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Glite Dictionary
selvage

selvage

1 8.2
The finished edge of cloth that stops it from fraying and is sometimes decorated
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛlvɪdʒ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : orillo
  • The tailor explained that the selvage prevents the edges from fraying.
  • selvage edge

Examples

  • Using the methods of his predecessors, Yamane was able to create 14 pairs of selvage jeans a day on old looms, along with hand-painted seagull symbols that have since become iconic.

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  • The selvages will make nice finished edges on the short ends, so no need to hem there unless you really want to.

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  • You can see the selvage is going in this direction.

  • And you can see the selvage is going in this direction.

  • I love the selvage of this fabric; they did the colors in pear shapes!

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  • Selvage denim is usually woven together with a signature red stripe, although green, white, brown, and yellow are not so uncommon.

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  • I deliberately had the selvage edge be the final "seam" edge, and not the folded-over edge, so that I would have the largest reusable piece possible.

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  • Since then, denim from Japan has become renowned for perfecting those two defining qualities jeans were originally made from: being woven on an old loom to produce selvage fabric and using natural dye.

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  • The selvage of this fabric adds a beautiful decorative touch.

  • Make sure to keep the selvage intact when cutting the material.

Synonyms

edging
vsselvage
4 4.8

A strip of material that you add along an edge to give a neat, decorative finish

is a woven built-in finish that prevents fraying rather than an added trim

How Finished

selvage
  • Specialized
1 8.2
to hem
1 4.1
border
224 1.1

Surface Forms

selvage singular
selvages plural
selvedges plural
selvedge singular

Morphology

selvage = self + edge (semi-transparent) = self + edge

Historically formed from 'self' + 'edge' (selvedge), but the altered form and specialised textile meaning make the relation only partly transparent to learners.

Etymology

The word selvage comes from old words self and edge, meaning the 'edge' made by the cloth 'itself' when it is woven. So a selvage is the finished edge of fabric that stops fraying.