A Acrylic Ruler: Thick ruler made of acrylic and used with a cutting mat and rotary cutter to cut even strips and squares of fabric in multiple layers. See Rotary Ruler. Album Quilt: A quilt of many different blocks, often given as a memory or friendship quilt. Family or friends sign blocks with either ink or embroidery. Also known as a Signature Quilt. (See Baltimore Album Quilt) Amish Quilt: Quilts made by or in the style of the Amish quilters of Pennsylvania or the Midwest. The fabrics are unprinted, often in deep rich jewel tones, and accented with black and deep navy. Appliqué: Small pieces of cut fabric affixed to another fabric. Usual methods of affixing include fusible webbing or sewing by hand or machine. Usual stitches include buttonhole, satin stitch, and blind stitch. Assembly Piecing: Sewing blocks or sections of blocks in an assembly-line fashion, completing the same step for each unit in sequence; efficient way to sew many identical blocks. If the pieces are run through the machine and cut apart later, called "Chain Piecing". Autograph Quilt: A quilt with signatures from friends/community, often for an important life event. Also called Memory Quilt, Signature Quilt, or Album Quilt. B Background: The lighter or receding colored fabrics in patchwork or the base fabric onto which appliqué pieces are sewn. Backing: The back or bottom layer of a quilt; traditionally plain, not pieced blocks. Backings may be one large piece, or several pieces sewn together. Baltimore Album Quilts: Intricate form of appliqué which was very popular in the 1800s in Baltimore, Maryland. The background of the traditional Baltimore is usually white with floral and garden imagery, often in reds and greens. Bargello: A style of quilt piecing in which strips of fabric are first sewn in horizontal sets, then cut and arranged in vertical steps to produce a wavy or undulating design. Bark Cloth: A textured woven, usually printed, cotton fabric, popular in the 1930s-50s as an interiors fabric. The prints were often large vines, leaves, and florals. Basting: Process of temporarily holding quilt top, batting, and backing together for quilting. Basting methods include thread basting with a long running stitch, pin basting, fusible/spray basting, or tacking tool. Basting Spray: Aerosol spray adhesive used to temporarily hold the quilt top, batting, and backing while machine or hand quilting. Also used to hold pieces of appliqué onto background fabric. Batik: A method in which fabric is treated with a resist (usually wax) and then dyed to create interesting patterns. The resist keeps the dye from penetrating to that portion of the fabric. Interesting effects are created when the fabric is overdyed many times. Batting: The middle layer of the quilt sandwich. Batting is usually cotton, polyester, or wool. Batting can vary in loft or thickness. Bearding: Migration of batting fibers through the top or bottom of the quilt from the holes produced by the quilting process. The result is a slight fuzzy appearance on the quilt. More commonly occurs with polyester batting. Beeswax: Honeycomb material that has been melted into a block. Used by quilters/sewers to strengthen thread and reduce tangling and fraying. Betweens: Small, thin needles with small eyes, used in hand quilting. Normal sizes range from 8-12, with the higher number being the finer needle. Bias: Diagonally across the grain of a woven fabric; runs at a 45-degree angle to the selvage. Bias has the most stretch and requires the most care in handling. Bias Binding: Binding made from fabric that was cut on the bias; necessary when binding curved edges. Due to its pliability, bias binding can be turned and angled more smoothly. Binding: A strip of fabric used to cover the raw edges of the quilt sandwich; the finishing step. Can be straight-grain or bias binding. Blanket Stitch: An L-shaped hand or machine stitch used for stitching the edges of appliqué to the background fabric. Block: The basic unit of a quilt top. A block might be a pieced block or a solid piece of fabric; can be square, rectangular, or appliquéd pieces. Blocking: Bringing a quilt block back to square; involves pinning the square to a gridded surface and using a steam iron to coax the block back into square. Also referred to as "squaring-up," using a square acrylic ruler to trim excess fabric from block, thus making it square. Border: The outer edge of a quilt top; used to frame the pieced quilt top. Borders can be straight sections of fabric or strips pieced together. Broadcloth: A cotton fabric with thicker warp and weft strands. It is a plain weave with a slight weft ribbed effect. Usually found in solid colors. Poplin is a heavier version of this same weave. BJS: Initials for Bubble Jet Set. Bluework: See "Redwork." Border: A long strip of fabric or pieced strips of fabric added to the finished blocks to frame them and begin to bring the colors in the quilt together. Boutis of Marseilles Quilt: Historic type of white quilt with a variety of trapunto quilting. In the 1660s-1700s, professional needleworkers in Marseilles, France, made bedcovers stitched in white on a white background, which were hand quilted with a boutis needle, thus gaining its name as a type of quilt. Broderie Perse: French term which translates as "Persian Embroidery." Appliqué method with larger images cut from printed fabric and appliquéd onto a new background fabric. Popular method for making fabric go further. Bubble Jet Set: Liquid product in which plain fabric is soaked and hung to dry. The dry piece is ironed to a piece of freezer paper and then printed with an ink jet or bubble jet printer. The color is fast. C Calico: A traditional 100% cotton plain-weave fabric with a small repeated pattern, usually flowers or leaves. This is the typical fabric to use for themed quilts. Chain Piecing: A machine-piecing method of sewing small units in one continuous line, assembly-line fashion. The pieces are then snipped apart and pressed. See Assembly Piecing. Charm Quilt: A quilt made of many small patches, usually 2" or less with each of a different fabric. Often involves swaps and trades with others to gather many fabrics. Cheater's Panel/Cloth: A piece of fabric preprinted with quilt block design, made to look like a pieced or appliquéd quilt top. It is sandwiched and quilted as a pieced top. Clamshell: A filling quilting pattern with overlapping circular shapes, reminiscent of fish scales. The design can be traced using a cup or glass. Conversation Prints: See novelty prints. Crazy Block or Patch: Block made with irregular and/or scrap pieces. The block is made with no pre-determined pattern or design. Blocks grouped together form a crazy quilt. Crazy quilts were popular in Victorian times and often made with silks and velvets and embellished with embroidery. Crazy Quilt: Quilt made randomly from crazy blocks or patches. They are often heavily embellished. See Crazy Block. Cross-Hatching: A filling pattern made of equidistant, parallel, straight quilting lines that run in opposite directions, forming either a grid of squares or diamonds. Curved Piecing: The process of sewing a convex edge to a concave edge of fabric. Popular example is the Drunkard's Path block. Cutting Mat: A special mat with a thick durable surface, lined with measurements (gridded), and used in conjunction with an acrylic ruler and rotary cutter to cut multiple layers of fabric in strips and squares. See Rotary Cutter. D Darning Foot: A sewing machine foot that can be used for free-motion quilting. The fabric can be moved freely under the needle. Direct Printing: Various methods of printing directly onto fabric with a computer printer, either laser-jet or ink-jet. The fabric is usually ironed onto a piece of freezer paper so it runs through the printer easier. Directional Print: Printed fabric that have an obvious directional (horizontal/vertical) print and distinct top-side. Double-Fold French Binding: See French-Fold Binding. Dual-Feed Foot: See Walking Foot. E Ease: The process of fitting two irregularly sized pieces together while sewing. Common term in sewing curved pieces. Echo Quilting: Lines of parallel quilting stitches about 1/4" from each other that encircle existing blocks or shapes. The result resembles the "echo" pattern when a stone is dropped into water. English Paper Piecing: A method of hand piecing with paper templates used inside the block elements to guide where the edges are turned under. Baby Blocks, Grandmother's Flower Garden, and other non-square shapes are often pieced this way. EQ or EQ4: Electric Quilt--a computer program for designing quilts. Even-Feed Foot: See Walking Foot. F Fat Eighth (FE): 1/4 yard of fabric cut in half at the middle fold, creating a rectangle of approximately 9" X 22." There are 8 fat eighths in a yard. Fat Quarter (FQ): 1/2 yard of fabric cut in half at the middle fold, creating a rectangle about 18" x 22." There are 4 fat quarters in one yard. This is a more workable size than the standard quarter-yard cut of 9" x 44". Feed Dogs: Mechanical teeth under the needle of a sewing machine which move back and forth and pull the fabric through the machine. Feed Sacks: In the early 1900s, printed bags used to hold flour, cornmeal, feed, etc. When empty, the sacks provided a free source of fabric and were used in clothing and quilts. They are desired by quilters today, and reproductions are being produced to fill the retro demand. Filler Quilting/Filler Pattern: The method of filling in large open spaces on a quilt top, either by machine or hand quilting, which covers the entire background of the quilt. Common use for cross-hatch pattern. Finger Pressing: A method of pressing a seam allowance open using a fingertip or a hera. It is also used to form temporary guidelines for appliqué turned edges. Running a fingernail along the fold or seam makes it lie flat. Finished Size: The final sewn measurement or dimension of a completed block without seam allowances. Thus, a 5" sewn block is cut 5 1/2" to allow for the 1/4" seam allowances. Four-Patch Block: Block with two, four, or multiples of four units per row. Foundation Piecing: Assembly of a block by sewing pieces to a foundation of muslin or plain fabric; used also for adding strength and stability to delicate or stretchy fabrics. Free-Motion Quilting or Embroidery: Method of quilting or embroidering with the feed dogs of the sewing machine lowered or covered, and the quilter thus controls the movement of the fabric under the needle. Freeform designs are done this way. Free-Style Filler: Filler pattern that does not follow a specific grid or pattern. (See Filler Pattern.) Friendship Quilt: A quilt made by a group of friends for one person, with each participant making and signing a block or more for the quilt top. Also called Signature Quilt. French-Fold Binding: Binding cut of one wide strip, folded in half with wrong sides together. The raw edges of the strip are aligned and sewn to the raw edges of the quilt top. The folded edge is then rolled to the back and either machine or hand stitched down. Fabric strip may be cut on the bias for curves or on the cross-grain or long-grain for straight edges. (Also referred to as Double-Fold French Binding.) Fusibles: Various webs or interfacings which can be ironed onto a fabric for easier appliqué or to support the fabric. An example is "Wonder Under." Fussy Cut: Method of cutting out specific areas of a fabric to focus on an object or an element displayed in the fabric. Often used to isolate animals, flowers, etc. from a conversation print or novelty fabric. G Glazed Finish: A thin resin finish applied to a batting, or another type which can be put on fabric. In batting, it helps to prevent bearding and shifting of the fibers in the finished quilt. Sometimes called a bonded finish. Grain: The lengthwise and crosswise threads (warp and weft directions) of a woven fabric. Greige Goods: Fabric directly from the loom with no further processing, bleaching, or finish applied. Pronounced "gray" goods. From the root French "grege" (raw silk) and the Italian "greggio" (grey); also spelled "griege." H Half-Square Triangle: Square constructed of two different triangles of fabric. Quick method of construction is to put two fabric squares with right sides together, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the lighter fabric, and stitch a seam 1/4" on each side of the diagonal line. The blocks are then cut apart on the diagonal line, resulting in 2 half-square triangle blocks. Hand: The feel of the fabric. Premium cottons have a soft-silky "hand." Hand Dyed: Fabric that has been dyed by hand, not commercially, with a process that creates soft, subtle gradations for a mottled look. Hand-Quilting Stitch: A small, even, running stitch pushed through all 3 layers of the quilt to hold them together and arranged to form a quilting pattern. Hanging Sleeve: Tube or sleeve sewn to the back of a quilt to allow it to be hung; usually 3-4" wide. Hera (Japanese term): Small tool of plastic or wood used for finger-pressing seams or marking temporary lines for hand quilting. Homespun: Fabric which looks handwoven, with a looser weave and larger-diameter threads than commercial cotton quilting fabrics. Hoop: A large pair of wooden or plastic rings sized so that one fits snugly inside the other, sometimes used instead of a frame to keep the layers of a quilt taut and even during the quilting process. I Ikat (pronounced Ee-cot): A fabric, usually handwoven, which has been tie-dyed in the yarns prior to weaving. The pattern can range from simple little dots to intricate double ikats. Improvisational Quilts: Free-form art quilts, usually made with freehand cutting, either by rotary cutter or scissors, but without templates or ruler. In-the-Ditch: A style of quilting stitch which lies almost in the seams of a block or at the very edge of an appliqué area; commonly used in machine quilting. Inset Seam: See Set-In Seam. Invisible Stitch: A hand stitch used for appliqué and binding; also used in sewing for skirt hems. The needle slides 1/8" to 1/4" through the folded edge of fabric, then grabs 2-3 threads of the base fabric before coming back up a few threads forward. Invisible Thread: A very fine nylon filament used for applying appliqué pieces or quilting; resembles tiny strands of fishing twine. Also known as "transparent thread." K Kente Cloth: A traditional fabric assembled from 4" wide handwoven strips from Africa,usually a ceremonial cloth. Many printed versions of Kente on cotton now exist and are popular with quilters. Kuba Cloth: A traditional raffia fabric from Zaire woven by men, embellished with a pile and stitched designs by women. The designs have a quilt-like quality and are used as inspiration for quilt designs. L Label: A historically important piece of fabric attached to the back of a quilt to document its origin. Label should indicate the quilt maker, recipient, quilt name, date completed and may include care instructions. May be as simple as signing in permanent ink or may be more elaborate with embroidery, cross-stitch, or crayon embellishment. Lattice Strips: See Sashing. Lap Quilting or Quilt as You Go: Method of completing all three layers by quilting one block or section at a time and then joining the pre-quilted squares into the finished quilt. Squares are able to be quilted in small lap frames or held in the hands, rather than using a large quilting frame. Loft: Term for the thickness, height, and resilience of quilt batting. High-loft batting is thicker and fluffier, usually polyester, and widely used for tied quilts. Low-loft batting is thinner and shows off the quilting stitches. Log Cabin: A very versatile, traditional quilt pattern in which narrow fabric strips (or logs) surround a center square to form a block. These are pieced from strips or sewn onto a foundation of paper or fabric. The blocks have many variations, including the pineapple block. Long-Arm Quilting: Quilting using a long-bed (about 12 feet) commercial quilting machine to do overall quilting. M Machine Quilting: Quilting method using a sewing machine and walking foot, or a long-arm machine. Matching Points: Method of piecing to make sure that the corners of blocks or the points of stars match perfectly and are not cut off by the seam. Meandering Quilting: See Stippling. Medallion Quilt: Quilt with a central motif surrounded by multiple borders. The center is often a large square on point. Memory Quilt: Quilt which evokes memories. Sometimes made from a loved one's clothes after death as a memorial, or as a gift to a young adult as a going-away quilt containing fabrics from their childhood garments, with photos sometimes included. Mercerized Cotton: Treatment of cotton thread which immerses the yarn in a solution of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) for short periods of time while held under tension. The thread is then stronger, more lustrous, and takes the dye better. This process was discovered in 1844 by John Mercer, an English calico printer, hence the name "mercerize." Miniature or Mini-Quilts: A quilt made in miniature of a full-sized quilt pattern. Paper foundation piecing is often used to make the very small minis. Mitered Corners: Joining a border or corners at a 45-degree angle. Also spelled mitred. Motif: The design element, image, or drawing used for a quilt block or appliqué. An example would be a "heart" motif. Motif also refers to the quilting method or design used. Muslin: An undyed woven fabric often used for quilt backings, background fabric for appliqué, or foundation fabric for crazy quilting. Available in different thread counts and as bleached or unbleached. Mystery Quilt: Quilt pattern written in steps and revealed one part at a time to conceal the final appearance of the finished quilt. N Needle: 1) Small cylindrical piece of metal with an eye (hole) in one end, through which thread is inserted for sewing/quilting. 2) Term that reflects the ease with which the needle glides through fabric or the quilt sandwich; i.e., this fabric "needles" well. Needle-Punched Batting: A manufacturing process used to make some types of quilt batting of cotton or wool. Thousands of barbed needles are punched through the carded fibers to lock them into position to prevent bearding and shifting of the batting in the finished quilt. This type of batting allows quilting stitches to be placed farther apart than untreated batting. Needle-Turn:: Method of appliqué in which the needle tip is used to turn under the seam allowance of the piece as it is stitched to the background fabric. Nine-Patch Block: A family of square block designs which has 3 x 3 units, resembling a tic-tac-toe board. Hundreds of quilt blocks are based on the Nine Patch design. Novelty Print: Fabric with small themed designs; popular for making quilts with a focus, such as sea life, vegetables, toys, etc. Also called "conversation" prints and "craft" prints. O On-Point Setting: An arrangement of blocks with each turned at a 45° angle to the edges of the quilt, forming a diamond shape instead of a square. Opportunity Quilt: Term used by Quilt Guilds and other groups to describe a quilt which is raffled off at a show or event. Outline Quilting: Quilting lines around a block or appliqué piece, usually a single stitching line. Multiple parallel rows of outline quilting are called echo quilting. P Paper Foundation Piecing: Popular method of piecing using paper as a foundation with pattern drawn or printed on it, and fabric sewn onto paper for highly accurate details. Great for complicated designs or miniature blocks. Paper Piecing: See English Paper Piecing. Patch: An individual fabric shape joined with other patches to make a quilt block or sometimes a one-patch style quilt; also known as a piece. These can be cut from templates, rotary cut, or free-hand cut. Patchwork: The basic method of making a quilt by sewing many small pieces of fabric together. In some countries, also known as "piecework". Penny Squares: Small simple designs marked on muslin and used as quilt block patterns for embroidery. Popular in the late 1800s and after and cost one penny each. Look was similar to the redwork patterns popular later. PFD: Initials for "Prepared for Dyeing"; fabric with no surface finish and no treatment on it which allows the dyes to penetrate well. See Griege Goods. PFP: Initials for Paper Foundation Piecing. Pieced Block: A quilt block that is made up of individual pieces of cut fabric that are sewn together in a particular pattern, either by hand or by machine. Pieced Border: Long strip of fabric of pieced or patch units to be sewn to the center section of the quilt. Quilts may have several borders, either solid fabric or pieced. Piecing/Pieced Quilt: The most commonly seen quilt type and is made of many small pieces of fabric sewn together by hand or machine. Called Patchwork in countries other than the USA. Pillow Tuck: Extra length added to a quilt to allow pillows to be tucked under the quilt, as in a bedspread. Standard pillow tuck allowance is 8-11". Pima Cotton: A type of cotton plant developed in the Southwestern USA and is a cross between Egyptian and Uplands cotton, which is longer in fiber length and more lustrous than most American cottons. It is used for some of the popular quilting fabrics, which have a silk-like hand (feel). Pin Basting: The process of using safety pins to hold the layers of the quilt sandwich together temporarily while quilting. Pins are normally spaced about 3-5" apart. Prairie Points: A simple folded fabric triangle made in multiples and attached as a decorative finishing edge on quilts and garments. Pressing: Use of an iron to press seams and blocks; this is simply pressing downward with the iron and not moving the iron back and forth, which can distort the block or seam. Pre-Washing: Washing fabric before using it in a quilt top, to prevent colors from bleeding and to pre-shrink the fabric. Q Quick Cutting: Cutting with scissors and not tracing templates. Quick Triangles: A variety of faster shortcut methods for making half- and quarter-square triangles in which squares are sewn and then cut into finished units with no bias edges to sew. Quillow/Qwillow: A specially designed quilt which attached pillow, which then serves as a carrying bag. Popular gift for children and teens. Quilt As You Go: See Lap Quilting. Quilt Sandwich: The quilt top, batting, and backing; prepared for quilt stitching. Quilt Top: The top layer of the quilt "sandwich" after all squares have been pieced and borders added. Quilting Foot: Special quilting foot for sewing machine; or a generic one can be purchased called "Little Foot". Quilting feet measure exactly 1/4" from needle point to inner edge of the foot to create an accurate 1/4" seam. Quilting Frame: A large free-standing floor device made from wood or plastic pipe that holds the layers of a quilt together during hand quilting. Quilting Guild: Organization of quilters in an area which may provide opportunities to share projects, ideas, instructions, and community service. Quilting Hoop: Small circular or oval apparatus that is used to hold the layers of a quilt together during quilting. R Raw Edge: The unsewn (cut) edge of a piece of fabric or a quilt block. Repeat: The distance between a repeated pattern or motif in a piece of fabric. Redwork: Simple embroidery designs worked in running stitch in either turkey red color or in blue (then called Bluework) and used for quilt blocks; popular in the 1920s-30s and experiencing a revival. See Penny Squares. Resist Dyeing: A substance or process that stops the dye from penetrating the fabric or yarns with the use of paste- and wax-based chemicals. Shape resist includes twisting, folding, and tying to prevent dye penetration to certain portions of the cloth. Familiar examples of resist-dyeing include the popular batiks and tie-dyeing. Reverse Appliqué: Designs made by sewing a patch to the underside of a Block and then cutting away and turning under the edge of the top fabric. Rotary Cutter, Ruler, and Mat: A fabric-cutting system. Rotary cutter is a tool with a circular razor-sharp blade that cuts through several layers of fabric at once and resembles a pizza cutter. It is used with a clear plastic ruler as a quilting guide. A cutting mat is essential to protect the work surface and to preserve the sharpness of the rotary blade. Round Robin Swap: A popular swap among a group of friends either online or not. A small piece of a quilt is started by each, then sent to the next quilter who adds to it, then it moves to the next and so on. When the Swap is complete, each quilter has back the original piece with the additions of everyone else in the group. Row Swap: A type of round robin swap, but each addition is a row of the quilt rather than blocks or other free-form additions. Ruching: A fabric piece is tucked and gathered before being appliquéd onto a background fabric. Running Stitch: A basic hand-needlework technique with the needle moving up and down evenly through the fabric; used in hand piecing. In hand quilting, several stitches are accumulated on the needle before pulling it through the cloth. S Sampler Quilt: A quilt constructed of a collection of Blocks in different patterns and techniques, usually with no pattern repeated. Blocks may be uniform or of varying sizes. Sandwich: Common name for the quilt top, batting, and backing combined. (See Quilt Sandwich.) Sashing: Strips of fabric that separate the blocks, forming a frame. Also called lattice. Satin Stitch: Very short, tightly packed, zigzag stitches, often used around appliqué pieces. Scherenschnitte: German paper-cutting technique that makes a lacy design and may inspire appliqué artists. The images were also used as an influence in Baltimore quilts. Scrap Quilt: A quilt, usually patchwork, made of many different fabrics, often left over from other projects or gathered from fabric stash. Seam Allowance: The width of fabric between the stitched seam line and the raw edge of the joined pieces. The standard seam allowance in quilting is 1/4". Secret Tacking: Quilting technique with needle and thread traveling through the filler between stitches. Secret tacking forms stitches that are farther apart than those produced by a running stitch, but closer together and less visible than the knots produced by tacking. Selvage: The finished outer edge on both sides of a woven fabric, more tightly woven and denser than the fabric itself. Selvage is basically unusable due to its shrinkage rate and is trimmed off before measuring and sewing pieces. Seminole Patchwork: Method of cutting joined strips of fabric into sections and re-piecing them with either plain contrasting fabric strips in between, or in staggered rows similar to a checkerboard. Adapted from the bright patchwork of the Seminole Indians in Florida, often used in borders and quilted clothing. Set-In Seam:> Angled pieces sewn together by matching points, leaving 1/4" unsewn for the next piece to be set in. Also referred to as an "in-set seam." Example: Attic Window block. Setting: The arrangement of completed blocks forming the Quilt Top. Blocks can be set side by side, or on point like diamonds, and with or without sashing. Arrangements can also vary with certain asymmetrical block patterns. Setting Square: A plain fabric square used with pieced or appliquéd blocks in a quilt top. Setting Triangle: The triangle blocks needed around the edge of a quilt if the blocks are set on point and the rows are thus diagonally arranged. Shadow Appliqué: Applique done using a see-through fabric such as silk organza or polyester netting to shade or shadow the images. The transparency of the fabric gives a different color look to the areas covered. Sharps: Style of needle that is short and thin with a very sharp tip. Used primarily for piecing. Sheeting: Term for a finely woven quality cotton muslin; 200+ thread count and used for bed linens. Shibori: Tie-dye technique from Japan used to make elaborately patterned fabrics; involves wrapping and tying the fabric around a tube or pole and then dyeing. This creates original, one-of-a-kind pieces of fabric art. Shirred Border: A gathered border, usually inserted between two inner borders, creating a more 3-dimensional textured appearance. Signature Quilt: A quilt with many signatures collected and signed on individual blocks. Sometimes also called Friendship Quilts. Slip Stitch: A style of stitching in which small, evenly spaced stitches, are taken between the piece and the background; commonly used in appliqué and in hand-sewing the back of the binding to the back side of the quilt. Slub: A term for a fabric texture caused by small bumps or nubs in the yarns, which are formed during spinning and add to the texture of the woven fabric. Square-Up: Trimming of quilt tops or blocks so that each corner forms a 90° angle, and all blocks are of equal measurements. Stack and Whack: A popular technique formulated by Bethany Reynolds for cutting out specific repeat sections from a large, overall print fabric and sewing them into kaleidoscope-like designs. Stash: Common name for a quilter's treasured fabric collection. Quilters love "stash-building." Stay Stitching: Stitching done 1/8" inside of a seam allowance to stabilize a stretchy edge. In quilting, the bias edge of a triangle might be stay-stitched. Stencils: Shapes cut from or out of a template and used to mark the quilt top with designs for quilting. Stippling: Closely stitched, meandering, background quilting done by hand or by machine, without any of the lines crossing over each other. A style of quilting that is done with the feed dogs down or covered, and the quilt sandwich guided through the machine with hands, in lose motions, closely together, but without any lines crossing over each other. Stitch-In-the-Ditch: A method of quilting with the stitch placed in or close to the seam of two joined pieces. (See "In the Ditch.") Straight Stitch Foot: The standard presser foot on most sewing machines. String Piecing: Process of randomly joining similarly sized pieces of fabric or scraps on a foundation to form a larger piece of fabric. Strip: Piece of fabric cut across the width of the fabric; then cut into desired length. Strip Piecing: Quick block-making technique of joining long fabric strips and subsequently cutting the strip sets into individual blocks or squares. Sunbonnet Sue: Old-fashioned, still popular, appliqué design which originated in the 1920s-30s of a little girl with a big sunbonnet hiding her face; still made in traditional and modern looks. Swaps: Exchange of fabric or blocks among a group of quilters with some set guidelines regarding color, theme, etc. See Round Robin Swap. T Tacker or Tacking Gun: A basting alternative to pins or thread. A tool similar to the tacking tool for hanging price tags on garments with a short plastic piece. See Basting Tacking: Another term for tying a quilt. Templates: Pattern made from cardboard or plastic to make multiple units of a pattern for quilt blocks or appliqué. Templates are also used to transfer quilting lines to a quilt top. Thimble: A small metal cap that fits over the finger to protect it from injury and to facilitate pushing the needle through the quilt sandwich during hand quilting. Thread Basting: The process of holding the quilt sandwich together while quilting with long, running, hand-sewn stitches. Stitches usually start in center and work out toward the edges to maintain even distribution of the layers. The stitches are removed after quilting is complete. See "Basting." Thread Count: The number of threads per inch in the warp by the number of threads per inch in the weft. For example, a 200 thread count fabric means that the fabric has 100 threads in the warp and 100 threads in the weft per inch. Tone-on-Tone/Tonal Fabrics: Fabrics with the background in one shade and the printed image in a lighter or darker tint, but in the same color family; i.e., light green background with large dark green leaves. Transfer Printing: Uses a special paper with a coating to transfer a design printed by an ink jet printer or color copier to fabric. The design is applied with a hot iron or a heat press. Trapunto: A raised design on a quilt with closely sewn lines of stitching then stuffed with batting with special tools and by special techniques to sculpt the surface. Whole cloth quilts and French quilts are good examples. Tied Quilt: Series of evenly spaced knotted threads/yarns used to hold the 3 layers of quilt together; used instead of more time-consuming hand or machine quilting. U UFO: Abbreviation for UnFinished Projects (Objects)--as in "How many UFOs do you have?" Utility Quilt: Plain, basic quilt meant to be used for everyday bedding. Often of a simple design and a tied quilt. W Walking Foot: Attachment (foot) for the sewing machine that helps guide the top fabric and the bottom fabric of the quilt sandwich evenly through the sewing machine. Also known as "even-feed foot" or "dual-feed foot." Wall Quilt: Quilt usually made of smaller dimensions and designed to be displayed on a wall; of traditional design or a contemporary art quilt. Warp: The long threads that run from the bottom to the top of fabric; runs parallel to the selvage, and these threads intersect the weft threads. Most stable direction of the finished product. See Weft. Watercolor Quilt: Small squares of floral print fabrics used to build a subtle and diffused design. Overall look is reminiscent of an Impressionist painting. Also called colourwash design. Weft: The long threads that run the width of the fabric or perpendicular to the warp threads; less stable direction. See Warp. White Work: A quilt of all-white fabric, not pieced; a type of whole cloth quilt. The design of the quilt is in the quilting stitch pattern. Whole Cloth Quilt: Quilt made from one large piece of fabric, historically a solid color, quilted in intricate patterns; no pieced blocks are used in these quilts. Y Yo-Yo: Fabric circles that are gathered and flattened to make coin shapes. They can be joined or used singly in a variety of projects.