Sewing
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[[Image:William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) - Sewing (1898) Edit.jpg|thumb|left|[[William-Adolphe Bouguereau]], ''Sewing'' (1898)]]
{{redirect|Sewn|the song|Sewn (song)}}
{{redirect|Seamstress|the graphics library|Seam carving}}
{{redirect|Butterfly stitch|the musical group|Vanessa Olivarez}}
{{redirect|Stitching|the process of combining multiple images|image stitching}}
[[Image:SewingInDetroit,Michigan.jpg|thumb|Early 20th century sewing in Detroit, Michigan]]
[[Image:Sewing 01.jpg|thumb|Using a modern [[sewing machine]]]]
'''Sewing''' or '''stitching''' is the fastening of [[cloth]], [[leather]], [[fur]]s, [[bark]], or other flexible materials, using [[Sewing needle|needle]] and [[yarn|thread]]. Its use is nearly universal among human populations and dates back to [[Paleolithic]] times (30,000 BC). Sewing predates the [[weaving]] of cloth.
Sewing is used primarily to produce [[clothing]] and household furnishings such as [[curtain]]s, bedclothes, [[upholstery]], and table linens. It is also used for sails, bellows, skin boats, [[banners]], and other items shaped out of flexible materials such as [[canvas]] and [[leather]].
Most sewing in the [[industry|industrial]] world is done by [[machine]]s. Pieces of a garment are often first [[tack (sewing)|tacked]] together. The machine has a complex set of gears and arms that pierces thread through the layers of the cloth and semi-securely interlocks the thread.
Some people sew clothes for themselves and their families. More often home sewers sew to repair clothes, such as mending a torn seam or replacing a loose button. A person who sews for a living is known as a '''seamstress''' (from ''seams-mistress'') or '''seamster''' (from ''seams-master''), [[dressmaker]], [[tailor]], or garment worker.
"Plain" sewing is done for functional reasons: making or mending clothing or household linens. "Fancy" sewing is primarily [[beauty|decorative]], including techniques such as [[shirring]], [[smocking]], [[embroidery]], or [[quilting]].
Sewing is the foundation for many needle arts and crafts, such as [[applique]], [[canvas work]], and [[patchwork]].
While sewing is often seen as a low-skill job, the task of designing good-looking three-dimensional shapes from non-stretching two-dimensional fabric generally requires extensive hands-on knowledge of the design and principles of mathematical [[manifold| manifolds]]. Flat sheets of fabric with holes and slits cut into the fabric can curve and fold in 3D space in extensively complex ways that require a high level of skill and experience to manipulate into a smooth, ripple-free design. Aligning and orienting patterns printed or woven into the fabric further complicates the design process. Once a clothing designer with these skills has created the initial product, the fabric can then be cut using templates and sewn by manual laborers or machines.
==Seam allowance ==
Seam allowance is the area between the edge of the fabric and the line of stitching. It is usually 1.5cm away from the edge of the fabric.
==Occupations requiring sewing==
[[Image:Eatons Seamstresses.jpg|thumb|right|Seamstresses at a factory, 1904]]
* [[Bookbinding|Bookbinder]]
* [[Shoemaking|Cobbler]]
* [[Corsetier]]
* [[Draper]]
* [[Dressmaker]]
* [[Glove|Glover]]
* [[Hatter]]
* [[Milliner]]
* [[Parachute rigger]]
* [[Quilting|Quilter]]
* [[Sailmaker]]
* Seamstress
* [[Tailor]]
* [[Taxidermist]]
* [[Upholsterer]]
==Sewing tools and accessories==
[[Image:Nähkästchen.jpg|thumb|Sewing box with sewing notions]]
*[[stitching awl]]
*[[bobbin]]
*[[bodkin]]
*[[dress form]]
*[[dressmaker's or tailor's shears]]
*[[measuring tape]]
*[[Sewing needle|needle]]
*[[pattern (sewing)|pattern]]
*[[pattern weights]]
*[[pin (device)|pin]]
*[[pincushion]]
*[[rotary cutter]]
*[[scissors]]
*[[seam ripper]]
*[[sewing table]]
*[[chalk|tailor's chalk]]
*[[thimble]]
*[[yarn|thread/yarn]]
*[[tracing paper]]
*[[tracing wheel]]
*[[wax]], often [[beeswax]]
*[[sewing box]]
==Notions (objects sewn into garments or soft goods)==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-1-of-2}}
===Closures===
*[[buckle]]
*[[button]] (buttons can be sew-through or have [[shank (sewing)|shanks]].)
*[[toggle]]
*[[chinese frog]]
*[[eye (sewing)|eye]]
*[[hook]]
*[[Velcro|hook-and-loop tape]] (often known by brand name Velcro)
*[[Snap fastener|snap]]
*[[zipper]]
*[[ties]]
{{Col-2-of-2}}
===Finishing and embellishment===
*[[beaded fringe & trim]]
*[[Elastomer|elastic]]
*[[piping/cording/welting]]
*[[eyelet]]
*[[grommet]]
*[[heading (sewing)|heading]]
*[[interfacing]]
*[[rivet]]
*[[trim (sewing)|trims]] (fringe, beaded fringe, ribbons, lace, sequin tape)
{{Col-end}}
==List of stitches==
The two main stitches that sewing machines make of which the others are derivatives are lockstitch and chain stitch.
* [[back tack]]
* [[backstitch]] - a sturdy hand stitch for seams and decoration
* [[tack (sewing)|basting stitch]] (or tacking) - for reinforcement
* [[blanket stitch]]
* [[blind stitch]] (or [[hem stitch]]) - a type of slip stitch used for inconspicuous hems
* [[buttonhole stitch]]
* [[chain stitch]] - hand or machine stitch for seams or decoration
* [[cross stitches|cross-stitch]] - usually used for decoration, but may also be used for seams
* [[darning|darning stitch]]
* [[embroidery stitch]]
* [[hemming stitch]]
* [[lockstitch]] - machine stitch, also called straight stitch
* [[overhand stitch]]
* [[overlock]]
* [[pad stitch]]
* [[padding stitch]]
* [[running stitch]] - a hand stitch for seams and gathering
* [[sailmakers stitch]]
* [[slip stitch]] - a hand stitch for fastening two pieces of fabric together from the right side without the thread showing
* [[stretch stitch]]
* [[topstitch]]
* [[whipstitch]] (or [[oversewing or overcast stitch]]) - for protecting edges
* [[zig-zag|zig-zag stitch]]
==See also==
*[[Haberdasher]]
*[[Sewing machine]]
==References==
* {{cite book |author=[[Elissa Meyrich]] |title=RIP IT!: How to Deconstruct and Reconstruct the Clothes of Your Dreams|publisher=Fireside |location=New York |year=2006|ISBN-10: 0743268997|ISBN-13: 978-0743268998 }}
* {{cite book |author=Elissa Meyrich |title=Sew Fast Sew Easy: All You Need to Know When You Start to Sew |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|location=New York |year=2002 |ISBN-10: 0312269099
ISBN-13: 978-0312269098 }}
* {{cite book |author=[[Susan Huxley]] |title=Sewing Secrets from the Fashion Industry: Proven Methods to Help You Sew Like the Pros |publisher=Rodale Publishing|location=New York |year=1999 |ISBN-10: 0875969801 | ISBN-13: 978-0875969800
}}
* ''Singer: The New Sewing Essentials'' by The Editors of Creative Publishing International ISBN 0-86573-308-2
==External links==
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* [http://vintagesewing.info Vintage Sewing Reference Library] (free online access to public domain sewing books)
* [http://seweasy.biz/hissewing.htm History of Industrial Sewing]
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{{sewing}}
{{Textile arts}}
[[Category:Sewing| ]]
[[Category:Manufacturing]]
[[Category:Crafts]]
[[Category:Arts and crafts]]
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