General Quilting Terms
Appliqué: A cutout piece of fabric that is sewn onto a larger background piece of fabric.
Backing: The back or bottom layer of a quilt. Backing should be 2 inches larger all around the quilt top.
Basting: Large running stitches used to temporarily secure pieces of fabric together. These stitches are removed after the permanent stitches are in place.
Batting: The middle layer of a quilt. It provides Insulation, warmth and thickness.
Bias: The diagonal direction on a piece of fabric in relation to the crosswise and lengthwise grain. Quilt pieces cut on the bias will stretch and distort easily.
Binding: The fabric strip used to bind the edges, enclosing or covering the raw edges of a quilt.
Border: Strips of fabric that are used to frame a quilt top.
Grain: The direction of threads woven in the fabric.
Appliqué: A cutout piece of fabric that is sewn onto a larger background piece of fabric.
Backing: The back or bottom layer of a quilt. Backing should be 2 inches larger all around the quilt top.
Basting: Large running stitches used to temporarily secure pieces of fabric together. These stitches are removed after the permanent stitches are in place.
Batting: The middle layer of a quilt. It provides Insulation, warmth and thickness.
Bias: The diagonal direction on a piece of fabric in relation to the crosswise and lengthwise grain. Quilt pieces cut on the bias will stretch and distort easily.
Binding: The fabric strip used to bind the edges, enclosing or covering the raw edges of a quilt.
Border: Strips of fabric that are used to frame a quilt top.
Grain: The direction of threads woven in the fabric.
Crosswise Grain: Refers to the threads running from selvage to selvage. Pieces cut on the crosswise grain will only stretch a little.
Lengthwise grain: Threads running parallel to the selvage. Pieces cut from the lengthwise grain are least likely to stretch.
Loft: The height or thickness of batting. A high loft batting is thicker and generally used for tied quilts and comforters. A low loft batting is thinner and gives a flatter, more traditional look to the quilt.
Piecing: Sewing the pieces of a quilt design together to form a quilt block or an entire quilt top.
Quilt block: Fabric pieces sewn together to make one unit of a quilt. Blocks are sewn together to form a quilt top.
Quilt top: The decorative part of a quilt that is layered on top of the batting and backing.
Quilting: May refer to the actual stitching together of the three layers of the quilt. May also refer to the entire process of making a quilt.
Sashing: Strips of fabric in a quilt top that separate the individual quilt blocks.
Selvages: The two finished, lengthwise edges of the fabric. These are tightly woven and should not be used in the quilt…cut them off.
Template: A pattern that is made from durable material. We will use template plastic. We will be very careful to make them accurate. Mark these as directed in our lessons to ensure you will use them properly. Templates for machine quilting are cut with the ¼ inch seam allowance. Templates for hand piecing are cut at the sewing line.
Color terms
Hue: Color.
Color wheel: Organized model of color.
Analogous colors: 3 colors in a row on the color wheel.
Complements: Colors opposite each other on the color wheel.
Split compliments: Go opposite the color and then take the two colors on the sides of the compliment color.
Primary colors: Red, yellow, and blue.
Secondary colors: Mixes of two primary colors.
Tertiary (Intermediate) colors: Mix of a primary and a secondary color.
Tint: Color with white added.
Tone: Color with grey added.
Shade: Color with black added.
Intensity: Brilliance of the color – pure colors are more intense.
Warm colors: Yellow to red and red violet. These will advance in the quilt.
Cool colors: Yellow-green down to blue and violet. These colors will recede in the
quilt.
Monochromatic: One color combination
Value: Defines the light and dark aspects of color. This is used for establishing depth in
a quilt.
Value finder: Look at the fabrics through a red plastic piece or copy the fabrics in black and white next to each other.
Relativity: The value of a color is relative to the colors around it. Colors change as soon as they are placed with other colors.
Mood: Colors can alter mood.
Visual texture: The print on the fabrics.
Focus fabric: The main fabric for a quilt. The one that speaks to you as you walk by. Study it. Find a bolt of fabric for each color used in it. Lay them out. Now find a tint lighter or a shade darker or tone of all the colors used in the fabric. Lay them out. You may like the colors that don’t match perfectly better. See if they add focus to the fabric.
Collections/medleys: These may be small or large. You may fall in love with them at first sight. Look to see if there are enough darks, brights, lights, and medium values to choose from. You can always add other fabrics to enhance the color scheme and harmony.
Loft: The height or thickness of batting. A high loft batting is thicker and generally used for tied quilts and comforters. A low loft batting is thinner and gives a flatter, more traditional look to the quilt.
Piecing: Sewing the pieces of a quilt design together to form a quilt block or an entire quilt top.
Quilt block: Fabric pieces sewn together to make one unit of a quilt. Blocks are sewn together to form a quilt top.
Quilt top: The decorative part of a quilt that is layered on top of the batting and backing.
Quilting: May refer to the actual stitching together of the three layers of the quilt. May also refer to the entire process of making a quilt.
Sashing: Strips of fabric in a quilt top that separate the individual quilt blocks.
Selvages: The two finished, lengthwise edges of the fabric. These are tightly woven and should not be used in the quilt…cut them off.
Template: A pattern that is made from durable material. We will use template plastic. We will be very careful to make them accurate. Mark these as directed in our lessons to ensure you will use them properly. Templates for machine quilting are cut with the ¼ inch seam allowance. Templates for hand piecing are cut at the sewing line.
Color terms
Hue: Color.
Color wheel: Organized model of color.
Analogous colors: 3 colors in a row on the color wheel.
Complements: Colors opposite each other on the color wheel.
Split compliments: Go opposite the color and then take the two colors on the sides of the compliment color.
Primary colors: Red, yellow, and blue.
Secondary colors: Mixes of two primary colors.
Tertiary (Intermediate) colors: Mix of a primary and a secondary color.
Tint: Color with white added.
Tone: Color with grey added.
Shade: Color with black added.
Intensity: Brilliance of the color – pure colors are more intense.
Warm colors: Yellow to red and red violet. These will advance in the quilt.
Cool colors: Yellow-green down to blue and violet. These colors will recede in the
quilt.
Monochromatic: One color combination
Value: Defines the light and dark aspects of color. This is used for establishing depth in
a quilt.
Value finder: Look at the fabrics through a red plastic piece or copy the fabrics in black and white next to each other.
Relativity: The value of a color is relative to the colors around it. Colors change as soon as they are placed with other colors.
Mood: Colors can alter mood.
Visual texture: The print on the fabrics.
Focus fabric: The main fabric for a quilt. The one that speaks to you as you walk by. Study it. Find a bolt of fabric for each color used in it. Lay them out. Now find a tint lighter or a shade darker or tone of all the colors used in the fabric. Lay them out. You may like the colors that don’t match perfectly better. See if they add focus to the fabric.
Collections/medleys: These may be small or large. You may fall in love with them at first sight. Look to see if there are enough darks, brights, lights, and medium values to choose from. You can always add other fabrics to enhance the color scheme and harmony.
