Acrylic Quilting Ruler -A special, thick, acrylic ruler used in conjunction with a cutting mat, and rotary cutter to cut even strips and squares of fabric, in multiple layers.

Appliqué -Cutting pieces of one fabric and affixing them to another fabric. Usual methods of affixing: fusible webbing or sewing. Sewing may be done by hand or machine. Usual stitches used: buttonhole, satin stitch or blind stitch.
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Backing- The "back" or bottom layer of a quilt. Backings are traditionally plain, that is, not pieced blocks. Backings may be one large piece, or several pieces sewn together. Also referred to as lining.

Background- The lighter or receding colour fabrics in patchwork, or the base fabric onto which appliqué shapes are sewn.

Basting- The process of temporarily holding quilt top, batting, and backing together to allow for quilting. Basting methods include: thread basting, pin basting, fusible/spray basting.

Basting Spray- An aerosol spray adhesive used to temporarily hold the quilt top, batting, and backing, while machine or hand quilting. Also great for holding pieces for appliqué and stabilizers to material for machine embroidery. 

Batik- A method in which fabric is treated with a resist (usually wax) and then dyed to create interesting patterns. The resist keeps the dye from penetrating to that portion of the fabric allowing the underlying color to remain untouched. Interesting patterns and effects are created when the fabric is treated several times with this method and several colors of dye. Click here for instructions.

Batting- The middle layer of the quilt sandwich. Batting is usually cotton, polyester, or wool. Batting can vary in thickness (loft) and warmth. Cotton battings like Warm & Natural and Warm & White tend to give quilts an "old-fashioned" look and feel while polyester battings tend to be easier for hand quilting.

Bearding- The process in which the batting fibers of a quilt sandwich migrate through the top, or bottom, of the quilt via the holes produced from the quilting process. The result is a bit of fussiness on the quilt. More common with a polyester batting.

Beeswax- Honeycomb material that has been melted, purified, and solidified into a block shape. Used by quilters to reduce tangling and fraying of thread, as well as strengthen it. When hand-sewing thread is pulled across the block's surface, the thread accumulates just enough wax to pull smoothly through fabric and reduce wear on it. 

Betweens- Small, thin needles, with small eyes, used in hand quilting. Normal size ranges from 8 - 12. The higher the number, the finer the needle.

Bias View- The diagonal of a piece of fabric.  A true bias is at a 45 degree angle to both the lengthwise and crosswise grain lines of the fabric.  The greatest amount of stretch is on the true bias and tends to be more stretchy than the rest of the fabric and thus requires extra care when piecing.

Bias Binding- Binding, usually same as French Double Fold binding, with fabric that was cut on the bias as opposed to lengthwise or crosscut. This type of binding is necessary when binding curved edges, or other forms of non-rectangular quilt tops. It may also be stronger in that the edge of the quilt has bias threads. The wear and tear on threads that go the length of the quilt is more than when the threads are diagonally in-line with the quilt top. Click here for how-to instructions

Binding- A strip of fabric used to cover the raw edges of the quilt sandwich and thus, finish the quilt off. There are several variations of binding used with the most popular being the French Double Fold binding (bias binding).

Blanket Stitch- An L-shaped hand or machine stitch used for stitching the edges of appliqué to the background fabric.

Block- A basic unit of a quilt top. A block might be a pieced block, or a solid piece of fabric. Blocks may be square, rectangular, or appliquéd pieces.

Blocking- The act of bringing a quilt block back to square. Usually involves pinning the square to a gridded ironing board, and using steam iron to coax the block back into square. Also refer to squaring up, the act of using a square acrylic ruler to trim excess fabric from block, thus, making it square.

Border- The outer edge of a quilt top. Borders are often used to frame the inner, pieced quilt top. Borders may be straight sections of fabric, or pieced together into strips. 

Broadcloth- A slightly meatier cotton fabric with thicker warp and weft strands. Normally found only in solid colors. Fabricland carries a full range of colours members get an extra 20% off everyday!

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Calico- A 100% cotton fabric with any small (usually flowers) repeated pattern on it. A typical fabric to use for "traditionally" themed quilts. (In Great Britain, a Calico is what Americans call a Muslin.)

Chain Piecing- A method of machine piecing small quilt block units in one, continuous, stream, one right after another. The pieces are then snipped apart, pressed, and the next section is affixed in the same manner. Most common method for piecing the Log Cabin Block.

Cheater's Panel /Cloth- A piece of fabric printed with quilt block design, made to look like a pieced or appliquéd quilt top. It can then be sandwiched, and quilted just as a standard pieced quilt.

Cross Hatching- A quilting pattern used to fill in background, or void, spaces. Diagonal lines, equidistant apart, are hand or machine quilted in one direction, and then in the opposite direction, to form diamond or squares.

Curved Piecing- The process of sewing a convex edge of fabric to a concave seam of fabric. Commonly seen in the Drunkard's Path block.

Cutting Mat- A special mat with a thick, durable surface, lined with measurements, used in conjunction with an acrylic ruler and rotary cutter to cut multiple layers of fabric in strips and squares. The surface of most cutting mats is "self-healing" in that the grooves left from the rotary cutter blade are filled in after usage. Fabricland carries many different sizes of mats, suitable for any project!

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Darning Foot- A special sewing machine foot that can be used for free motion quilting. It holds the fabric down only when the needle is coming out of the fabric.

Directional Print-A piece of fabric that has an obvious directional (horizontal/vertical) print, such as stripes. 

Double Fold French Binding- See French Fold Binding.

Dual Feed Foot-See Walking Foot

Dye Magnet- A piece of untreated, bleached terry cotton affixed to a piece of core that keeps it afloat in the wash water. Its purpose is to collect loose dyes in wash water. It can be bleached and reused after it gets too dingy. Very old white towels can serve a similar purpose. 

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Ease- The process of fitting two irregular pieces, or two different length pieces, together while sewing (to "ease" together). Common for sewing curved pieces together.

Even Feed Foot- See Walking Foot

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Fat Eighth- 1/4 yard of fabric cut in half at the middle fold. (Creating a rectangle approx. 9" wide by 22" length) There are 8 fat eighths (commonly referred to as FE) in one yard of fabric.

Fat Quarter- 1/2 yard of fabric cut in half at the middle fold. (Creating a rectangle approx. 18" wide by 22" length) There are 4 fat quarters (commonly referred to as FQ) in one yard of fabric.

Feed Dogs- The mechanical teeth under the presser foot area of a sewing machine which move to pull the fabric through the machine. When free motion quilting, the feed dogs should be lowered or covered to prevent unnecessary wear on the sewing machine.

Feed sacks- Bags that were once used to hold flour, corn, meal, the like, in the early 1900's. These bags are highly coveted by quilters today, and the material is usually still in good enough condition for quilting.

Filler Quilting- A method of filling in large, open spaces on a quilt top (either by machine or hand quilting). Usually done in a cross hatch pattern.

Filling- Same as batting.

Finger Pressing- Pressing a seam allowance using a finger tip, or a small wooden tool (hera).

Finished Size- The final sewn measurement or dimensions of a completed block without seam allowances. Thus a 3" sewn measurement block would be cut 3.5" to allow for 1/4" seam allowances (the quilting standard).

French Fold Binding- Binding that is traditionally made with one wider strip, folded in half, wrong sides facing. The raw edges of the strip are aligned and sewn to the raw edges of the quilt top, mitering the corners, and then the folded edge is rolled to the back and either machine, or hand stitched down. This creates a more durable binding on the edges where the quilt may take a lot of abuse. Fabric strip may be cut on the bias for curves, or on the cross grain for straight edges. (Also sometimes referred to as Double Fold French Binding.)

Fusible- Various webbing or interfacing materials which can be ironed onto a fabric for easier appliqué or to support the fabric. The pieces are normally then reinforced by means of hand or machine appliqué stitches.

Fussy Cut- The method of cutting pieces of fabric as to focus on an object of element displayed in the fabric. Common method of making novelty prints for children's quilts, or "eye-spy" quilts.

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Glazed Finish- A thin resin finish which can be applied to a batting or another type which can be put on a fabric. For batting it helps to prevent bearding and shifting of the fibers in the finished quilt. Sometimes called a bonded finish.

Grain- The lengthwise and crosswise threads of a woven fabric. The lengthwise grain, parallel to the selvage, has the least amount of stretch. Crosswise grain, perpendicular to the selvage, has a little more give. For best results, the grain should run in the same direction on all pieces of a quilt block and on the sashing and borders. 

Griege Goods- Fabric straight from the loom. It has not been printed on, dyed, nor treated in any way. It is pronounced "gray goods".

Guild- An organization of quilters in a community who meet on a regular basis (usually monthly) to discuss quilting and swap techniques. Guilds are also known for creating charity quilts to give to their local communities.

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Half Square Triangle- A square that is made up of two different triangles of fabric. Common method of making these squares is to take two fabric squares, right sides together, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the lightest fabric, and stitch a seam 1/4" away from that diagonal line. The blocks are then cut apart on the diagonal line, pressed, and squared up. The result is two half square triangle blocks. 

Hand Dyed- Fabric that has been hand dyed using a process that creates soft, subtle gradations in the fabric for a mottled look. 

Hand Quilting Stitch- A small, even, running stitch sewn through all 3 layers of the quilt sandwich in the quilting process.

Hanging Sleeve- A tube (sleeve) sewn on the back top of the quilt in order to hang the quilt for display. Usually approximately 3-4" wide and attached during the binding attachment process.

Hera- A small wooden/plastic tool used (instead of finger) for pressing seam allowances. See Finger Pressing

Homespun- Fabric that is either hand woven, or made to appear as hand woven, with larger, thicker diameter threads used. The weave tends to be looser. 

Hoop- A large pair of wooden or plastic rings sized so that one fits inside the other, which is sometimes used instead of a frame to keep the layers of a quilt taut and even during the quilting process. A hoop is more portable than a quilt frame. It is similar to an embroidery hoop, although larger. 

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Invisible Stitch- A hand stitch used most commonly for appliqué and binding. The needle slides an 1/8" to 1/4" through the folded edge of fabric, then takes two or three threads of the base fabric.

Invisible Thread- Also known as "transparent thread." A very fine nylon thread often used for affixing appliqué pieces or quilting.

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Label- A piece of fabric that has been signed with permanent ink, to document the origins of a quilt. Normally affixed to the lower left corner of the back of a quilt. Labels are normally required for any quilt entered into a contest. Labels may document: maker, recipient, quilt name, date completed, as well as care instructions.

Lattice Strips- See Sashing.

Lining- The "back" or bottom layer of a quilt. Backings are traditionally plain, that is, not pieced blocks. Linings may be one large piece, or several pieces sewn together. Also referred to as backing.

Loft- Term for the thickness, height and resilience of quilt batting. High loft batting is thicker and fluffier, usually polyester and used more often for tied quilts. Low loft batting is thinner and shows off the quilting stitches, such as Warm & Natural and Warm & White cotton batting.

Long Arm Quilting- Machine quilting done by a long armed machine. Normally only done on a commercial basis due to the size (14feet+)  and the cost of the machine.

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Machine Quilt- The method of quilting a quilt sandwich using a sewing machine and walking foot instead of the traditional method of hand quilting with needle and thread.

Meander Quilting- A style of quilting that is done with the feed dogs down or covered, and the quilt sandwich guided through the machine with hands, in lose motions, closely together, but without any lines crossing over each other.

Mercerized Cotton- A treatment of cotton thread which consists of immersing the yarn in a solution of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) for short periods of time, while held under tension. The yarn is then stronger and more lustrous and takes the dye better with brighter, deeper colors. This effect of caustic soda on cotton was discovered in 1844 by John Mercer, an English calico printer and his name gave the process the name "mercerize".

Mitered- Method of joining two seams so that they form a 45° angle. Often used for binding corners and for making the joint of the window panes of an Attic Window block.

Motif- A design element, image or drawing used on a quilt block or for an appliqué. An example is a quilt using a "heart motif" or other theme image. The Motif may also refer to the quilting method/design used.

Muslin- An un-dyed woven fabric that is often used for quilt backings, background fabric for appliqué, or foundation fabric for crazy quilting. It is available in many different qualities and thread counts, and unbleached or bleached.

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Needle- A piece of metal with an eye in one end, in which thread is guided, that is used for joining patchwork pieces together. A term used for the ease of which a needle glides through fabric or a quilt sandwich. If a fabric "needles" well, that means it is easy to glide a needle into.

Needle-Punched Batting- One of the manufacturing processes used to make some types of quilt batting of cotton or wool. Thousands of barbed needles are punched through the carded fibers to lock them into position to help prevent bearding and shifting of the batting in the finished quilt. A needle punched batting allows quilting to be placed further apart than un-treated batting does. Fabricland carries Warm & Natural and Warm & White cotton batting

Needle Turn- A method of appliqué in which the seam allowance of the piece is "turned under" by the needle as the piece is stitched to the background fabric.

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On-point Setting- An arrangement of blocks where each one is turned at a 45° angle to the horizontal and vertical edges of the quilt.

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Pieced Block- A quilt block that is made up of individual pieces of cut fabric that have been re-sewn together in some fashion.

Piecing- The process of sewing two pieces of fabric together, along a common sized edge, to form a larger, whole piece of fabric.

Pillow Tuck- Extra length planned into a quilt's design to accommodate the thickness of pillows under the quilt. Standard pillow tuck measures 8 to 11".

Pin Basting- The process of basting the quilt sandwich using safety pins, normally curved safety pins, to hold the layers of the sandwich together. Pins are generally spaced approximately 3-5" apart and are normally removed during or after the quilting process.

Prairie Points- Squares of fabric that are folded into triangles. Often used as an edging, prairie points also can be sewn into other seams.

Pre-Washing- The practice of pre-washing fabric before cutting and sewing it into a quilt top. Pre-washing is a good idea to prevent one fabric color from bleeding onto another, and for pre-shrinking the fabric, but isn't always necessary.

Press -ing- The motion of lifting an iron up and down on a pieced block to "set" the seam. Not the same as "ironing" in which the iron is moved back and forth across fabric.

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Quilt Guild- see Guild

Quilt Fuse™- A gridded material (similar to interfacing) used to iron on small squares within the grid, in a desired pattern and then folded (right sides together) along the grid lines and sewn with a 1/4" seam horizontally and then vertically. Most commonly used for water colour quilts. Fabricland carries Quilt Fuse™ - 2" grid lines- 122cm (48") wide Click here for a free project!

Quilt Frame- A large, free standing device, made of wood or plastic piping, that holds a quilt in place in order to enable easy hand quilting. Some Quilt Frames have several poles that enable the user to baste the quilt right on the frame without using pins or threads.

Quilt Top- The completed top portion of the quilt sandwich, after all squares have been pieced together, and borders added.

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Raw-edge- The un-sewn edge of a piece of fabric used in a quilt block or appliqué block.

Repeat- The number of inches between a repeated pattern/motif in a piece of fabric.

Rotary Cutter- A device with a round razor-sharp blade used in conjunction with a cutting mat, and special acrylic ruler to cut even strips and squares of fabric. Fabricland carries a variety of different sizes of cutters, refill blades and accessories!

Ruching- A process whereby a fabric piece is tucked and gathered before it is appliquéd onto a background fabric; often seen in classic Baltimore Album quilts.

Running Stitch- A hand-needlework technique in which the needle accumulates several stitches on it before needle and thread are drawn through the cloth. The running stitch is used in both piecing and quilting.

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Sandwich- A common name for the package that is the quilt top, the batting, and the backing.

Sashing- Strips of fabric, plain or pieced, that divide the blocks in a quilt. Also called lattice.

Satin Stitching- Very short, closely stitched, zigzag stitches commonly used to affix the raw edges of appliqué pieces.

Seam Allowance- The measurement of fabric between the stitched seam line and the raw edge of the joined pieces. In patchwork quilt making, the standard seam allowance is 1/4". For most machines you can get a quilting foot which is an exact 1/4" so you only have to line up the fabric edge with the foot edge.

Secret Tacking- A quilting technique in which the needle and thread travel through the filler between stitches. Secret tacking forms stitches that are farther apart than those produced by a running stitch, but closer together and less visible than the knots produced by tacking. 

Selvage- The finished edge of a piece of fabric, parallel to the lengthwise grain, that is usually tightly woven. The selvage shrinks at a different rate than the rest of the fabric, and is hard to needle. The selvage is usually cut off before measuring and sewing fabric pieces together.

Set In- Sewing a patchwork piece into the corner, or angle, formed by two already joined pieces. Also referred to as an "inset seam."

Setting - The arrangement of completed blocks forming the quilt top. Blocks can be set side by side, on point (like diamonds), or with sashing.

Sharps- Another style of needle that is short, thin, with a very sharp tip. Used primarily for piecing.

Sheeting- A very finely woven, over 200 thread count, piece of cotton fabric, normally used in bed linens.

Shibori- A method of resist dyeing in which fabric is folded, twisted, tied, or otherwise managed, in order to create a resist pattern. The portions of fabrics concealed by the manipulation "resist" the dye and remain the original color of the fabric, while the dye penetrates to other areas of the fabric. This process creates original, one of a kind pieces of fabric art.

Shirred Border- A border, usually inserted between two inner borders, of a quilt in which the fabric has been gathered to create a more 3-dimensional appearance. Often seen in Heirloom quilts.

Siggie- See Signature Block.

Signature Block- Blocks that are signed by many different individuals. These are common blocks to use in block swaps on the Internet, or in a guild. Each person signs his/her block with something special and the blocks are then combined, either on their own or with other pieced blocks, to form a special quilt.  

Slip Stitch- Another style of stitching used in appliqué in which small, evenly spaced stitches, are taken between the piece and the background. Also the common style of stitch for hand sewing down binding to the back of a quilt sandwich.

Squaring Up- The process of trimming patchwork blocks, or quilt tops, so that each corner forms a 90° angle.

Stash- Common name for a quilter's fabric collection.

Stay Stitching- Stitching done 1/8" inside of a seam allowance used to help stabilize a stretchy edge. In quilting, you might stay stitch a triangle that will be pieced with the bias edge facing the outer edge of the quilt. In this case, you should draw your cutting line on the piece before cutting, stay stitch 1/8" from that line, and then cut the triangle. Doing so will help prevent that bias edge from stretching as it is pieced into the final quilt. The stay stitching can remain in the quilt for added stability. Since it is done within the seam allowance, it will not be visible on the quilt top.

Stencils- Shapes cut out of template plastic or cardboard/paper used to mark a quilt top with quilting designs.

Stitch-In- the- Ditch- A method of quilting by which the stitch is placed in, or as close to, a seam of two fabrics. 

Straight Stitch Foot- The common name for the standard presser foot on most sewing machines.

Strip- A piece of fabric that is cut the length of the width of Fabric, and then cut a particular width.

String Piecing- Similar to crazy quilting, the process of randomly joining similarly sized pieces of fabric or scraps together to form a larger piece of fabric, which is then either joined together with another string pieced fabric strip, or cut into smaller pieces for squares or appliqué.

Strip Piecing- The process of joining long strips of fabric together and then cutting the strip sets into the individual blocks/squares. A quick way to make blocks.

Strip Set- A name given to the pieces that make up strip piecing.

Swaps- An exchange of fabric or pieced squares, by a group of quilters, either from a guild, or via the Internet, or some other forum. 

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Tacking- Another name for tying a quilt.

Tacking Gun- Similar to a tagging gun used at retail stores, this device inserts a plastic piece into the quilt sandwich to hold all 3 layers together. Another form of basting.

Template- A pattern made from an extra-sturdy material so you can trace around it many times without wearing away the edges. Acrylic templates for many common shapes are available at quilt shops. Templates can also be made by duplicating a printed paper pattern using template plastic, paper, cardboard, or sandpaper. Templates for machine piecing usually include seam allowances; those for hand piecing and appliqué do not. 

Thimble- A small dimpled cap, usually made of aluminum, steel, or copper, that has grooves in the dimple to first, protect the finger from injury from a needle, and secondly, to help maneuver the needle through the quilt sandwich when hand quilting.

Thread Basting- The process of basting the quilt sandwich by means of using long, hand sewn stitches. Stitches usually start in center of the quilt and work outwards to the edges. These stitches are then removed after the final quilting has been completed.

Thread Count- The number of threads in the warp by the number of threads in the weft. For example, a 200 thread count fabric means that the fabric has 100 threads to an inch for the warp, and 100 threads to the inch for the weft.

Tone-on-Tone- Tone-on-Tone fabrics are those fabrics that have a print in a different shade or tint of the background fabric. For example, a dark purple background fabric with small lavender flowers on it. These fabrics tend to read as a "solid" when implemented in the quilt top. Also referred to as "tonal fabrics".

Trapunto- A dimensional design in a quilt by which closely sewn lines of stitching are stuffed with batting to make them appear 3-dimensional, or raised from the surface. A common style to use in Whole Cloth quilts.

Tufting-Same as tying.

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Wadding- Another name for batting.

Walking Foot- An attachment for the sewing machine that replaces the Straight Stitch foot and helps to guide the top fabric and the bottom fabric of the quilt sandwich evenly through the sewing machine. Also known as "even-feed foot" or "dual-feed foot".

Warp View- See also weft. The long threads that run from the bottom to the top of the material. Warp threads intersect the weft threads. These are the threads that are put on the loom with tension and are raised and lowered to allow the weft threads to be passed through. The warp threads run parallel to the selvage, the most stable direction of the fabric.

Weft View- See also warp. The long threads that run side to side of the width of the material. The weft threads are perpendicular to the warp threads, and less stable.

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Yo-Yo - Fabric circles that are gathered, flattened, and joined to make a lightweight, un-backed coverlet. Single yo-yos can be used for appliqué.

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