QUILTING GLOSSARY
A handy guide to some of the most common quilting terms!
Backing: The bottom layer of your quilt. This can
be one piece of fabric or pieced simply.Basting: Temporarily holding all three layers of
your quilt (top, wadding and backing) in place ahead
of quilting. This can be done with long hand or
machine stitches or sometimes by spray-basting
with a temporary fabric adhesive.Bias binding: Strips of fabric cut on the bias and
used to bind the edges of your quilt.Binding: Used to encase the raw edges of your
quilt and provide a neat finish.Blocks: The term used to describe
a section of pieced fabric used to
assemble your quilt top.Cornerstones: A small block that joins the
sashing strips together to surround a block or
blocks in a quilt top.Echo quilting: Quilting is done around an
outline of an appliqué piece, design or pattern and
then echoed repeatedly around this stitched line.
This is sometimes known as shadow quilting.English paper piecing:A hand-piecing
technique that involves using small paper templates
to achieve precise shapes which are hand-sewn
together before the paper pieces are removed.Foundation paper piecing:A method
used for joining together small pieces of fabric to
form a more complicated pattern or design using
foundation paper, which is machine-sewn onto and
then removed.Free-motion quilting: A process requiring a
free-motion foot. This technique requires you to
drop your feed dogs so you can move fabric freely
in all directions as you quilt.Half square triangles:A triangle that
is created when you cut a square from
one corner to the opposite corner,
yielding two HSTs.Mitred corner:A border that is cut and sewn
at a 45° angle, giving the appearance of a frame and
providing a neat quilt edge that will not stretch.Piecing: The process of sewing
together pieces of fabric to form
your quilt top, typically using blocks.Pressing: Lightly set your iron onto an open seam,
lift and set again, repeating until seams are pressed
open. Do not move the iron or use steam as this can
distort the seam and stretch your fabric.Quilt as you go: This method involves layering
each section before beginning sewing and building
the layers of the whole quilt gradually until complete.Quilt sandwich:Three layers – the quilt
top, wadding in the middle and backing – ready
to be quilted.Quilt top: Fabric that has been pieced together
in your chosen design, typically using blocks.Quilting:The process of sewing through your quilt
top, wadding and backing to create one layer, adding
texture, structure and an added design element.Sashing: The strips of fabric sewn around or
between blocks on your quilt top. These are typically
joined with sashing squares or cornerstone blocks.Seam allowance: The standard
seam allowance for quilting is ¼ .Stitch in the ditch: This involves stitching
along existing seams in a patchwork piece or quilt
top in order to quilt it together.Top-stitch: Neatly stitching on the exterior side
of a project to finish the seams or folds to keep them
in place. This is sometimes known as edge stitching
when it is done near a fold of fabric.Wadding:The middle of your quilt, made from
cotton, polyester or wool. Used to add structure,
warmth and insulation. (Known as batting in the US).drop your feed dogs so you can move fabric freelyA triangle that
is created when you cut a square fromyour quilt top, typically using blocks.Quilt as you go:
each section before beginning sewing and buildingQuilt as you go:
each section before beginning sewing and buildingQuilt as you go:
the layers of the whole quilt gradually until complete.assemble your quilt top.Backing:
QUILTING GLOSSARYQUILTING GLOSSARY
¼ seamQUILTING GLOSSARY