My Goodness, My Gusset

I unreservedly apologise to the famous Guiness advertising campaign which inspired today's post.

I see this sign quite regularly, on the wall of a pub on the corner of Alexandra Parade and Smith Street, and it often inspires me to make up little advertising slogans and rhymes of my own. I am a nerdy loser, I know.

A few days ago it got me thinking about my favourite sewing words. I love how sewing has its own language, an admission ticket through to a whole new world, where everyone understands what you're saying. Language has always been the tool that saved me from drowning - what helps me feel part of something, like I belong - and sewing language is no exception.

In no particular order, my favourite sewing words are:

Gusset: this is kind of grandmotherly and naughty, all at once. It makes me think of giant knickers and talculm powder, of saucy g-strings, of gasping and of geese. I don't know why geese.

Jabot: that's the ruffle down the front of a shirt, isn't it great? It's French, and so much more jaunty and chipper than "ruffle". A jabot takes your shirt out for a stroll with a beret, certainly, to sip an aperitif at a sidewalk cafe somewhere. A jabot has a navy and white striped maillot, and perfectly applied liquid eyeliner, and knows how to hoist a jib and tie sailing knots. A ruffle, on the other hand, does nothing of the sort. It just sort of flutters about helplessly on the spot.

Godet. Again with the French, this is the little triangular shaped insert that sometimes goes in at the bottom of the back seam of a skirt. Godet. Godet. Waiting for Godet, to adapt a phrase. Yes, it's beautiful and I love the way it feels in my moth. I mean, mouth. Oops, typing error.

What are your favourite sewing words?