Quilting Language


  A
              Appliqué - Quilting technique of attaching smaller pieces of fabric 
                      to a larger background fabric. This can be done by hand 
                      or by machine.
          Appliqué stitch - This is the "invisible" hand stitch used to secure 
                              the edges of an appliquéd piece.

   B
            Background quilting - Repetitive designs used in open areas of a quilt 
                                 to enable other designs to stand out.
         Backing - This is the fabric used for the other side of the quilt to 
                    help hold the batting layer in place. It can be one piece of 
                    fabric or several lengths sewn together to create a larger 
                    backing.
         Basting - This is the process of temporarily securing the three layers 
                    (quilt top,batting, backing) of a quilt together so that it can 
                    be quilted. Different basting techniques are needle and 
                    thread, basting gun,safety pins, or spray adhesive.
         Basting gun -A device that injects plastic tacks through all three layers 
                       of a quilt to prepare it for quilting. There is a separate 
                       tool designed to help remove the tacks when quilting is 
                       done.
         Batting - This is the layer that is between the quilt top and the backing. 
                    It is made from cotton, polyester, or wool. It comes in a 
                    variety of thickness. The batting content dictates the way 
                    the quilt will look in thickness as well as how it will need 
                    to be cleaned.
         Bearding - This is the fuzzy or "bearded" appearance that happens 
                      when the batting fibers work their way through the quilt 
                      top or backing. This usually happens with polyester battings.
         Betweens - These are short, strong needles used for hand quilting. 
                      They do come in an assortment of sizes ranging from 
                      size 9 to size 12. The larger the number, the shorter 
                      the needle.
         Bias - This is the stretchy, diagonal grain of the fabric. True bias is 
                 at 45 degree angle to the straight grain, but any off grain cut 
                 may be referred to as the bias.
         Binding - A long, narrow strip of cloth that covers the raw edges of 
                    quilt.
         Bleeding - The excess dye that seeps from fibers when fabric is 
                     washed. It can stain other fabrics.
         Blind stitch - An invisible hand stitch used for appliqué and other 
                        finish work.
         Block - This is one unit of a quilt top. Can be pieced, appliquéd, 
                  paper pieced, or a combination of any.

   C
    Chain piecing - A technique where assembly line sewing is done. 
                        Pieces are fed through the machine one after another 
                        without cutting the threads or stopping until all pieces 
                        have been sewn.
       Cross hatching - A grid of parallel quilting lines that form diamonds 
                          or squares when sewing is finished. Usually used to 
                          highlight certain blocks in a quilt.
       Cutting mat - The mat made of self-healing material on which you 
                       can safely use a rotary cutter.

  D
        Darning foot - The presser foot with a large opening at its base. It 
                         is used during free motion quilting in which the foot
                         moves up and down with the needle, holding fabric in 
                         place when the needle is down, but allowing free motion 
                         of the piece when the needle is in the up position.
        Dimensional appliqué - This is a type of appliqué where the pieces are 
                                 attached to the background fabric of the block 
                                 and are either folded, gathered, or stuffed to 
                                 give it a dimensional look.
        Directional print - These are fabrics with one way designs, such as 
                             stripes.
        Dog ears - The little triangles that stick out beyond the raw edge of 
                     a block or patchwork.

  E
        Echo quilting - Lines of quilting that produce repeating, or echoed, 
                         shapes. Echo quilting is most often used around 
                         appliquéd designs or quilted designs. Can be done
                         evenly or varying in distance.

  F
        Fabric - A quiltmaker's medium. Usually 100% cotton.
        Free motion quilting - Sewing with the machine's feed dogs 
                                 disengaged; it allows you to freely move the quilt 
                                 under the needle,making stitches of any length and 
                                 in any direction you choose. This type of quilting 
                                 requires the use of a darning foot, which has a 
                                 spring mechanism that allows it to bounce up and down 
                                 on the fabric as the needle raise and lowers.
        Freezer paper - A roll of household paper with one plastic coated side. Its
                          original purpose was for freezing foods, but quilters have
                          carried it off to the sewing room for foundation piecing,
                          template making, and appliqué.
        Freezer paper appliqué - A variety of methods that use freezer paper as
                                   templates for pattern pieces. A freezer paper shape
                                   is pressed onto the fabric, where its plastic coating
                                   adheres it. Freezer paper can be used on top of the
                                   fabric as a guide to where to turn under the fabric
                                   edges, or it can be used on the bottom as a stabilizer
                                   when stitching the shape. Seam allowance edges are
                                   folded back onto the paper and glued, pressed, or
                                   basted in place.
        Fusible Web - A paper backed adhesive product that allows you to
                         permanently affix appliqué pieces directly to the background.
                         Fusible interfacing, when used to face appliqués, is used in a
                         similar manner.

  G
        Graph paper - Gridded paper that can be used as foundation material or to
                        draft quilt blocks. It is also helpful in testing for a perfect
                        1/4 inch seam allowance.

  H
       Hanging sleeve - A permanent or temporary tube of fabric on the quilt back
                          that provides a place for inserting a dowel or toher hanging
                          device.

  L
       Label - A permanent or temporary message telling the history of the quilt
                 and the name of the quiltmaker.
       Lengthwise grain - Created by warp threads that run parallel to the selvages
                             in a piece of fabric. This grain direction is the most
                             stable. It is virtually unstretchable.
       Loft - The term used to describe the thickness of batting. Thicker, high
                loft batts result in puffier quilts; thinner, low loft ones yield
                flatter quilts.

  N
       Needles - Sewing machine needles come in a variety of sizes and point
                    styles, each suited to a different need. Sizes range from a
                    very slim 65/9 to a large 100/16. Point styles are available in
                    quilting, topstitching, embroidery, sharp, universal, jeans, and
                    metallic.
       Needleturn appliqué - A type of hand appliqué in which raw edges are
                                turned under a very short distance at a time as
                                pieces are sewn to the background. The tip of the
                                needle is used to turn the seam under just before
                                stitching.
       Needle threader - A tool with a fine wire loop that is inserted through the
                            eye of a needle to grasp thread and draw it through the
                            eye.

  O
       Outline quilting - Outlining a shape with a line of quilting stitches, often
                            placed 1/4 inch from the seam.

  P
       Patchwork - Small pieces of fabric sewn together to form a larger unit,
                      quilt block, or quilt top.
       Pin basting - Using safety pins rather than a needle and thread, to hold
                       quilt layers together.
       Pressing - Bringing the weight of an iron staright down on quilt pieces
                    without moving the iron back and forth, in order to flatten seams
                    without stretching or distorting the unit.

  Q
      Quilting hoop - A round or oval two part "frame" that holds the layers of
                          a quilt sandwich together and secure for hand stitching.
                         A screw and bolt allow for tightening or loosening tension.
                          The hoop is repositioned as you work.
      Quilting in the ditch - Placing quilting stitches a needle's width away from
                                  a seam line to define a design in a quilt.
      Quilting thread - Specialized thread that is slightly heavier than regular sewing
                          thread. It comes waxed to pull more smoothly through
                          fabric layers and to add strength and prevent tangling.

 R
     Rotary cutter - A razor sharp, rolling cutter that resembles a pizza cutter.
                       A rotary cutter is used in conjucntion with a special self-
                       healing mat that protects the table surface and an acrylic
                       ruler to cut fabric. For applique, it is helpful to have a square
                       ruler (12 1/2 inch or 15 1/2 inch) for cutting background
                       block accurately.

  S
     Scrap quilt - A quilt made by mixing many different fabrics, rather than by
                     repeating a few fabrics in identical blocks or units.
     Selvage - Tightly woven, finished edges that run lengthwise along the fabric.
                They should be trimmed away and not used.
     Stencil - A quilting design cut out of plastic. Quilters can draw the quilting
                design onto a quilt top with a quilt marking pen or pencil by
                marking in each slotted opening of the channel cut stencil.
     Stipple quilting - Very closely spaced, random lines that resemble pieces of a
                         jigsaw puzzle; generally used to fill in small areas or
                         flatten portions of a quilt in order to emphasize nearby
                         raised motifs.
     Straight grain - The lengthwise or crosswise threads in the weave of fabric.

 T
     Thimble - A sturdy device that protects a finger from needle pricks during
                 hand sewing. When quilting, it is used to steady and guide the
                 needle as it moves downward through the quilt sandwich.
     Tying - Placing single, individually tied stitches at intervals across the
              surface of a quilt. A variety of different stitches and knots can be
              used to create interesting effects.

If I have left out a term, please email me and let me know.
Thanks and happy sewing!

*Some quilting terms taken from Rodale's Successful Quilting Library.

 
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