AY Honors/Dressmaking/Answer Key
- For other uses, see the disambiguation page Zig zag
A zigzag is a pattern made up of many small corners at an acute angle, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular.
From the point of view of symmetry, a regular zigzag can be generated from a simple motif like a line segment by repeated application of a glide reflection:
- /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Equally it is the juxtaposition of chevrons.
A car, for example, could move in a zigzag, that is, not going straight, but instead moving left and right and left and so on. The trace of a triangle wave or a sawtooth wave could be described as a zigzag. Pinking shears are designed to cut cloth with a zigzag edge, to lessen fraying. Zigzags are a basic decorative pattern used on pottery.
In sewing, a zigzag stitch is a machine stitch in a zigzag pattern. Tightly space zigzag stitches are used to emulate embroidery stitches such as satin stitch, and to reinforce buttonholes. Zigzag stitch is also used as a 'non-structural' seam, to temporarily hold 2 panels together edge to edge (and eliminate the ridge that would x-ray through) . This is done when another panel will overlay the seam and provide support.
