Right Side / Wrong Side

The right side (also called the face) is the side of the fabric that's meant to show on the outside of the finished garment. The wrong side (the back or reverse) faces inward. On a printed cotton the difference is obvious. On a plain fabric it can be very subtle, and that's when it causes problems: a single piece sewn in the wrong way round shows as a slightly different colour or texture, often noticed only when the garment is finished.

Telling them apart

Try these checks, roughly in order:

• Print. Prints are usually brighter and sharper on the right side.
• Selvage. Printed selvage text is usually readable on the right side. The row of tiny pinholes left by the finishing machine (the tenter frame) often feels raised on one side, frequently the wrong side, but that varies between mills, so treat it as a hint rather than a rule.
• Weave. On twills such as denim and gabardine, the diagonal lines are usually clearer on the right side. On satins, the shiny side is normally the right side.
• Nap and finish. Brushed, napped or pile fabrics (flannel, velvet, corduroy) have the soft or pile surface on the right side.
• Knits. Single jersey has neat columns of V shapes on the right side and horizontal loops on the wrong side. Stretch a cut edge across the width and single jersey usually curls toward the right side.
• How it was folded on the bolt. Cottons are often wound right side in to protect the face, and wools right side out, but this varies too much to rely on alone.

If you still can't tell after all that, choose the side you prefer. As long as every piece is cut and sewn the same way, it doesn't matter which you call the right side.

Marking the wrong side

On fabric where the difference is subtle, mark the wrong side of every piece as soon as it's cut: a chalk cross, a small piece of masking tape, or a safety pin. It takes seconds and saves unpicking. Mark asymmetric pieces (left and right fronts, for example) as well, because mirror-image pieces are easy to mix up.

What the instructions mean

• Right sides together (RST): place the pieces with their right sides facing each other, so the seam allowances end up on the wrong side once the seam is opened out. This is how almost every seam starts.
• Wrong sides together (WST): place the pieces with their wrong sides facing. This is used deliberately for the first pass of a French seam, for an outside-felled flat-felled seam, and when attaching a lining to a garment.
• Right side up / wrong side up: how a piece should lie on the table or under the machine for the next step.

Pattern diagrams usually show the right side shaded or coloured and the wrong side white or lighter. Check the key on the instruction sheet, because conventions vary.

Fabrics with two right sides

Some fabrics are reversible or double-faced. Many solid cottons and linens look the same on both sides. Some fabrics are designed with two usable faces, such as satin-backed crepe (shiny on one side, matte on the other). With these, you can choose either face, or use both deliberately, for example a satin-faced collar on a matte crepe blouse. Just make the choice before cutting and mark it.