Creativity Abounds

Creativity Abounds

Acid-free tissue paper - A tissue paper made without chemicals that would affect the fabric fibers used for the storage of quilts.

Air erasable pen - A type of temporary marking pen which usually disappears after a short time period.

Album quilts - quilts assembled from individual blocks, each executed and/or signed by a different person, usually each quilt is different.

Align - To match raw edges, fabric pattern or other points.

All purpose zig zag foot – A zigzag foot with a small indentation on the bottom.

Amish quilts - Quilts made by members of the Amish or Mennonite Community, characterized by solid dark and bright colors with intricate, beautiful hand quilting designs.

Applique - Small cutouts of fabric placed on a background fabric and stitched on by hand or machine.

 

Assembly Piecing - Piecing identical units of multiple blocks at the same time in order.

 

Background Fabric: The material on which appliqué is sewn.

 

Backing - The back or bottom layer of quilt.

Backstitch - A backward stitch taken to reinforce the beginning and end of each seam.

Bargello - A style of piecework in which fabric is first sewn in horizontal strips, then cut and arranged in vertical steps to produce undulating designs.

 

Baste - To sew with long stitches to hold one or more pieces of fabric together temporarily.

 

Batting - The layer of stuffing in the middle of the quilt. Can be cotton, polyester, or wool. Known as "wadding" in Great Britain.

Bearding - When the synthetic batting fibers work their way through the top or bottom fabric layers of the quilt, creating a fuzz.

 

Betweens - Small, thin needles used for finish quilting.

 

Bias - At a 45 degree angle to the selvage.

Binding - A long strip of fabric that finishes the raw edge of a quilt.

 

Blindstitch -

Block - A square or other regularly repeated shape section of a larger item which is pieced with others to make it a whole.

 

Block-to-Block Set - A block arrangement without lattice or frames between blocks.

 

Border - A frame or edge made of strips of fabric surrounding the quilt blocks or quilt.

 

Broderie perse - "Persian embroidery" --an applique cut from chintz, a printed fabric picture.

Butt - To position the edges or folds so they touch.

 

Calico - A 100 percent cotton fabric with a small repeated print. Usually a floral design.

Canned Air - Pressurized can of air used to clean mechanical parts.

Casing - Hem or tuck through which something is threaded.

Chain sewing - To feed block pieces into the sewing machine one right after the other, without snipping threads in between each seam.

 

Challenge - A competition to create a block or quilt using a specified fabric, pattern, or technique.

 

Charm square - A small, unique patch of fabric. Often traded, allowing the traders to develop a collection with a wide variety of prints. Used to make a "charm quilt" where the scrap-pieced top has no two pieces alike.

 

Cheater's cloth - Fabric printed with an all-over quilt block design.

 

Clamshell - Quilting in the shape of interlocking circle tops.

 

Clapper - Wooden tool used in pressing.

Clipping - Cutting to the seam allowance so the fabric lays flat.

Coil – Narrow coil that secures a zipper. Also called zipper teeth.

Cording - Narrow, corded piping inserted into a seam.

Cornerstones - Pieces marking the corners of a block or quilt frame

Couching - Sewing a decorative cord, thread, or yarn to the fabric by zigzagging over the cord with machine or by overcasting by hand.

Crazy Quilts - Quilts made with random sizes and shapes of fabric, and finished with intricate embroidery to decorate the surface.

Crimping - Technique for easing fabric into the seam line.

Crossgrain - The threads that run from selvage to selvage, the weft.

 

Cutter - A quilt that is so damaged in some areas that it is to be sold for the purpose of cutting it up for use pillows, dolls, or other craft items.

 

Darning Foot - A machine foot that is used for free motion quilting.

 

Dart - Stitched fold, tapering at one end, used to shape flat fabric.

Directional print - Fabric with a printed pattern that has a definite "up" and "down", grain or motif.

Dominant color - The main color of a quilt.

 

Ease - To make two pieces of different sizes fit together in the same seam.

 

Echo quilting - Quilting that follows the outlines of the block pattern and are then repeated radiating out.

Edgestitch - Topstitching very close to the edge or seam line.

 

English Paper Piecing - To use paper templates with the fabric basted onto the paper shape in order to retain accurate piecing. The fabric is folded over the edge of the paper shape, basted into place, and the edges of adjoining pieces whip stitched together by hand

 

Envelope Finish – Method of finishing where the top and back are layered with right sides together with the batting underneath, the item is them stitched leaving an opening on one side, and the item is turned right side out through the opening and hand stitch closed.  Also called  Pillowcase Finish.

 

Eye - The opening in the tip of the needle for the thread.

Eyelet - A small round opening in fabric or a small metal ring forming an opening.

 

Facing - Piece of self-fabric or lining folded to the underside.

Fat Eighth - A fat quarter split to 18" x 11".

Fat Quarter - A 1/4 of a square yard of fabric cut 18" x 22".

Feathers – Quilting in the shape of hearts forming on both sides of a main stem.

Feed Dogs - Pointed bars located under the presser foot that move the fabric.

Filler Pattern - The quilting design for blank areas of the quilt.

 

Finger Press - Make seam allowances lie flat by pinching or pressing with your fingers.

 

Finished Size - The measurement or dimensions of a completed block or quilt without seam allowances.

Flat finish – Sewing finishes, such as overcast, zigzag, serge, raw edge, and seam tape which are flat.

Flounce - Circular shaped ruffle.

Fly placket - Any finished opening which conceals fasteners - zipper, hooks and eyes, buttons, etc.

Flying Geese - A quilt block made from triangles pointing to another.

Foundation piecing - Assembling a block by sewing pieces to a foundation of muslin or plain fabric.

 

Free Motion Quilting - A machine quilting process of quilting curved and intricate designs without a template or pattern.

 

Friendship quilt - A quilt made by friends (who make friendship blocks) as a gift or remembrance to someone.

 

Fusible Web - A web like material which bonds when you apply heat and moisture.

 

Fussy Cut – Choosing to center a specific design within a shape

 

Gather - To pull excess fabric into a seam line, usually by sewing log stitches and pulling the material along the thread or threads.

Glover's needle - Needle with a wedge point used for sewing heavier materials, such as fur and leather.

Grading – Reducing the bulk of seams by trimming the each seam allowances at a different width.

Grain - The direction threads are woven in a fabric.

Griege - woven textiles as they come from the loom, before they are dyed or printed and sold as finished goods. Also spelled greige and called "gray goods".

Grommets - Large metal eyelets.

 

Groove - The hollowed out area on the front of the needle just above the opening for the thread.

 

Hanging Sleeve - Fabric attached to the back of a quilt for hanging and displaying it.

 

Hawaiian Quilts - Quilts made by folded and cut a large overall design of leaves or flowers in a piece of fabric and then appliquéing it onto a background fabric.

Hue - The graduation of color.

 

Insul Bright – Heat resistant batting used in hot pads, iron cozys, casserole cozys, and other items expected to be exposed to a lot of heat.

Interfacing - Fabric placed between two layers of fabric to add body, strength or shape.

Interlining - Fabric layer applied to the wrong side for warmth.

 

Invisible Stitch – Stitch that is done so that it does not show on the fabric used for applique and binding.

 

Invisible Thread – Fine, clear nylon thread used for machine appliqué.

 

Join - To stitch together.

 

Kit – A set of fabrics specifically put together to assemble a particular item

 

Kitting - to be creating the set of fabrics for making a particular item.

 

Lap Quilt - A small quilt usually under 60 inches square.

 

Lap quilting - A method of hand quilting one block at a time in a small frame and then assembling the finished quilt from those pre-quilted squares.

 

Lattice - Fabric that separates and frames each block in a quilt. Also be called sashing.

 

Loft - The thickness and resilience of a quilt batting.

 

Log Cabin - A block that has a series of rectangular strips that are placed around a central square.

 

Lone Star - A quilt pattern composed of many small fabric diamonds assembled into eight larger diamonds that form a star.

 

Long Arm Quilting Machine - A professional quilting machine with a long bed.

 

Medallion Quilt - A quilt assembled around one large central block or patterned area, with one or more borders around it.

Memory quilt - A quilt pieced from scraps of a loved one's clothing.

 

Miniature Quilt - A small scale reproduction of a full-size quilt.

Miter - To join two edges at an angle, usually 45 degrees, creating a diagonal seam.

Mm - Millimeters.

Muslin - An plain, undyed woven cotton fabric.

 

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