Glossary
Sewing Machine Operator Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential sewing machine operator terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key sewing machine operator vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in sewing machine operator training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Bar tack
- Reinforcement stitch.
- Bobbin
- Lower thread spool.
- Bundle
- Group of cut pieces.
- Grain line
- Fabric direction.
- Hem
- Finished edge.
- Lockstitch
- Common stitch.
- Notch
- Alignment mark.
- Piece rate
- Pay per piece.
- Puckering
- Wrinkled seam.
- Sample maker
- Builds prototypes.
- Seam allowance
- Fabric beyond the stitch.
- Serger
- Overlock machine.
- Skipped stitch
- Missed stitch.
- Tension
- Thread tightness.
- Topstitch
- Visible stitch.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Sewing Machine Operator practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Sewing Machine Operator training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.