---
title: "Selvage"
description: "A selvage is the finished edge of a woven fabric, running parallel to the warp, that keeps the cloth from fraying."
type: Glossary
url: https://teazle.art/glossary/selvage
published: 2026-10-14
updated: 2026-10-14
author: "The Teazle editors"
---

# Selvage

*A selvage is the finished edge of a woven fabric, running parallel to the warp, that keeps the cloth from fraying.*

The selvage, or selvedge, is the edge the loom makes itself: the weft turns back at each side, so the edge is self-finished. It is often more densely woven and may carry the maker’s name or colour dots.

## How do sewers use it?

The selvage marks the lengthwise [grain](https://teazle.art/glossary/grain.md), so pattern pieces are aligned parallel to it. It is usually trimmed away because it can shrink differently from the rest of the cloth; collectors prize woven selvage on denim.


## Sources

1. [Selvage (AAT 300227893)](http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300227893). Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
2. [Selvage (Q1943467)](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1943467). Wikidata

Canonical: https://teazle.art/glossary/selvage