LUDLOW QUILT AND SEW
Quilting terminology
QUILTING TERMS EXPLAINED
When I first became interested in quilting, I was taken aback by all the different quilting terms that I was coming up against. Fat quarters, long quarters .........? How did I admit that I didn't have a clue what people were talking about? Luckily they were very sweet and understanding in my local quilt shop and stopped to explain every time they saw the blank look appearing on my face.
So here goes to give you a quick look at some of the terms used by quilters. More thorough explanations will be given in later articles.
To Quilt
That was my first mistake - I thought that to quilt was to make a blanket-like affair with a top, a middle and a backing. Wrong! Quilting is the stitching used to hold the 3 layers together. It can be simple or very ornate, hand or machine, the same colour or a contrasting colour, thread or ribbon or buttons - anything that holds the layers together.
Walking Foot
A foot for your sewing machine that feeds the fabric on the top layer through when you are straight line quilting. It stops the top layer getting left behind the bottom layer and puckering. For free motion quilting a darning foot is more useful.
Fat and Long Quarters
I've seen fat quarters for sale on ebay as 'FQ'. A 1/4 mt would normally be 9" cut across the width of the fabric so that you end up with a piece of fabric 9" by around 42" (the normal width of rolls of fabric). This is a long quarter. A good size if you need a few squares as part of a quilting block to add a touch of that particular colour. The problem can be that you might need a larger shape but can't turn the fabric because you need the pattern to be the right way up. In order to get round this problem, quilting shops began to offer a fat quarter which is 1/2 yard cut up the fold of the fabric, giving a piece of fabric 18" by 22".
Jelly Roll
Also known as strip roll. A roll made up of 2.1/2" (65mm) strips of 20 or more fabrics. They are usually themed - a roll of batik prints perhaps or of a particular colour. A great way to put variety into your project.Quilt Block
The building block of a quilt top. Quilt blocks can be made up of many smaller blocks, a few big blocks, one block with an embroidered design on it, a photo transferred to fabric - anything you wish to use.Sashing
A strip of fabric used as a frame around each quilt block. It can separate the blocks out a little so that the eye isn't overwhelmed if it's quite a complicated pattern - and it can also disguise the fact that your quilt blocks may not all be exactly the same size! It can add a little extra width and length to your quilt if needed.Corner stones
These are small squares added at the corner of each block within the sashing.
Quilt Border
The frame round the entire quilt top that draws the whole design together. It can be thin or thick, straight or curved, plain or patchwork, a new fabric or one of those in the quilt top.Binding
The fabric sewn right round the edge of the quilt to cover the raw edges and prevent fraying. This can be in one of the fabrics of the quilt blocks, or something completely different to complement the colours of the blocks. It can be bought or handmade, but I prefer to make my own every time.Wadding
Also known as batting. The middle of the sandwich. Natural or synthetic. No, that's too simple a choice. Natural was until recently broadly cotton or wool based, but now bamboo wadding with its anti bacterial properties is making huge inroads in the market. Similarly, there is also a cotton soya blend using the anti-microbial properties of soya. Synthetic can add more variety as it comes in different thicknesses and can be useful if you want to add more texture to a wall hanging perhaps. There is now even green wadding made from recycled plastic bottles - I haven't tried this one yet.Sleeve
You have made a beautiful wall hanging of which you are justifiably proud. Now you want to hang it on the wall. The simplest way is to sew a sleeve (a small tunnel of fabric) on the back of your work. Thread a small rod through the sleeve and you can hang it up.
Label
It is always a nice touch to add a label to a corner of the back of your quilt or wallhanging. Give your name and the occasion that it was made for or the name you have given to your work of art.
All clear now? Return to quilt and sew.
rose@ludlowquiltandsew.co.uk
www.ludlowquiltandsew.co.uk