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Quiltmaker and author Linda Seward says she always seem to have a needle of one kind or another in her hands
Confused about the language used by quilters? Find plenty of useful terms listed here for future reference.
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| BASIC TECHNIQUES |
25 / 02 / 08 |
Glossary of TermsBy Popular PatchworkConfused about the language used by quilters? Find plenty of useful terms listed
here for future reference |  |  |
1⁄4in Foot
This is a special foot for your
machine. When you have the edge of the foot on the edge of the fabric it will give an
accurate 1⁄4in seam. If your machine does not have one you may be able to move the
needle position instead
Appliqué A design made by cutting shapes from one fabric and sewing to the
top of another fabric
Basting The American term for tacking
Backing The fabric that forms the bottom layer or back of a quilt
Batting The American term for wadding
Bias The diagonal of a woven fabric. This has the greatest amount of stretch
Binding A narrow strip of fabric, single or folded, used to enclose the raw edges of
the quilt top, wadding and backing
Block The pattern units that repeat across the quilt top
Bobbin Thread This specialist thread, designed to go in the bobbin when sewing
satin stitch, is thinner than a usual thread and less likely to pull up and show on the
front of your work
Chain (String) Piecing A method of sewing a number of units at a time, thus saving
time and thread
Charm Quilt A quilt made with every piece from a different fabric. Usually all the
pieces are the same shape as well such as squares or triangles
Colour Wheel A tool used to help you plan your colours in the quilt
Colour Value The darkness or lightness of a colour
Cornerstone A square used to join short pieces of sashing at the corners of blocks
Cutting Mat A special mat used with a rotary cutter and ruler to protect the work surface
Design Wall A flannel or wadding panel on the wall. Used for laying out fabrics
and standing back and checking the appearance. There is no need to use pins,
the patches just adhere lightly to the flannel and can be moved easily
Echo (Outline) Quilting Repeated rows of quilting a measured distance from each
row, the machine foot can be used as a measure. Often used with appliqué
Embellishment Extra embroidery or trims added after a quilt is finished
Fat Eighth Half a fat quarter of fabric giving a small rectangle either 9 x 22in
or 11 x 18in
Fat Quarter A piece of fabric that is cut 50cm (in the UK) or 18in along the selvedge
and then cut again in half across the width to give a piece approx 18 x 22in (slightly
larger if cut in the UK)
Feed Dogs The part of your sewing machine that moves the base layer of
fabric forwards as you stitch
Four Patch A block composed of four patches or one that fits within a 2 x 2 grid
Free Motion Quilting An advanced method of quilting with lowered feed dogs
and where your hands move the fabric to create the pattern
Fusible Web A paper based glue that is ironed onto the reverse of your fabric,
often used with appliqué
Grain The lengthwise and crosswise threads on a cotton fabric
Hanging Sleeve A tube of fabric applied to the top back of a quilt, so that it can be
displayed on a wall or at a quilt show
Half Square Triangle A block that is square in shape but is divided on one diagonal to
give two equal triangles
Hoop A small hand held frame used for hand or machine quilting
In the DitchQuilting that is close to the seam lines of your blocks. traditionally it
would be the side of the seam that did not have the seam allowances lying behind and
thus would be lower and 'in the ditch'
Labelling Every quilt should have a label sewn on the back giving details such as
name of quilter, date and reason made
LayeringThe process of putting the three layers of a quilt together
Loft The spring or fluffiness of the wadding - more loft equals more height
Machine Quilting Stitching by machine that holds the three layers of a quilt
together
Piecing Several pieces of fabric cut and then sewn together to produce a pattern
Quarter Square Triangle A block that is square in shape but is divided on two
diagonals to give four equal triangles
Quilt Top The top layer of the quilt. It can be pieced, appliquéd, or a combination of
the two
Quilting The sewing used to secure the layers together; it can be by hand or
by machine
Right Side The side of the fabric that you wish to appear on the top of your quilt. For
design reasons some quilters use the wrong side occasionally if it gives the
right colour value
Rotary Cutter A circular, rotating cutter used with a cutting mat and ruler to safely
cut layers of fabric accurately
Ruler An acrylic measuring tool used with the rotary cutter, usually marked in 1⁄8in.
There are many specialist manufacturers such as Creative Grids in the UK who have
developed a wide range of rulers
Sandwiching See Layering
Sashing Strips of fabric that are used to divide blocks when the quilt top is joined
into one piece
Seam The point where two pieces of fabric are sewn right sides together
Seam Allowance The distance between the cut edge of the fabric and the sewn
line. Quilters usually use a 1⁄4in seam allowance, although metric allowances can
range from 0.5cm to 0.75 depending on your country
Selvedge The edge of the fabric when it is on the bolt. This has a slightly tighter
weave and should be cut off before you start measuring your pieces
Setting The arrangement of blocks in the quilt top
Slip Stitch A small, almost invisible, stitch used to secure a folded edge to a
flat surface. Commonly used to finish the binding on the back of a quilt
Strip Piecing Joining one or more strips together and then cutting them apart
crossways to create new units
Tacking A means of securing the layers of a quilt together loosely, using large
stitches and thin thread
Thimble Used to protect your fingers or thumb when hand sewing
Top Stitching A row of stitiching often with larger stitches. Used as a decorative finish
often near the edge of a garment or bag
Tying A method of quilting, using small stitches and knots, with threads that can
be left decoratively on the front or on the back of the work
Wadding (Batting) The filling that goes in between the quilt top and the
back to create warmth and depth to the quilt
Walking Foot A special foot that is used when quilting to push the top and bottom
layers of the quilt together at the same time. Is believed to give a more even result
and can also be used for piecing borders
First published in Popular Patchwork DVD Special 2007
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| Posted: 20/04/08 22:59:44 44 | | Can you tell me what freezer paper is used for. |
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Would you like to swap your UFO's for someone else's?
Sometimes other quilter's leftover projects are more inspiring than our own! Maybe you'd like to start a regular fabric or block swap?
Post a photo of your swaps in the forum, and let's all find new homes for our unwanted creations!
You can donate your UFO's anonymously to The Quilt Block Orphanage by sending them to Joy at 739 Alcester Road South, Birmingham, B14 5EY.
Popular Patchwork July 2008
Don't forget to buy the July 2008 edition of our magazine, Popular Patchwork, available in good newsagents from 6th June.
If you only read one article from our "Design" features, read this... 
Velvet Underground. Barbara Howell describes her use of a beautiful, yet often neglected fabric. Delving into her past works of art, she also gives suggestions for use, in the hope of bringing velvet back from the underground.
Click here to view our Block of the Month Quilt, The Singing Garden
Petunia block available now in the July edition!
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