Quilting is an amazing activity and requires proper knowledge to pursue it. If you’re new to quilting, you may find it overwhelming.
However, we have listed down certain quilting terms you must know if you’re starting out in Quilting. Have a look.
Accent Quilting
Can add a pattern that works with but follows different lines to those of any patchwork.
Achromatic color schemes
This color scheme uses only black, white, and grey colors.
Album Quilts
These use a mix of blocks pertinent to the maker, the recipient, or an event and are usually gifts for specific events.
Amish Quilts
These are very simplistic and orderly, and always functional.
Analogous Color Schemes
These are the neighboring colors on a color wheel.
Anchor fabric
This is used when piercing to hold the fabric pieces together when machine piecing.
Applique
This is not specific to quilting but is often used on quilts. This is the use of smaller pieces of fabric, often making a figure or character, stitched to the quilt’s face fabric. Various stitches can be used, visible or invisible.
Backing Fabric
This is a base fabric.
Bargello Quilting
Use of fabric strips to give the look of a wave.
Basting
This is a way of holding the three sandwich layers together temporarily. You can tack, pin or use sticky spray.
Batting
This is the middle of the wadding layer of your quilt sandwich.
Bearding
Bearding is when the batting fibers come away and find their way through to the face or base fabric. It happens more with polyester wadding.
Beeswax
The Beeswax coating on the thread makes it stronger and prevents it from knotting.
Betweens
These are quilting needles, and they are very short. Sizes 9, 10, or 12 are generally used, the 12 being longer than the nine.
Binding
Binding is used to create the quilt edges. It is essential to cut the binding on the bias to avoid pulling out of shape.
Blanket Stitch
It is originally used to edge blankets and prevent fraying. It is also used as a decorative stitch for securing pieces of appliqui.
Block
A Block is a section of patchwork, usually, but not always, square.
Border
Fabric strips used between blocks and or on the top, bottom, and sides.
Cats Ears
A block style, also known as prairie points.
Chain sewing
A continual thread to sew pieces together without finishing off and restarting.
Chain Stitch
It is an embroidery stitch that resembles a chain.
Charm Quilts
These have only one shape, which is used repeatedly but never using the same fabric more than once.
Cheaters Cloth
The fabric which looks like it is made of patchwork, but which is actually printed.
Cool Colors
These constitute the blues or greens.
Crazy Quilt
A quilt made using irregular fabric pieces stitched to foundation fabric and then decorated.
Crosshatch
Parallel lines that are marked on the quilt to help hand stitching.
Cross-hatching
This technique uses straight lines on a grid diamonds or squares or rectangles can be used.
Dimensional appliqui
This stands in relief from the quilt cover, either stuffed or not.
Echo Quilting
Lines of quilting that repeat around the edge of a piece of design.
Fat Quarter
This is a yard and a half of fabric cut in half to enable a square piece 18x 22.
Foundation Blocks
These are blocks that are made up of any number of small pieces of fabric. The finished block is then joined to other finished blocks to create the patchwork face. Try and keep the fabric, if possible, to have the straight grain on the edge of the block.
Frames
These can be small circular hoops for hand sewing or large rectangular frames for holding bigger quilts.
Friendship Quilt
This quilt is made to be given to friends or family and often having messages or using swap fabric.
Grain
The line of fiber running perpendicular to the side selvage.
Hawaiian Applique
A technique for applying very detailed design pieces onto quilt fabric.
Hoops
Large frames to hold the quilt for hand or machine stitching.
Lap quilting
Quilting squares as complete pieces and then joining the pieces when they are all made.
Lattice Strips
Strips bordering the blocks.
Conclusion
These are all the quilting terms you need to know as a beginner if you’re just getting started with Quilting. For purchasing quilting fabric, you can check out cotton fabric by the yard. You will find high-quality fabric.
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