 | Applique' | Technique in which pieces of fabric are fused and/or sewn to a background fabric to create designs. A tight zig zag stitch or blanket stitch are common methods to finish the edges. They can be sewn by hand or machine. | |
| A-Line | A dress or skirt that is in the shape of the letter "A". Narrow at top and then flares out towards the hem. | |
| Backing | A layer of fabric on the back of a quilt. | |
| Backstitch | A reinforced stitch to help keep the end from unraveling. A few stitches sewn in reverse at the beginning and end of a stitch. A backstitch is also a style of an embroidery stitch | |
| Basting | A method of securing layers of fabrics or to start ruffles. Safety Pins are typically used to secure a quilt top, batting and backing before quilting. Basting adhesives are great for holding an applique in place until sewn on. An even wide stitch, which is also known as a gathering stitch, is used to create a ruffle. | |
| Batting | A layer of cotton generally used between a quilt top and backing. | |
| Betweens | Short needles with a narrow shaft used for hand sewing. | |
| Bias | Diagonal grain of fabric. Bias Binding / Tape is a narrow strip of fabric cut at a 45-degree angle on the fabric's bias grain. | |
| Binding | A folded fabric strip used to cover the raw edges of a quilt or other projects. | |
| Block | The main element of a quilt, usually square and repeated throughout the quilt top. | |
| Blocking | A technique used with knit or crochet garments to maintain the shape of the garment. | |
| Bodice | The top part of a garment that is above the waist. | |
| Borders | Strips of fabrics used to frame the center of a quilt. | |
| Charm Pack | A collection of approximately 40-42 5" squares from a single range of fabric. | |
| Charm Square | A 5" square of fabric. | |
| Color Wheel | Tool defining the characteristics of primary, secondary and tertiary colors. | |
| Continuous-line Quilting | Stitching a quilt design from beginning to end without stopping. | |
| Corner Square | A block added to the end of a border strip on a quilt. | |
| Crewel Needle | A type of handsewing needle also referred to as an embroidery needle. They are medium in length with a long, oval eye for threading embroidery floss and yarn with a sharp point. | |
| Diagonal Set | Quilt top where blocks are set on point in diagonal rows. | |
| Double-fold Binding | Fabric strip folded in half before being sewn to the quilt edge. Also known as French-fold Binding. | |
| Echo Quilting | Following the outline of a motif with multiple stitching lines expanded at regular intervals. | |
| Embroidery Needle | A type of handsewing needle also referred to as a crewel needle. They are medium in length with a long, oval eye for threading embroidery floss and yarn with a sharp point. | |
| Fat Eighth | A 9" x 22" piece of fabric. | |
| Fat Quarter | An 18" x 22" piece of fabric. | |
| Felting | A method of matting together wool fibers. | |
| French-fold Binding | Fabric strip folded in half before being sewn to the quilt edge. Also known as Double-fold Binding. | |
| Fusible Webbing | A double sided adhesive activated by the heat of an iron to fuse two pieces of fabric together. Often used to aid in applique', quilting, and sewing. | |
| Grosgrain | A type of ribbon with ribs that run crosswise down the ribbon. | |
| Half-rectangle | A rectangle cut in half diagonally to create two half-rectangles. | |
| Half-square triangle | A square cut in half diagonally to create two half-square triangles. | |
| Hand Applique' | Sewing fabric motifs onto a fabric background by hand. | |
| Hand Piecing | Stitching seams of blocks and quilt tops by hand. | |
| Hand Quilting | Hand sewing a series of running stitches through layers of fabric and batting. | |
| Hanging Sleeve | A piece of fabric attached to the back of a quilt, so the quilt can be displayed easily on a rod. | |
| Hem | The finished bottom edge of a garment. | |
| Interfacing | A material used between fabrics to add stability and strength to a garment or bag. It can be ironed on or sewn and comes in different weights. | |
| Jelly Roll | 40 2-1/2" wide strips of fabric from a single collection of fabric. | |
| Layer Cake | 42 10" squares of fabric from a single collection of fabric. | |
| Loft | The thickness of batting. | |
| Machine Applique' | Sewing fabric motifs onto a fabric background with a sewing machine. | |
| Machine Quilting | Sewing a series of stitches through layers of fabric and batting with a sewing machine. | |
| Marking Tools | Pens, pencils and chalks used to mark fabric as a sewing guideline. | |
| Meandering | A quilt stitch used to cover a quilt surface; also referred to as stippling. | |
| Mitering | Sewing a 45-degree angle to join borders or binding at corners. | |
| Notion | A supply needed for sewing such as needles, thread, buttons, etc. | |
| Outline Quilting | A series of stitches 1/4" from the seam line that outlines the block motif. | |
| Piecing | Process of sewing fabric pieces together to create a block or quilt top. | |
| Pleat | A fold in fabric made by doubling the material over on itself and then pressing or stitching it into place. | |
| Press | Using an iron in an up and down motion on fabric or seams. | |
| Primary Colors | The three main colors on the color wheel - red, yellow and blue. | |
| Quarter-square Triangles | A square cut diagonally twice to create quarter-square triangles. | |
| Quilt Sandwich | The layers of backing, batting and quilt top. | |
| Quilting Ruler | A clear plastic ruler, designed to be used with a rotary cutter and cutting mat. Gridlines on the rulers help make cutting the fabric easier and more precise. | |
| Rotary Cutter | Tool with a circular blade that can cut through several layers of fabric at once. | |
| Ruffle | A piece of fabric that has been gathered with a basting or gathering stitch to create a ruffle. A ruffle can also be made by using a ruffle foot on a sewing machine | |
| Running Stitch | Series of hand sewing stitches used for piecing. | |
| Sashing | Strips of fabric used to separate blocks in a quilt top. | |
| Satin Stitch | A stitch created with a tight zig-zag stitch on a sewing machine and generally used for applique' projects. | |
| Scale | The size of the pattern on a fabric. | |
| Seam | A line of stitching that joins two fabrics together. | |
| Seam Allowance | The fabric between the raw edge and the seam, usually 1/4" for quilting and 1/2" for clothing, accessories, and window treatments. | |
| Seam Ripper | A tool used to cut and pull threads out of a seam. | |
| Secondary Color | A color that is created by combining two primary colors. | |
| Selvedge | The finished edge of a fabric that identifies the fabric name, designer, and color swatches for each individual fabric. | |
| Setting Triangles | Triangles used to fill in a space when blocks are set on point in a diagonal set quilt top. | |
| Sharps | Needles with a narrow shaft and small eye used for hand piecing and applique'. | |
| Stabilizers | Product used as a foundation when appliqueing shapes to fabric. | |
| Stippling | Refer to Meandering. | |
| Stitching-in-the-ditch | A series of stitches sewn very close to the seams in a block, sashing and borders. | |
| Straight-set | A quilt top with blocks assembled in straight horizontal rows. | |
| Templates | A pattern made from plastic to cut shapes for applique'. | |
| Tertiary color | A primary and secondary color mixed in equal measures. | |
| Topstitching | A decorative or straight stitch used to finish the outside of a garment or other sewing project. Generally, a topstitch is about 1/8" running parallel to the edge or seam. | |
| Whipstitch | A stitch used for finishing an edge or attaching two pieces of fabric. | |
| Zigzag Stitch | A stitch feature on a sewing machine that creates a satin stitch for applique projects and is used to finish off the raw edge on garments. | |
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