Gusset
Definition
A gusset is a small piece of fabric, often a diamond or triangle, inserted into a seam to add room for movement, as at an underarm or crotch.
Gussets solve a geometry problem. Where seams meet at a point of strain, such as the underarm of a sleeve cut in one with the bodice or the crotch of leggings, there is not enough fabric for the body to move. A gusset adds a small panel exactly there.
Common examples:
- Underarm gusset: a diamond, or two triangles, set into the underarm of a kimono sleeve or dolman sleeve, so you can raise your arms without the side seam lifting the whole garment.
- Crotch gusset: a diamond or rectangle in leggings, cycling shorts, underwear and martial arts trousers, which spreads the strain away from the point where four seams meet.
- Side or bottom gusset: in bags, a strip or panel that gives depth, an alternative to boxed corners on a tote.
- Traditional garments: square gussets at the underarms of folk shirts and smocks, cut from simple rectangles of linen.
Setting a gusset into a slash is precise work. Reinforce the slash point with small stitches or a patch of interfacing, sew each side separately, pivot at the points with the needle down, and clip into the corner up to the stitching. Inserted into a seam rather than a slash, a gusset is much easier.
Related insertions are the godet, which adds flare, and the shaped seam of the crotch curve.