Originally Posted by
janjanq
I'm assuming from reading other posts that frogging means ripping out seams, but I had not heard that term before.
As noted, it's called frogging because you rip it, rip it. I believe this was originally a knitting term. When i frog knitting, it kind of sounds like its saying riiiiiibbit, riiiiibbit as you pull the yarn and the stitches pop apart.
The length of the seam to be removed, the length of the stitches and the orientation of the seam relative to the straight of grain or bias are all factors in determining which ripping technique to use. When I have a long seam with normal to long stitches, i like to clamp down one side, open up the seam into a V, and pull gently on the other side. The tension on the stitches makes them pop right in half long before the ripper gets close enough to cut the fabric. And its fun, lol. I sometimes use one blade of a scissors when I do it this way. My sewing machine has drawers, and the top one is at exactly the right height for me to slide it shut on one piece of fabric and press on it with my knee to maintain tension while I rip.