Quilting

sashing, continuous Quilting

General

A piece of fabric that runs the complete length or width between block rows of a quilt. Short sashing is placed perpendicular to the continuous sashing in order to separate the blocks inside each row.

accent piping Quilting

General
A flange placed between a binding and the quilt border created out of a contrasting fabric to enhance a quilt.

acid-free paper Quilting

Product

A material having a life-expectancy of three years that is used for storing quilts.

adhesive template Quilting

Product
A quilting guide that sticks to a quilt top. It is eventually removed and can be re-used.

album quilt Quilting

General
A quilt created out of different blocks that usually have some meaning attached to them.

allover quilting Quilting

Technical

Stitching that does not follow any set lines.

allover set Quilting

General
Single-block and one-patch quilts made into one piece.

alternate plain block set Quilting

General
Appliqued or pieced plain blocks are arranged in an alternating manner in a diagonal or straight set.

amish quilt Quilting

General
A style of quilts created by the Amish before 1940 that is usually simple in pattern and made with solid dark colors.

applique Quilting

Technical
A sewing method of sewing smaller pieces of fabric onto a bigger piece of fabric.

applique or bandage sheers Quilting

General
An instrument that cuts fabrics which contains an extended lip to stop accidental cuts of the wrong fabric.

applique stitch Quilting

General
Also known as a slipstitch or blindstitch. A type of stitch used to join a applique to the main fabric.

assembly line piecing Quilting

General
A time-efficient method of joining several same-size block pieces together at the same time.

background fabric Quilting

General
The material upon which appliques are sewn.

background quilting Quilting

Technical

The stitching that is sewn underneath a main motif.

backing Quilting

General
The fabric on the back of a quilt.

backstitch Quilting

General
A machine-stitch that goes over stitches already present on fabric in order to reinforce a seam.

backstitch loop knot Quilting

General
A knot whose purpose is to finish the thread in handsewing.

baltimore-style applique Quilting

General
Applique patterns that contain items such as baskets, people, fauna and flora. This type of style of sewing was begun by a group of Methodist women during the 1850s in Maryland.

basting (safety pin) Quilting

Technical

The method of joining the quilting layers with safety pins.

basting (thread) Quilting

Technical

The method of joining fabric layers together with long hand stitches to prevent shifting.

batting (batt) Quilting

Product
Used to provide extra warmth in a quilt. The fiber placed between the pieces of fabric may be cotton, cotton-polyester blend, silk, polyester, or wool.

batting loft Quilting

General
The amount of thickness of a batt.

batting, glazed and bonded Quilting

Product
Batting whose fiber is made stable through a manufacturing process. Resin is sprayed onto bonded batt; resin coats both sides of glazed batt.

batting, needlepunched Quilting

Product
Batting whose fibers have been twisted and entangled together, making the fibers stabilized by use of a machine.

bearding Quilting

Technical
The forming of balls or little pills that are created due to lack of stabilization of a fabric's fibers.

beeswax Quilting

Product
A substance that is smeared onto quilting thread in order to firm and enhance the strength of the thread while quilting.

between Quilting

General
A short needle for quilting.

bias Quilting

General
The direction in which a quilt has the most durability and strength when pulled.

bias applique Quilting

General
Curved strips of bias-cut fabric. A type of applique design, also known as Celtic applique).

bias binding Quilting

General
Strips utilized to go over the batting and edges of a quilt; the strips are cut on the bias.

bias-strip method for triangule-squares Quilting

Technical
A technique involving putting bias strips of fabric together lengthwise and cutting them into triangle-squares.

big corners set Quilting

General
An arrangement of blocks in which large triangles are arranged at a quilt's corners in a diagonal set.

binding Quilting

General
The material that covers the raw edge of a quilt.

binding, continuous bias Quilting

General
The material that covers the raw edge of a quilt in one long strip.

binding, French or double Quilting

General
The material that covers the raw edge of a quilt that is folded lengthwise (doubled).

bleeding Quilting

General
A fading of fabric when water is applied to a piece of material.

blindstitch Quilting

General
Also known as applique stitch.

block Quilting

General
The section of design in a quilt that is usually square in shape.

block units Quilting

General
The smaller sections making up a block.

block-to-block set Quilting

General
An arrangement of blocks that are not sashed, set straight or set diagonally.

border Quilting

General
A piece of fabric that is placed over the edges of the inner quilt.

border corner square Quilting

General
The square piece that is placed at the corner of a quilt and joined on the end of the border.

breaking-out-of-the-block set Quilting

General
An arrangement of blocks of the same size that are positioned in a block-to-block set that appears to be an allover set because of the various colors of the blocks.

broderie perse Quilting

General
A French phrase that means "embroidering chintz."

butted corner seam Quilting

General
Also known as squared corner seam.

buttonhole or blanket stitch Quilting

General
A type of hand stitch that joins fabric pieces into decorative hand applique and sometimes broderie perse applique. It is sometimes used to enhance the edges of fabric pieces in crazy quilting.

buttonhole-stitch applique Quilting

General
A type of applique that stitches fabric pieces on the background of a piece of material using a buttonhole stitch.

cable quilting Quilting

General

A type of design in quilting that looks like a rope that is twisted.

calico Quilting

Product
A type of printed fabric common in quilting that contains a plain weave and repetitive small designs.

cathedral window Quilting

Technical
A quilting technique that centers a piece of colored block of fabric on a muslin square that is stitched and folded.

celtic or bias applique Quilting

Technical
A type of applique technique that uses uniform folded strips of fabric to create intricate curved geometric designs similar to the designs used in Ireland during the 8th to 10th centuries.

center-outward block construction method Quilting

Technical
A process by which blocks are pieced by starting with a main center piece and progressing outward from this piece.

chain piecing Quilting

Technical
A method that joins many pieces of fabric together by inserting them through a sewing machine one after the other while continuing one's pressure on the presser foot and not cutting the threads between the pieces.

charm quilt Quilting

General
A patchwork quilt in which no two pieces are exactly alike.

chintz Quilting

General
A type of cotton fabric that contains a chemically applied glazed finish. Also known as polished cotton.

chintz Quilting

General
A type of cotton fabric that contains a chemically applied glazed finish. Also known as polished cotton.

chintz quilt Quilting

General
A quilt made out of chintz fabric.

clamshell edging Quilting

General
Fabric in the form of bending pockets or semicircles that is stitched side by side or overlapping onto the edges of a quilt for a decorative touch. It is used rather than using binding.

clip Quilting

General
A small incision made on a piece of fabric to reduce strain and make it lie flat. It allows a piece of fabric to lay perpendicular to a seam allowance edge and to lie close to the seam line.

color contrast in printed fabrics Quilting

General
The amount of contrast between the background color and printed motifs on pieces of fabric.

combination block Quilting

General
A block that is created from patchwork and applique pieces.

comforter Quilting

General
A covering for a bed that contains a thick filler bound with fabric that is tied rather than quilted.

compound patterns Quilting

General
Patterns that are shown with their sections already connected and as they will appear in the completed design.

concave curve Quilting

General
A type of curve that is inwardly rounded - like the inside of a bowl.

convex curve Quilting

General
A type of curve that is outwardly rounded - like the outside of the bottom of a bowl.

corner triangle Quilting

General
A triangle that fits into the corner of a diagonal-set quilt.

coverlet Quilting

General
A type of bedspread that is woven and is often either created out of a heavy fabric or quilted.

crazy patchwork (quilt) Quilting

General
Non-uniform shaped pieces of fabric that are stitched together on a muslin foundation in any order; each piece is hand embroidered and the quilt is not always quilted.

crib quilt Quilting

General
A small quilt that is created for a small child or baby.

cross-hatching Quilting

General
A group of parallel quilting lines that form a group of diamonds or a grid of squares.

crosswise grain Quilting

General
The perpendicular threads in a fabric to the selvages. Lengthwise grain contains less stretch than the crosswise grain of a fabric.

cutting line Quilting

General
The line that a shape is cut from a piece of material.

darning presser foot Quilting

Equipment
A sewing machine attachment that allows material to be feed through the machine and permits free-motion quilting.

diagonal basting stitch Quilting

General
A stitch that bastes the layers of a quilt together. Also known as Tailor's padding stitch.

diagonal set Quilting

General
An arrangement of blocks in which the blocks pieces are set at a 45 degree angle to the sides of the quilt.

diagonal-bar block construction method Quilting

Technical
A method that pieces together blocks by placing triangle pieces on the opposite ends of a diagonal bar (rectangle) that follow from each corner of the unit. Both pieced or solid diagonal bars are possible with this method.

diagonal-bar unit Quilting

General
Two triangles attached to the opposite sides of a bar unit (rectangle).

directional borders Quilting

General
Borders of a patchwork quilt that follow one direction.

directional prints Quilting

General
Prints of fabrics that run up and down - such as a strip fabric.

easing Quilting

Technical
The method of matching uneven pieces of fabric edges together while stitching them.

echo quilting Quilting

Technical

A kind of outline quilting that is commonly applied on applique quilts. The applique motif is quilted-in-the-ditch and then the following line of the stitching is placed parallel to the first line. This process is repeated for the 3rd, 4th, 5th...stitching lines while always maintaining the same space distance between the lines.

edge finishing Quilting

Technical
One of many techniques that enhances the edges of a quilt. Examples include: self-finished edging, clamshell edging and ruffled edging.

edges, self-finished Quilting

General
Turning under a quilt's raw edges and blindstitching the doubled edges so they are joined together.

embroidery Quilting

Technical
A method of creating decorative designs with yarn or thread onto a piece of material using one's hands or a machine.

English paper piecing Quilting

Technical
A technique that involves hand piecing shapes of fabric that are basted onto paper templates and then combined with a whipstitch on the fabric edges.

fabric, right side Quilting

General
The top or front of a fabric is considered the right side. The right side of a fabric is the side of the fabric that contains a finish.

fancies Quilting

General
Complicated quilting designs.

fat eighth Quilting

General
A piece of fabric with the measurements of 9" x 22."

fat quarter Quilting

General
A piece of fabric with the measurements of 18" x 22."

feather quilting Quilting

General

A type of quilting that involves complicated quilting designs. Also known as fancies.

Filler (quilting) Quilting

Product

 Filler refers to the type of quilt batting used to line the inside of a quilt.  Examples of filler include: wool, synthetic fiber, or cotton.  These items are wadded into rolls or sheets and used by quilters to line quilts.

finger-pressing Quilting

Technical
A method that creates a crease in a piece of fabric by using one's fingers or fingernails.

finished size Quilting

General
The measurements of a finished quilt or block not including the seam allowances.

floating the blocks Quilting

General
A term that refers to blocks that seem to float because of their arrangement in the quilt. Their corners' edges do not reach the edges of the quilt border.

folded-star patchwork Quilting

Technical
A method that uses material cut into squares that are folded into triangles which are positioned to create a star and attached to a background fabric.

foundation fabric Quilting

General
The main piece of material upon which small pieces of material are stitched.

four-patch block Quilting

General
A block that contains either two or multiples of four units for each row.

four-triangle block construction method Quilting

Technical
A technique to piece blocks with seams that follow diagonally in a block in either direction. A four-triangle unit is created first and is then built upon by the addition of other units to finish the block.

four-triangle unit Quilting

General
A pieced square that is created by bringing together the short sides of four triangles.

four-triangle/hourglass alternate block set Quilting

General
An arrangement of blocks that contains four triangles joined to create a square (setting block) that alternates with the blocks of patchwork. When dark and light triangles are placed side by side, the block arrangement is called an hourglass alternate block set.

free-motion machine quilting Quilting

Technical

The method of stitching complicated and curving designs by a machine.

freedom quilt Quilting

General
A quilt created for a young man who has reached the age of twenty-one.

freezer-paper applique Quilting

Technical
A method that uses freezer-paper patterns to act as seam line guides in order to turn under seam allowances when working on applique pieces.

friendship quilt Quilting

General
A quilt created by a number of people for a specific person. Each person is responsible for creating at least one block for the quilt's top.

fusible webbing Quilting

General
A type of material covered with heat-activated adhesive. The adhesive joins fabric pieces together with the application of an iron.

goose-chase unit Quilting

General
A unit that is created out of two small right triangles stitched to the short sides of a right triangle that is twice the size of one of the smaller triangles.

grain Quilting

General
The crosswise and lengthwise threads of a piece of woven material. When the grain is parallel to the selvage (lengthwise grain) it has the least give when pulled.

grain line Quilting

General
A guideline in the form of a line or arrow that shows the correct alignment of the pattern of the grain in the material.

grid Quilting

General
An arrangement of similarly spaced vertical and horizontal guidelines. The purpose of a grid is to enlarge or reduce patterns to a scale. "Grid" is also a term that relates to stitching on the background of a quilt.

grid method for triangle-squares Quilting

Technical
A technique that involves placing two pieces of material to face each other at their right sides. A grid of squares is marked on the right side of the fabric and diagonal lines are marked on the squares. Diagonal seams are stitched upon the squares.

hand-quilting stitch Quilting

General

A type of stitch that passes into each layer of a quilt.

hanging sleeve Quilting

General
A tube of material that is stitched onto the top edge of a quilt that allows for the insertion of a hanging rod.

hawaiian applique Quilting

Technical
A method of needle-turned applique. Hawaiian applique is created by folding a piece of fabric into four sections and then cutting the design. A quiltmaker then appliques the design to the background of the fabric.

homespun Quilting

Product
A piece of material that contains loosely woven fibers. A fabric that is hand-loomed from threads that are hand-spun.

in-the-ditch quilting Quilting

Technical

A kind of outline quilting completed along an applique edge or seam. Marks are not used for this type of quilting.

inner quilt top Quilting

General
The main area of the quilt that contains no borders.

invisible machine applique Quilting

General
Stitching a piece of material to a background fabric using a narrow-width blind hemstitch, a short stitch length and a nylon thread.

ironing Quilting

Technical
Flattening or smoothing a piece of fabric by sliding a hot iron across the fabric to take out the creases.

Italian or corded quilting Quilting

Technical

A kind of relief quilting that places a measured piece of cording or thread into a quilted channel. This particular relief quilting started in England, but was later made famous by the Italians and hence sometimes called Italian quilting

lap quilting Quilting

Technical

The act of quilting sections of a quilt before they are assembled.

lattice strips Quilting

General
Strips of material that separate the blocks of a quilt by framing them and enlarging the quilt. See sashing.

layered applique Quilting

Technical
The method of stitching layered applique pieces.

layering Quilting

Technical
The method of layering and positioning the top, bottom and the batting of a quilt before it is basted together for future stitching.

lengthwise grain (warp threads) Quilting

General
The material threads that are alligned parallel to the selvages. Lengthwise grain is a fabric's strongest grain.

light box Quilting

Equipment
A machine that quilters use to look through dark fabrics in order to trace patterns and designs from paper patterns.

linsey-woolsey quilt Quilting

General
A type of quilt that is made out of a batting of wool, a lower layer of linen and a top layer of glazed wool.

log cabin Quilting

General
A type of quilt pattern that strips of fabric or logs encompass a center square to create a block.

long half Quilting

General
A piece of fabric with the measurements of 22" x 36."

machine applique Quilting

Technical
A method of machine sewing applique pieces to the bottom layer of a quilt.

masterpiece quilt Quilting

General
A quilt that is created by a professional quilter in order to showcase his/her skills. These types of quilts are usually just used for decoration rather than used functionally.

matching point Quilting

General
The location at which lines of seams come together. Dots on pattern pieces are used to show matching points.

meander quilting Quilting

Technical

Loose non-structured lines of stitching that do not usually touch each other.

medallion quilt Quilting

General
A type of quilt that showcases a central motif as the main feature and is hugged by other pieces.

memory quilt Quilting

General
A type of quilt created from a deceased person's clothing. A quilt created in memory of a person.

miniature quilt Quilting

General
A type of quilt that is a smaller version of a full-sized quilt.

mitered seam Quilting

General
A type of angle seam that is 45 degrees and is usually used to help a quilter put a corner of a quilt together.

mola Quilting

Product
A kind of reverse applique that started with the San Blas Indians of Panama.

needle Quilting

Equipment
An instrument, often of polished steel, that has a sharp point at one end and an eye or hole for thread at the other. A needle is used to create stitches on a piece of fabric. See also between or sharp.

needle marking Quilting

Technical
A method developed over many years that was created to mark a quilt design on top of a quilt. A darning needle is used to make a faint line along the edge of a pattern.

needle-turned applique Quilting

General
A type of hand applique. A needle's shank and point assist to fold the raw edges of appliques while they are being stitched to the back of a quilt.

needling Quilting

Technical
The method of putting a needle through layers of a quilt when stitching. Needling can range from difficult or hard depending on the amount of difficulty in pushing a needle into the layers of a fabric or batting.

nine-patch block Quilting

General
The nine units that make up a block that is placed amongst three rows with three units for each row.

on point Quilting

General
An organization of blocks that aligns a block with its corners up and down and to the sides. Also see diagonal set.

one-patch quilt Quilting

General
A type of quilt that repeats a shape over and over and over again - like repeating just triangles, or just squares.

one-way design Quilting

General
A type of design that gives the visual impact of going up and down because the type of print used contains a repeated subject matter that follows a set direction.

opaque projector Quilting

Equipment
A machine that creates a larger scale version of a pattern.

outline quilting Quilting

Technical

Followig the edge of an applique pattern or patchwork with stitches.

overcasting stitch Quilting

General
An overcasting stitch that is often used in the English paper-piecing method to bring the quilting pieces together. Also known as a whipstitch.

pa ndau Quilting

General
A kind of reverse applique that began in Southeast Asia among the Hmong people.

partial piecing Quilting

Technical
A method that uses a partial seam to get rid of setting in a piece.

patch Quilting

General
A shape of fabric that is stitched together with other shapes of fabric to create a quilt.

patchwork Quilting

General
A group of smaller pieces of fabric stitched together to create a larger unit.

patchwork quilt Quilting

General
A type of quilt whose top is created out of pieces of fabric to create one bigger piece. The quilt may follow a design or simply be organized in block units.

pattern Quilting

General
The template or outline for the creator to follow in regard to putting together fabric pieces.

pattern drafting Quilting

Technical
A method of drawing a pattern correctly based upon a size requirement.

pattern, double-line Quilting

General
A pattern that has its seam allowances marked.

pattern, single-line Quilting

General
A pattern that is the final size of the quilt without including the seam allowances. The stitching line is the line marking the edge of the fabric piece.

pearl cotton Quilting

Product
A type of cotton thread with the appearance of silk. Often used for tying quilts together or for embroidery.

permanent press Quilting

General
A fabric finish that builds memory into the fiber of a fabric to prevent wrinkling.

pieced border Quilting

General
A strip of material made up of patchwork units that will be stitched onto the inner quilt.

piecing Quilting

Technical
A method of stitching together pieces of fabric to create a patchwork quilt.

piecing diagram Quilting

General
An organized system to put together a patchwork block.

piecing stitch Quilting

General
A type of stitch used in a patchwork quilt made by hand.

pillow tuck Quilting

General
The section of a quilt that will be doubled under a bed pillow.

pin-basting Quilting

Technical
A method used to hold material pieces together using pins rather than thread.

pin-matching Quilting

Technical
A method for correctly aligning the seam lines of two material pieces by placing a pin into matchpoints located at the start and finish of the seam lines.

placement line Quilting

General
A marking line used to arrange material pieces.

pleated patchwork Quilting

General
A piece of fabric is positioned with a patchwork template and joined to a muslin foundation square. It is then doubled to create a pleat and more pieces are joined to the foundation covering the stitching of other previous pieces of joined fabric.

pouncing Quilting

General
A standard technique to create marks on quilting templates. Tiny holes are created on a paper pattern or piece of cardboard. Next, a powder - like substance (like cornstarch) is then dusted over the holes to leave marks on the fabric.

prairie points Quilting

General
Doubled material triangles that are incorporated into the quilt as an edge finish.

presser foot Quilting

Equipment
A sewing machine apparatus that stabilizes material flatly on the throat plate during the process of sewing.

pressing Quilting

Technical
Not the same as ironing. A method of using an iron by lowering and lifting it in order to create and keep seams as well as to take out wrinkles in the fabric.

prewashing fabric Quilting

Technical
A method of using hot water to rinse material in order to cause it to shrink and take out any changes in its sizing prior to cutting it. Material is steam-ironed after it is dried.

quarter-inch quilting Quilting

General
A kind of outline quilting completed keeping a margin of 1/4" from the quilt's seams to prevent sewing past the seam allowances.

quick-cutting Quilting

Technical
A method that cuts the amount of time used to cut pieces of fabric. Material is cut with a rotary cutter after it is first cut into smaller pieces and strips.

quick-piecing Quilting

Technical
A technique used in a patchwork quilt to machine-sew pieces of material together before the material pieces are cut into particular shapes. This method saves time because it avoids stitching the pieces separately.

quilt Quilting

Product
A cover for a bed made out of a bottom piece of material, a top piece of material and a filler. The filler is inserted between the two other layers and secured.

quilt back Quilting

General
The bottom side of a quilt.

quilt batting Quilting

Product

 Quilt batting is the wool, synthetic fiber, or cotton wadded into rolls or sheets that quilters use to line quilts.

quilt top Quilting

General
The top side of a quilt.

quilter's knot Quilting

General
A type of knot frequently used in hand-sewing projects.

quilting Quilting

Technical

Quilting is the act of stitching three layers of a quilt together – creating a kind of sandwich that features a decorative design.  The act of quilting can be completed by a machine or by hand. 

Machine quilting involves a ‘walking foot’ in order to feed the layers of the quilt through the machine.  Free motion or freehand quilting is completed with a darning foot.  Frequently individuals who choose to use a machine will pair the threads to the fabric that is being quilted.  When pairing is not possible, invisible monofilament is used instead.

Hand quilting is often completed on a quilt frame or quilting hoop with needles called ‘betweens’ and thread.  To quilt, one hand is placed under the quilt in order to feel for the needle, and the other hand creates the stitches on top.  The best hand quilters will create small, consistent stitches that run over the quilt.  Straight and uniform stitches are key to make a successful quilt.  In general, the stitches should be the same size on both the top and bottom of the quilt. 

The design on a quilt is made through a ‘shadow line’.  A different shadow line is created depending on whether when uses a machine or one’s hands.  In machine quilting, the line will be straighter and rougher looking that quilting by hand, which gives a puckered dotted line.  Each method is not better than the other – they each just have a different appearance. 

 

quilting design Quilting

General
The stitching pattern that joins a quilt's top, bottom and middle layers together.

quilting frame Quilting

Equipment
A structure made out of plastic or wood pipe that keeps the layers of a quilt securely joined as one quilts.

quilting guide bar Quilting

Equipment
An attachment to a sewing machine that evenly spaces the rows of straight stitching.

quilting hoop Quilting

Equipment
A small oval structure that assists in the process of keeping the top, bottom and middle layers of a quilt together while quilting.

quilting stencil Quilting

Equipment
A guiding mechanism that holds quilting patterns in a cutout format. The quilting design is placed onto a quilt through the use of a marking tool placed over the cutout format to mark the layer underneath.

quilting template Quilting

General
A stable template of one quilting motif.

quilting thread Quilting

General
A type of thread made out of cotton or cotton-covered polyester thread used for hand quilting.

raw edge Quilting

General
The edge of a fabric that is not finished.

reverse applique Quilting

Technical
The method of tucking under the edges of a piece of material in order to show another piece of material underneath it.

reverse pattern Quilting

General
A pattern's mirror image.

robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul Quilting

General
A quilt that showcases the same patchwork block which is then changed by alternating its colors, often only two pieces of material are used to create this type of quilt.

rotary cutter and mat Quilting

Equipment
A type of material-cutting tool that contains a curved blade that slice into many layers of material at the same time, a cutting mat is a must in order to maintain a blade's sharpness and prevent damage on a working surface.

ruching Quilting

General
A piece of material that is tucked and gathered prior to being appliqued to another piece of material.

ruffled edging Quilting

General
A piece of material that is gathered and sewn onto a quilt's edges as a decorative element.

running stitch Quilting

General
A type of handstitch that joins together pieces of fabric temporarily, the handstitch is also used to baste turned-under seam allowances for hand applique.

sampler quilt Quilting

General
A type of quilt made from a group of blocks in various patterns with frequently no pattern repeated, the size of the blocks may be different.

sashiko Quilting

General
A type of Japanese stitchery that resembles quilting.

sashing Quilting

Technical
Separating the blocks of the quilt by framing them and enlarging the quilt, sashing with squares and continuous sashing are the two kinds of sashing.

sashing with squares Quilting

General
An unseamed piece of fabric that is placed between blocks and positioned with squares at block intersections.

sashing, pieced Quilting

Technical
A strip of patchwork material that is placed between the block units.

sashing, pieced Quilting

General
An unseamed piece of fabric that is palced between blocks.

satin stitch Quilting

General
A side-to-side tightly spaced stitch that looks like satin in appearance.

scale Quilting

General
The relative size of one item to the next.

scrap quilt Quilting

General
A quilt that is created out of several pieces of various fabrics, frequently these pieces are extra pieces of fabric from past quilting projects.

seam Quilting

General
The joining together of two pieces of material with stitching.

seam allowance Quilting

General
The amount of space between a raw edge and a seam.

seam line Quilting

General
The guiding line someone follows while stitching a piece of fabric.

selvage Quilting

General
The finished edge on every side of a piece of material going lengthwise.

seminole patchwork Quilting

General
A kind of strip piecing that began by the Seminole Indians. The method takes strips of material and then joins them together lengthwise creating a bigger piece. This bigger "strip set" is then cut at set measurements over the seam lines in order to create segments. These segments in turn are repositioned and stitched into patchwork patterns.

set or setting Quilting

Technical
The positioning of the various design elements on the front of a quilt

setting square Quilting

General
The non-print block piece that is placed between appliqued blocks or patchwork blocks in an alternate plain block set.

setting triangle Quilting

General
A triangle that is positioned between the blocks of a diagonal-set quilt. "Half-block setting triangle" is another name for this term.

setting-in Quilting

Technical
The method of sewing pieces of fabric inside the openings between other finished pieces.

shadow applique Quilting

Technical
A method by which a motifs for applique are cut to the final sizes and then positioned on a piece of fabric.

sharps Quilting

General
All-purpose needles in sewing that are often utilized in basting, patchwork piecing, appliqueing.

signature document Quilting

General
A label placed on the back of a quilt to let other people know the name of the quiltmaker, where the quilt was created and the date the quilt was finished.

single binding Quilting

General
A one-layered piece of fabric used to cover the raw edge of a quilt.

single-block quilt Quilting

General
A quilt pattern that showcases one very big block as the top of the quilt.

slipstitch Quilting

General
Also known as an applique stitch. A type of stitch used to join a applique to the main fabric.

soap slivers/soapstone pencils Quilting

Product
Instruments that create marks that one can see on dark materials.

spiral binding Quilting

General
The material that covers the raw edge of a quilt that is created out of various colored strips.

square knot Quilting

General
A knot created out of two reverse half-knots which is often used to tie a quilt.

square-within-a-square unit Quilting

General
A square made up of smaller pieces by putting together the hypotenuse edges of four triangles along the sides of an on-point square or diagonally set square.

squared/butted corner seam Quilting

General
A seam created as one piece's edge is sewn alongside another edge at a 90 degree angle. This seam follows the same direction as the sides of the quilt. Often times bindings are finished with this type of seam.

squaring-off end of fabric Quilting

Technical
A method of cutting one edge of a piece of material so it lands perpendicular to the side next to it.

stained-glass applique Quilting

Technical
A method of taking black bias strips and blindstitching them over the raw edges of material pieces that are basted onto another piece of material. The intent is to replicate the effect of leading in stained-glass windows.

stenciling Quilting

Technical
A method of using a stencil to mark a motif on the top of a quilt.

stippling Quilting

Technical
A surface texture that is created by making tightly packed stitches on the background of a quilt. Motifs are elevated from its surroundings because of the density of the quilt.

straight of grain Quilting

General
The crosswise and lengthwise threads of a piece of woven material. When the grain is parallel to the selvage (lengthwise grain) it has the least give when pulled.

straight set Quilting

General
An organization of blocks in which the edges of the blocks are aligned parallel with the edges of a quilt.

strip or string patchwork Quilting

General
A kind of patchwork quilt that contains several material strips that are haphazardly sewn together into strip sets. These are then cut into different kinds of shapes and then joined with other shapes to create the top of the quilt.

strip set Quilting

General
An organization of blocks in which the blocks are placed verically in rows, rather than horizontally. Sashing divides the rows to set them apart. Also known as a bar set.

strip-piecing Quilting

Technical
A method in which pieces of material are fabric and attached lengthwise to order to create a strip set that has the visual effect of striped fabric. This strip set is then cut at set measurements over the seam lines in order to create segments. Strip-piecing is the term used to call these segments that are used to create block units.

tailor's chalk pencil Quilting

Product
An instrument that is used to mark the design of a quilt onto a piece of fabric. The marks can be brushed off once the stitches have been put in.

tailor's padding stitch Quilting

General
A type of stitch that is used to baste together the top, bottom and middle of a quilt.

tall-triangle unit Quilting

General
A square that is created by combining one large triangle and two smaller triangles that line up against the large triangle's sides.

template Quilting

Product
A solid design pattern often made out of posterboard or plastic. A template is used as a guide to assist a quilter in the process of marking patterns as well as placing applique shapes on material.

thimble Quilting

Equipment
A leather or metal guard placed on one's thumb or finger to protect it from the sharp end of a needle. An indentation on top of a thimble is often used to create stitches and to stop the needle from slipping.

tied quilt Quilting

Product
A kind of quilt that uses thread or yarn ties to keep its layers together rather than quilting stitches. Also known as tufted quilt or comforter.

trapunto Quilting

Technical
A type of quilting method that elevates a quilt's design in relief by placing stuffing behind it.

trapunto needle Quilting

Equipment
A kind of needle that is 6" long and contains a large eye and blunt point. It is good for placing the needle through the layers of a quilt for stuffing.

traveling Quilting

Technical
A technique that transfers a quilting needle from point A to point B past the sections of stuffing.

triangle-squares Quilting

Equipment
A square that is created out of combining the hypotenuses of two triangles.

tufted quilt Quilting

General
A kind of quilt that uses thread or yarn ties to keep its layers together rather than quilting stitches. Also known as tied quilt or comforter.

tufting Quilting

Technical
The method of tufting or securing the layers of a quilt together through the use of ties.

two-bar unit Quilting

General
A square created from combining the longs sides of two rectangles together.

two-block set Quilting

General
An organization of blocks in which one kind of patchwork block is placed off and on with another kind of patchwork block. Snowball and Irish Chain are common two-block sets.

two-triangle alternate block set Quilting

General
An organization of blocks in which blocks are placed off and on with blocks created out of dark and light triangles. An example of a two-triangle alternate block set is the Barn Raising set.

two-way fabric designs Quilting

General
A material print that contains two different motifs with each going the opposite direction of the other.

unit-row construction method Quilting

Technical
A technique that is used to piece blocks. First the small block units are attached to form rows, and then the rows are attached.

utility quilt Quilting

General
A functional quilt that usually contains a simple pattern and few frills.

walking foot/even-feed Quilting

Equipment
A sewing machine presser foot attachment that pushes the top layer of a piece of material at the same pace as the feed dogs push the bottom layer of a piece of the material.

warp Quilting

General
The threads that are positioned cross-wise to the woof; the threads positioned lengthwise in a piece of woven material.

weft Quilting

General
The threads that are positioned cross-wise to the warp; the threads that move across a piece of woven material.

whipstitch Quilting

General
A type of stitch that attaches pieces in the English paper-piecing method.

whole-cloth quilt Quilting

General
A type of quilt created from one big piece of material that is often only one color and is quilted. The quilt is left plain, with the use of applique or patchwork for decoration.

wrong side Quilting

General
The bottom or back of a fabric is considered the wrong side. The wrong side of a fabric is the side of the fabric that does not contain a finish.

yardage Quilting

General
A measurement of fabric in yards.

yarn needle Quilting

Equipment
A type of needle that is thick and long that contains a blunt end and a large end. It is often used to tie qults and used in the process of trapunto.

yo-yo patchwork Quilting

General
A method of gathering circles of fabric and pressing them down to create yo-yos or rosettes. Yo-yos are frequently tracked together at the edges of the folds or separately stitched to a block.

zigzag set Quilting

General
An organization of blocks that are set on point and positioned in vertical rows with big and small setting triangles. Streak of Lightning and Picket Fence are other names for this kind of set. The rows of this kind of set start and finish with full blocks that are placed off and on with rows that start and finish with half blocks.

zigzag stitch Quilting

General
A type of stitch that covers the raw edges of appliques and attaches them to a piece of material. The spacing between the stitches can be so close that the side-to-side threads meet and create satin stitches.