Appliqué – Technique used to attach a shape to a background fabric.
Backing – The back fabric layer of a quilt.
Basting – A temporary long stitch to hold quilt layers in place to
prepare for the quilting process. Safety pins can also be used for basting.
Bias – The diagonal of a fabric in which a 45-degree angle is formed
with threads of weave. The bias can be stretched.
Binding – A narrow strip of fabric used to cover the outside
edges of a quilt. It is used to "enclose" the quilt.
Block – Blocks are the main design unit of a quilt. They are usually
square and are joined together to make up the top layer of the quilt. Blocks can be pieced, appliqué, or plain.
Border – Strips of fabric used to frame pieced blocks of the quilt.
The border is sewn to the edges of the inner quilt.
Chain Piecing – Several patch units sewn together without cutting
the thread between leaving a few stitches between blocks. It saves time and thread.
Finished Size – The measurement of a sewn block or piece of a block
that does not include seam allowances.
Foundation Piecing – Assembling a block by sewing pieces to a foundation
of fabric or paper.
Grain – The lengthwise and crosswise threads of a woven fabric.
Hanging Sleeve or Rod Pocket – A fabric sleeve sewn to the back of
the quilt so the quilt can be hung on the wall.
Loft – The thickness of quilt wadding. High loft wadding is thicker
and low loft wadding is thinner.
Mitered Corners – Joining a border or corner at a 45-degree angle.
Paper Foundation Piecing – A popular piecing method using a block
printed and sewn on paper. Piecing order is numbered to ensure accuracy.
Patch or Piece – An individual fabric shape joined with other patches
to make a block. Patches may be cut from templates or be rotary cut.
