Quilting Terminology
Appliqué:
Stitching a design onto a piece of fabric in layers.
Background: The neutral fabric in your
quilt. Not every quilt has a background fabric.
Backing:
The fabric on the wrong side of your finished quilt.
Basting:
The long stitches, pins, or plastic tacks used to hold together the
quilt top, batting, and backing while you do the quilting. These are
removed as you quilt or when you are done quilting.
Batt
or Batting: The inner layer of the quilt that
provides depth and warmth. Usually cotton or polyester.
Binding:
The narrow strip of fabric that encloses the raw edges of the finished
quilt.
Block:
One design element of the quilt top. Pieces are sewn together to make a
block and blocks are sewn together to make the quilt top.
Crutch:
A very helpful guide to help you remember which fabrics go where in
your pattern. This can be done with real fabric or art supplies.
Grain
or Grainline: The threads that run parallel to the
selvedge of the fabric are the straight of the grain; the threads that
run across the width of the fabric are the cross grain.
Fat
Quarter: A piece of fabric that has been cut from
the bolt as follows: a 1/2 yard piece, cut crosswise (like a sandwich)
to achieve a piece that measures approximately 18" x 22".
Piecing:
Sewing together smaller pieces of fabric to make a block or quilt top.
Quilting:
The stitches that hold together the three layers of your quilt.
Sashing:
The strips of fabric that separate blocks.
Scale:
Relative size, as in a fabric pattern.
Selvedge:
The tightly woven edges along the length of your fabric. *NEVER*
use these in your quilt!
Setting:
How the blocks or components of your quilt are arranged to make the
quilt top.
Template:
Physical pattern piece, made of plastic, cardboard, or paper.
Top:
The quilt before you have put it together with the batting and backing.
Value:
Lightness or darkness, usually relative.
© 1997 Catherine Timmons
If you found this article helpful, please
feel free to print a copy for your personal use. If you would like to
publish it in your quilt guild newsletter or share it elsewhere, please
contact
me for permission.
