see on product pages and spec sheets. Each one links to a guide when there's more to know.
B
- Ballpoint needle
- A needle with a rounded tip for knit fabrics. Read the guide →
- Bobbin
- The small spool of thread under the needle plate that forms the lower half of each stitch. Read the guide →
C
- Cold press
- Watercolor paper with a medium texture, the most versatile surface. Read the guide →
D
- Drop-in bobbin
- A bobbin loaded from the top under a clear cover. Read the guide →
F
- Fat over lean
- The oil painting rule of using more oil in upper layers to prevent cracking. Read the guide →
- FDM
- Fused deposition modeling: 3D printing by melting filament through a nozzle. Read the guide →
- Free arm
- A narrow sewing area for cuffs, sleeves and pant legs. Read the guide →
G
- GSM
- Grams per square meter, the weight of paper. Standard watercolor paper is 300 gsm (140 lb). Read the guide →
H
- Hoop size
- The largest area an embroidery machine can stitch in one hooping. Read the guide →
- Hot press
- Smooth watercolor paper for fine detail. Read the guide →
- HTV (iron-on vinyl)
- Heat transfer vinyl applied to fabric with heat. Read the guide →
L
- Lightfastness
- How well a pigment resists fading in light. Read the guide →
M
- MSLA
- Masked stereolithography: resin 3D printing cured by a light screen. Read the guide →
N
- Needle size
- Two numbers such as 80/12; higher numbers are thicker needles for heavier fabric. Read the guide →
P
- PES
- An embroidery file format used by Brother and Baby Lock machines. Read the guide →
- PETG
- A tougher filament for functional parts with better heat and moisture resistance. Read the guide →
- PLA
- The easiest 3D printing filament, made from plant-based plastic. Read the guide →
- Presser foot
- The attachment that holds fabric against the feed dogs while sewing. Read the guide →
- Print then cut
- Printing a design and having a cutting machine cut around it, often for stickers. Read the guide →
S
- Serger
- A machine that trims and overcasts seam edges in one pass.
- Slicer
- Software that turns a 3D model into printer instructions.
- Stabilizer
- Backing material that supports fabric during machine embroidery. Read the guide →
W
- Weeding
- Removing excess vinyl from around a cut design. Read the guide →