Appliqué
Appliqué is the art of sewing
cut-out fabric shapes onto a
backing fabric to create patterns
and pictures. The pieces can be
sewn by hand or on a sewing
machine, or even stuck on with
fabric glue, although sewing can
prevent the edges fraying.Backing fabric
This is a large piece of fabric that
forms the back of a quilt (it can
be one piece or made up from
several). Usually plain, in a colour
that complements the colours on
the patterned top of the quilt, the
backing is best made from 100%
cotton. Look for ‘extra wide’
fabrics when buying a backing,
to save you having to sew two
pieces together.Baste
See ‘tack’.Batting
See ‘wadding’.Betweens
Betweens, or quilting needles, are
slightly shorter than the usual
‘sharps’ that are used for general
sewing and embroidery. They’re
designed to make detailed
stitches on heavy fabric.Bias
The bias runs diagonally to the
weave of a fabric. Material
that’s cut on the bias has a great
deal of stretch and ‘give’ so it’s
ideal for making the binding
edge of a quilt.Bias binding
This is a length of material that’s
been cut on the bias and will
therefore fit more easily around
curved edges. Ready-made bias
binding is available in many
widths and colours, making it
really useful for finishing off a quilt.Binding
The binding runs all the way
around the edge of a quilt,
holding the three parts of the
sandwich together and providing
a neat, strong finish.Block
A block is one of a series of
components that make up a quilt
top. Blocks can be patchworked
or appliquéd, and can be
repeated across the quilt or each
one can be different.Bolt
A long piece of fabric – usually
44in wide, but anything from 25
to 100 yards long – that’s kept
wound around a flat piece of
cardboard. Most haberdashers
display their fabrics as bolts, with
information about the material
displayed on one end of the roll.Border
On a quilt top, the border is the
fabric framework that surrounds
all the other decorative elements
(blocks, sashing and so on). The
border itself is contained by the
binding at the very edge of the
quilt that holds the three layers
the quilt sandwich together.Charm
A charm is a 5x5in pre-cut fabric
square, often sold in a ‘charm
pack’ bundle that includes
examples of every design in a
fabric range.Cornerstone
Cornerstones are decorative
features of a quilt top. They’re the
squares that sit at the corners of
sashing or borders.Crewels
Crewel needles (also known as
embroidery needles) are very
similar to standard ‘sharp’
needles but have an elongatedeye, rather than a round one, to
make it easier to thread multi-
stranded cottons.Dessert roll
Also known as a ‘fat roll’, this is a
bundle of 20 pre-cut fabric strips
that are 5in wide and as long as
the width of the fabric bolt.English paper piecing
A method of hand-made
patchworking in which templates
for every piece are cut out of
paper. Fabric is then sewn
around each paper cutout
before the shapes are joined
together into a larger design. The
paper templates are removed
once the shapes have all been
sewn together.Fat eighth
Half of a ‘fat quarter’, this is a
piece of fabric measuring 9x18in.Fat quarter
A quarter of a yard of fabric
made by cutting half a yard in
half across the length to give a
piece of cloth that measures
18x22in. This means you can cut
larger pieces than you can from
a regular quarter (which
measures 9x44in).Foundation piecing
A way to make patchwork blocks
by sewing pieces of fabric to a
backing of plain fabric or paper.Free-motion quilting
This is a style of machine quilting
in which a darning foot is used
instead of the usual foot so that
the quilting stitches can be
‘drawn’ freehand in any direction
rather than in straight lines.Fusible web
The fabric equivalent of double-
sided sticky tape. Often used for
appliqué work, it melts slightlyGlossaryIF THERE ARE WORDS THAT HAVE YOU BAFFLED,
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18 Beginner’s Guide to Quilting