As with any hobby or subject area, patterns have their own language and abbreviations.
This post is one I will add to as time goes on and I think of other things to add, but lets start today by listing the main abbreviations you may come across and what they mean.
- CB – Center Back
- CF – Center Front
- CBF- Center Back Fold
- CFF- Center Front Fold
- CH – Crown Height ( on a sleeve)
- RS – Right Side
- RDS – Right Side Down
- WS – Wrong Side
- WSD – Wrong Side Down
- SS – Side Seam
- SA – Seam Allowance
- RHSAW – Right Hand Side As Worn
- LHSAW – Left Hand Side As Worn
- OL – Overlock (serge)
- GL – Grainline
- RST – Right Sides Together
- WST – Wrong Sides Together
- WL – Waistline
- ZZ – Zigzag Stitch
- S/F – Side Front
- S/B – Side Back
- W/L – Waist Line
- B/L – Bust Line
- B/P – Bust Point
- H/L – Hip Line
- E/L – Elbow Line
- K/L – Knee Line
- A/H – Armhole
- CBL – Cross Back Line
- U/L Underarm Line
- SHLDR or SH – Shoulder
- NCK – Neck
- SLV – Sleeve
- FCNG –Facing
- W/BAND – Waistband
- CLR – Collar
- TR – Trousers
- TP – Top (blouses, shirts and t-shirts any upper body section)
- SK – Skirt
- JKT – Jacket (coats)
- DRS – Dress
It is useful for pattern cutters to have a consistent way of labelling and saving pattern pieces. I use a number of CAD systems and I find that consistent accurate labelling saves me a great deal of time.
If you can think of any more abbreviations then please let me know and the list can grow!
Happy pattern making
Nicola
