Glossary of Quilting Terms & Acronyms

What is a fabric jelly roll and why do I see HST on so many quilt patterns? Learn those and more with this common quilting terms and acronyms glossary.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

African-American Quilts: A descriptive term that refers to the improvisational way some African American quilters made traditional quilt blocks. Many of these brilliant quilts came from quiltmakers in Gee’s Bend, a small rural area in Alabama that is rich with African American quilting culture.
Amish Quilts: These are quilts made by or in the style of the Amish quilters of Pennsylvania, Indiana, or Ohio. Geometric patterns and central medallion square-in-a-square with wide borders is a popular design in the Amish community.
Appliqué: A piece of fabric sewn on top of a background piece of fabric, usually in fun shapes or decorative designs such as curved floral or animal motifs. Appliqué can be pieced together by hand, machine, or with fusible web. It can also be combined with pieced blocks or placed in the border to frame a pieced quilt.
Art Quilt: Using both traditional and modern quilting techniques, art quilts generally combine piecework, applique, embroidery, and more. See this fiber artwork exhibit on the AccuQuilt blog for art quilt examples.
Assembly-Line Piecing: Sewing blocks or sections of blocks efficiently and quickly in an assembly line fashion, completing each unit in sequence.
Attic Window Quilt Pattern: An optical illusion quilt pattern that makes it appear as though you’re looking at each quilt block through a window.
Autograph Quilt: A quilt containing signatures from friends or others, often for celebrating an important life event. Sometimes they are also referred to as a Memory Quilt.

B

Baltimore Album Quilt: Originating from the Baltimore, Maryland area in the 1800s, these quilts are made of a variety of elaborate appliquéd blocks with symbolic designs and were popular in the 1800s. They are also referred to as sampler or friendship quilts.
Backing: The back layer of a quilt, which is not pieced or appliquéd. This is where your label would go.
Bargello: A type of quilt that creates movement by how the strips of fabric squares are sewn, usually of the same color going from light to dark.
Barkcloth: A type of densely woven cotton fabric, which is made from the fibers of tree bark found in tropical places. It was most popular in the 1950s and largely used in home furnishings.
Basting: Long, temporary stitches used to hold layers of fabric together (loosely) until the final sewing is done. The stitches are removed when the quilt is completed.
Batik Fabrics: Made by covering an area of fabric with wax or other substance to prevent the dye from penetrating into that area. Hot water is used to remove the wax. Batiks usually have a high thread count so you should use a #12 Microtex needle.
Batting: The middle layer of the quilt (between the quilt top and back) that provides the warmth to the quilt. Types of batting are usually made from cotton, polyester, and wool.
Bearding: The migration of fibers coming from the batting and passing through the quilt top, usually via the holes where the needle pierces through the quilt top.
Betweens: Short and thin needles that are used for hand piecing and quilting as well as sewing on the binding. The size of the needles range from 7-12, with the higher number indicating a smaller needle.
Bias: The bias grain runs on a 45º angle to the selvages and has an ample amount of stretch, so it is less stable than the lengthwise and crosswise grain. You must be extremely careful when handling the bias, as cutting on the bias grain will cause inaccurate cuts.
Bias Binding: Binding that is cut on the true bias, which is helpful when binding a quilt that has curved or rounded corners.
Big Stitch: A type of quilting where sometimes colorful thread is used to make large stitches, showcasing a decorative effect. It was a great way for hand quilters to show off and embellish their quilts.
Binding: A strip of fabric that is sewn over the edges of the quilt after the quilt has been quilted. Binding adds extra strength and support to a quilt, and this is when a quilt is considered finished by many quilters.
Birthing a Quilt: A birthed quilt is basically a quilt without binding and involves layering the right sides of the quilt together (like the inside of a pillow case) and sewing around all four sides, but leaving a gap to turn through. Then you’d turn the quilt right side out and sew the gap closed.
Blind Stitch: A type of invisible stitching often used for sewing appliqué or binding by hand, but a blind stitch can also be done on a sewing machine.
Block: A quilt design unit generally comprised of multiple squares that are repeated and formed together to make a quilt top.
Block of the Month (BOM): A program offered by quilting classes, quilt shops, etc., where quilters make a new block for 12 consecutive months with the intention of sewing the block into a sampler quilt at the end of the year. You can find many BOM options online or even in quilt patterns.
Border: A strip of fabric that serves as the frame to a quilt and is sewn to the outside area of the quilt but inside of the binding. Borders can be wide or narrow depending on your project.
Broadcloth: A plain weave cotton blend of sturdy fabric, typically solid in color.
Broderie Perse: A type of appliqué in which separate motifs are cut from a printed fabric and applied to another background fabric. Broderie Perse is French for Persian Embroidery.

C

Calico: Medium-weight cotton fabric, which is printed with a small repeated design, often consisting of leaves or florals. The name calico originates from Calicut, India.
Cathedral Window: An advanced traditional quilt pattern where folding and stitching is used to create a three-dimensional look in quilt blocks. Cathedral Window blocks are intricate and add a touch of elegance to your quilts.
Charm Quilt: A type of scrappy quilt made with a lot of small patches and each piece of fabric is different. Charm quilt patterns are generally a one-patch design and many quilters trade fabric scraps with others in order to collect a variety of fabric for their charm quilt.
Cheater Cloth: Fabric printed that looks like a traditionally pieced quilt top. It removes the need for cutting and piecing, so it can be quilted as-is.
Clamshell: A quilt with symmetry and curves that overlap and remind you of fish scales. You can create the clamshell design by using a glass or cup to trace.
Coin Quilt: A scrappy quilt made with rectangular fabric pieces that are arranged in stacks around the quilt.
Color Wheel: A circle of primary, secondary, tertiary, complementary, and analogous colors that help quilters to explore color theory and fabric selection.
Corner Triangles: Half square triangles, which are usually sewn on to square up a quilt top made from blocks that are joined at diagonal rows. It helps to stabilize the quilt.
Crazy Quilt: A type of irregular quilt consisting of odd shapes that are randomly placed. Silk and velvet are popular fabrics used as well as embellishments like embroidery or beading.
Cross-Hatching: Quilting in parallel lines—vertical and horizontal—and forming a grid of squares or diamonds.

D

Design Wall: A vertical surface often covered with batting or felt used by quilters to lay out fabrics and blocks for a quilt before stitching them together. Design walls are an excellent way to try different layouts before making a final decision on your quilt.
Die-cutting: The process of cutting layers of fabric by rolling it through a die-cutting machine, which is a time-saving alternative to rotary cutting.
Disappearing Nine Patch: A beginner’s quilt, which is made by cutting up a nine patch into four quarters, putting them into different positions, and piecing the blocks over again. You have many layout options in this quilt pattern.
Double Wedding Ring: A vintage quilt pattern of interlocking rings that originated in the 1930 and it still a quilter’s favorite.
Dresden Plate: An appliqué quilt with petal shapes radiating from a center circle. Dresden Plate is one of the most popular quilts during the 1920s-30s, and is also known as Sunflower and Grandmother’s Sunburst.
Drunkard’s Path: A classic quilt block pattern with a lot of curved piecing. It consists of a quarter circle set inside a square and using light and dark for each. The blocks can be arranged differently to create several designs.

E

Easing: The process of maneuvering and redistributing fabric when two pieces aren’t aligning properly, so they can match at the seams.
Echo Quilting: A free motion type of quilting, which is done by stitching a line a uniform distance away from the first line (echoing). The stitches echo the applique shape.
Electric Quilt 7 (EQ7): A designing software some quilters use to design quilts.
English Paper Piecing: A technique of stabilizing fabric over a paper template. It’s often used for pieced patterns that would otherwise require set-in patches. Many quilts made with English Paper Piecing have hexagon-shaped patches that form a design called the Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

F

FART: Fabric Acquisition Road Trip
Fat Quarter (FQ): A half yard of fabric that has been cut in half again vertically and is now ¼” yard, measuring 18" x 22" and allows for cutting larger block sizes.
Feed Dogs: The metal teeth on the throat plate of a sewing machine which helps pull the fabric through the machine.
Finger Pressing: The technique of using your fingernail and pressing hard on a seam to make it lie flat. It works best on small seams as opposed to larger ones.
Finished Size: The final sewn measurement or dimensions of a completed quilt block without seam allowances.
Flannel: A soft type of loosely woven fabric usually made from cotton, wool or synthetic fibers and is very warm. It’s great for rag quilts because of its tendency to ravel.
Flying Geese: A common unit of patchwork made by piecing two triangles onto the sides of a larger triangle to create a rectangular piece of patchwork.
Foundation Piecing: The technique of using a Muslin pattern or numbered paper as a foundation for assembling a quilt block, which ensures accurate and stable blocks.
Four-Patch Block: A block with four squares of the same size sewn together to make one large square. It is one of easiest quilt blocks to make.
Freezer paper appliqué: The process of using freezer paper (found in most grocery stores by the aluminum foil) as a template for appliqué by drawing the design on the paper side, cutting it out, and ironing the template to the fabric using a hot and dry iron.
Free-Motion Quilting: Quilting in a free-motion on a domestic sewing machine using a darning foot with the feed dogs down. It allows the quilter to quilt in different directions, creating a variety of stitch patterns.
Friendship Quilt: Generally a single pattern quilt made by a group of friends and/or family for one person. Each makes a block for the quilt top and includes their signature. It is also referred to as a Signature Quilt.
Friendship Star: A quilt block pattern that looks like a four-pointed star.
Fusible Web Interfacing: A product that adds weight to fabric and can be ironed on for easier appliqué, providing great support to the fabric.
Fussy Cut: To cut a particular piece from printed fabric as opposed to cutting a strip so you can get a the specific image you need from the fabric.

G

Glass-head pins: Pins with a glass head that is heat resistant, so they won’t melt when pressed.
Glazed Finish: A thin resin finish, which can be applied to batting to help prevent bearding and shifting of the fibers in the finished quilt.
Grain: The lengthwise and crosswise threads—warp and weft directions—of a woven fabric. The lengthwise grain runs parallel to the selvage and the least amount of stretch, whereas the crosswise grain runs perpendicular to the selvage and has slightly more give.
Greige Goods: The raw material from which fabrics are processed; therefore it hasn’t been bleached or dyed yet.

H

Half-Square Triangle (HST): A 90 degree triangle formed when a square is cut in half one time diagonally.
Hand Quilting: A small and even series of running stitches that is made through all three layers of a quilt using a needle and thread, both preferably of high quality.
Hanging Sleeve: Fabric that is sewn to the back of a quilt to allow it to be hung on a wall or to be put on display at a quilt show or other event.
Hawaiian Quilting: Symmetrical, intricate appliqué designs where one large appliqué is cut from folded fabric (similar to how paper snowflakes are cut) and then basted to a background fabric. Hawaiian quilts usually only have two solid colors of fabric.
Hera: A small tool from Japan made of wood or plastic that allows you to put a crease in the fabric, thereby ensuring success with straight-line quilting.
Herringbone Stitch: A decorative needlework stitch with many variations used in embroidery.
HIPS: Hundreds of Ideas Piling Skyward
Homespun Fabric: Fabric in which the weave is looser and the threads have a larger diameter than commercial cotton quilting fabrics. You can identify this fabric easily because there is no front or back, and the colored threads are woven throughout. Homespun fabric is typically solid, stripe, or plaid.
Hopping Foot: A special sewing foot that is most common on longarm machines and is often used when you want greater visibility on the stitching in your projects, especially if you have an intricate design.
Hourglass Quilt: A beginner patchwork quilt pattern using quarter-square triangles to make blocks that mimic an hourglass.

I

Ikat: A fabric that has been tie-dyed in the yarns prior to weaving.
Improvisational Quilts: A term for art quilts made in a creative, free-spirited manner without worrying about the rules of quilting. Pieces are usually cut freehand.
In-The-Ditch: A stitching technique where you stitch along the seams in a quilt in order to define blocks or shapes. It is also referred to as stitch-in-the ditch.
Irish Chain: A classic quilt pattern consisting of several variations but most commonly are diagonal squares that match up only at the corner points. It’s generally all squares and strips, so it’s a great beginner quilt pattern.
Isosceles Triangle: A triangle with two equal sides but the sum is longer than the base.

J

Japanese Quilt: A type of quilt using Japanese fabrics such as kasuri and indigo. Fabrics, motifs, and stitches work together to create the dramatic look in Japanese quilts.
Jelly Roll: A coordinated bundle of pre-cut fabric strips, which have become popular among quilters. You can get jelly rolls from many different fabric companies. They measure 2 ½" x 44".
Juvenile Quilts: A quilt whose theme/design is appropriate for children.

J

Japanese Quilt: A type of quilt using Japanese fabrics such as kasuri and indigo. Fabrics, motifs, and stitches work together to create the dramatic look in Japanese quilts.
Jelly Roll: A coordinated bundle of pre-cut fabric strips, which have become popular among quilters. You can get jelly rolls from many different fabric companies. They measure 2 ½" x 44".
Juvenile Quilts: A quilt whose theme/design is appropriate for children.

K

Kaleidoscope: A quilt block pattern in which the fabric is pieced in a way that resembles different images seen through a kaleidoscope. Selecting the right fabric is important for these types of quilts.
Kente Cloth: A traditional, ceremonial fabric hand woven in wooden looms that originated from Ghana in West Africa. Many printed versions of Kente on cotton now exist and are popular with quilters.
Knot on the Needle: A tiny knot that quilters use, which can be pulled through a layer of fabric so that the end is essentially hidden on both sides. It also known as a “quilter’s knot.”
Kuba Cloth: A type of hand woven fabric by the Kuba people of the Condo using the leaves from raffia trees. Kuba cloth can include embroidery, patchwork, and other embellishments.

L

Label: A way of autographing your quilt, so there is always a way to identify it. Most labels include the quilter’s name, the name of the quilt, and when it was made.
Landscape Quilt: An art quilt depicting the many scenes from nature.
Lap Quilting: Hand quilting on the go. Each block is pieced or appliqué before being sewn to other blocks, thereby making it more portable.
Layer Cake: A bundle of pre-cut coordinating fabric squares measuring 10″ x 10”. This pre-cut fabric is versatile since you can cut much wider pieces from the square.
Layout: The process of arranging and rearranging your blocks or pieced units in a quilt top to come up with completely different looks.
LeMoyne Star: A distinctive, eight-pointed star block that is usually for more advanced quilters, but the star is made easier using a Block-on-Board (BOB) die like the GO! LeMoyne Star die, which gives you all the shapes you need for one block.
Loft: A term describing the thickness of the batting used in quilts. High loft batting is usually thick and bouncy, while low loft batting is thinner and more compact.
Log Cabin: A quilt pattern in which narrow fabric strips (logs) are assembled in a numerical sequence around a center square to form a block. Log Cabin blocks are a popular design and have many variations.
Long Arm Quilting (LAQ): An extremely large sewing machine with a long arm that is used to sew together all three layers of the quilt resulting in a finished quilt. It allows a quilter to move to use their free-motion skills, so they can move the quilt in many different directions.
LQS: Local Quilt Shop

M

Machine Appliqué: The process of attaching fabric motifs onto fabric using a sewing machine.
Machine Piecing: To sew patches together with the use of a sewing machine as opposed to hand piecing, thereby ensuring stronger seams and making the process go much more quickly.
Machine Quilting: Sewing through all three layers of the quilt top with a sewing machine. It is usually done with a walking foot or a darning foot.
MAQ: Mid-Arm Quilter
Matching Points: It is the intersection where seam line joining two pieces begins or ends.
Medallion Quilt: A series of decorative borders that surrounds one central block or design.
Metallic Needle: A thin needle designed with an elongated eye (for easier threading) for use with metallic or monofilament threads.
Metallic Thread: A synthetic thread that is shiny and has a metallic appearance.
Memory Quilts: Quilts made to remember people and/or event significant in their lives. These quilts sometimes contain clothes from a loved one, such as t-shirts, baby clothes.
Mercerized Cotton: Cotton thread treated with Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda) to swell the fibers and increase the fiber’s luster as well as its affinity for dye by increasing the surface area of the fiber. The swelling of the fibers makes the cotton stronger, providing for less shrinkage later. Mercerized cotton was originally developed and patented by a man named John Mercer in 1844.
Miniature Quilts: A quilt made as a miniature of a full sized quilt like. They can include mug rugs and potholders among other things.
Mitered Corner: A corner formed when two strips meet at a 45-degree angle, such as on a border or the binding. Mitered corners ensure that the edges of your quilt have neat finish.
Molas: Mola is the elaborate embroidered, reverse-appliqué panels that make up the front and back of a Kuna woman’s traditional blouse. They consist of many layers of brightly colored fabric that form bold designs rich with symbolism.
Motif: A design element used in quilt designs that can be repeated or used only once.
Mud Cloth (Bogolanfini): Homemade coarsely woven Malian cotton fabric dyed using a process of fermented mud.
Mug Rug: A small quilt similar to a coaster.
Muslin: A plain cotton fabric of medium weight that is naturally unbleached. It’s available in a wide range of qualities from light to medium weight and delicate to coarse.
Mystery Quilt: A quilt pattern written in different steps that are disclosed one at a time in order to hide the appearance of the finished quilt. Quilt guilds tend to do mystery quilts for group projects.

N

Nine-Patch: A quilt block consisting of nine squares arranged in three rows horizontally. They are perfect blocks for beginners to make.
Needle-Punched Batting: The mechanical way of making batting more firm and more dense by punching it with a bunch of needles. A needle punched batting makes quilts more durable.
Needle-Turn Appliqué: A traditional hand appliqué technique in which the seam allowances are turned under as shapes are hand sewn to the background; therefore, giving you invisible stitches.
Notches: A tiny “V” shape on a curved seam to indicate points along the seam that should be matched. It is significant how much notches help when trying to sew curved seams. Many AccuQuilt dies have the notches already included on the die.
Novelty Print: A fabric is designed and printed with a theme such as holidays, pets, sports, and so on. It is referred to as conversation prints.

O

One-Patch: Any quilt pattern that uses a single shaped patch for the pieced top. May be squares, triangles, hexagons, etc. repeated in color patterns or different fabrics.
One Quarter Inch (1/4") Quilting Foot: This foot measures exactly one quarter inch from needle point to inner edge of the foot, which may have a guide on it to prevent the fabric from going past the edge. Most sewing machines come with a quilting presser foot, but you can also purchase one inexpensively.
On Point: The orientation of a quilt when its corners are placed up, down and to the sides.
Outline Quilting: A type of quilting where you outline (stitch) a block or appliqué piece usually ¼” from the patch seams.
Outline Stitch: A decorative stitch used in embroidery that forms a narrow line.

P

Panel Quilt: A quilt made mostly from a pre-printed fabric panel, which are large pieces of fabric printed with some sort of picture or scene. Fabric panels are ready to use, so there’s no need to cut them up for patchwork.
Paper Piecing: It is a technique of machine stitching your fabric directly onto paper. You can achieve perfect points if you position your fabric correctly and sew perfect straight lines. It is also known as Foundation Paper Piecing.
Patchwork: The process of making a quilt by sewing many small pieces of fabric together to create many different designs for a quilt top. It is also known as piecework.
Penny Squares: A form of embroidery designs (also known as redwork) which uses red floss to trace simple line drawings on quilt blocks. They were popular in the late 1800s.
PHD: Projects Half Done
Photo Quilt: A personalized quilt made with squares of fabric that includes your choice of photograph(s) that are transferred onto the quilt.
Pieced Border: A long strip of fabric that has been sewn together to make a single border for your quilt. Pieced borders can make more of an impact on your quilt, adding more pop as well as dimension to your quilt.
PIGS: Projects in Grocery Sacks
Pima Cotton: A type of long cotton plant grown in the U.S., Australia and other places around that world. It is a premium cotton fiber that is known for its fineness as well as its strength.
Pinwheel: A common quilt block pattern consisting of four triangles that are arranged in a pinwheel pattern and sewn into a four-patch block.
Prairie Points: A technique in which you fold strips of fabric in order to form triangles and then use them as a quilt border or embellishment on seams within a quilt. Quilts with Prairie Points don’t need binding.
Pre-Cut Fabric: Types of coordinating fabric bundles that are pre-cut by the manufacturer. Charm Packs, Jelly Rolls, Fat Quarters, and Layer Cakes are some examples of pre-cuts.
Presser Foot: The part of the sewing machine that surrounds the needle and stabilizes the fabric—keeping it flat—against the throat plate as the needle goes up and down. There is variety of presser feet available to accommodate many different sewing machines.
Pressing: To use an iron to press seams and blocks by simply pressing the iron down onto the fabric without moving the iron back and forth, as that can stretch and distort the fabric. The iron shouldn’t be too hot nor should you use steam.
Prewash: A practice of prewashing your fabrics in order to preshrink it and to check for color-fastness before using the fabrics in a quilt project. The process helps to ensure that dyes will not bleed in future washings.

Q

Quilt Guild: An organization consisting of beginner and advanced quilters who come together to share projects, get instruction, and provide community service.
Quilting: The process of stitching together the three layers of a quilt.
Quilt Sandwich: The layering of quilt top, batting, and backing that is quilted together. It is the last step in making a quilt.
Quilt Top: The top layer of a quilt Sandwich.

R

Rag Quilt: A type of piecework that has exposed seams on the front and finished seams on the back to produce a ragged look. Rag quilts have a top, batting and backing but are assembled differently than a traditional quilt.
Raw Edge: The unsewn edge of a piece of fabric or a quilt block that is sometimes used as a decorative element.
Reverse Appliqué: A technique in which the appliqué fabric is sewn to the back of the background fabric and then the background fabric is cut away to reveal the applique fabric underneath. It is especially useful when the shapes are small and when an illusion of depth is needed.
Rotary Cutter: A tool with a sharp circular blade attached to a handle that is used to cut fabric on a cutting mat. It comes in a variety of diameters.
Ruler: A heavy plastic measuring tool that is available in a variety of shapes and sizes.

S

SABLE: Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy
Sampler Quilt: A quilt constructed of a collection of blocks in different patterns and usually no pattern is repeated. The Sampler Quit is perfect for the beginner quilter.
Sashiko Quilting: A Japanese style of precise quilting designs done in embroidery or in quilting and it typically involves using white thread on a dark solid background.
Sashing: The fabric that separates the blocks from each other, framing them and making the quilt larger.
Satin Stitch: A slanted, compact decorative stitch often used around applique pieces to enclose raw edges.
Scrap Quilt: A quilt made with a combination of leftover fabrics (some include new fabrics as well) from other quilts. Some scrappy quilts include dozens of fabrics.
Seam Allowance: The width of fabric left to the right of a sewn seam. In quilting this is traditionally 1/4 inch. For sewing garments it is usually 5/8 inch.
Selvage: The outer edge of both sides of a woven fabric where the weft turns to go back across and through the warp. This is a stiffer and denser woven area of about 1/3-1/2 inch and is usually trimmed off and not sewn into a quilt.
Seminole Patchwork: A style of strip piecing in which strips of fabric are sewn together and then units are cut apart, repositioned and sewn again to create intricate geometric designs.
Setting: The arrangement of completed Blocks forming the Quilt Top. Blocks can be set side by side, or on point, like diamonds, with or without Sashing. Arrangements can also vary with certain asymmetrical block patterns.
SEX: Stash Enhancing Excursion
Signature Quilt: A quilt with many signatures collected and signed on individual blocks.
STASH: Special Treasures All Secretly Hidden
Stash: The term that refers to a quilter’s collection of fabrics, which is usually quite an impressive amount of fabric.
Stippling: A stitching technique of curved lines that is done all over the quilt in an effort to fill in background areas of it. This method allows designs to be seen more prominently in the quilt.
Stitch in the Ditch: A stitch used next to the seams on the quilt in order to define blocks or shapes.
Straight of Grain: The lengthwise and crosswise grain on fabric.
Strip Piecing: A technique of sewing fabric cut into strips together accurately and quickly and then cutting those fabric strip sets into new blocks and designs. A classic version of this is Seminole Patchwork.
Sunbonnet Sue: An appliqué design of a girl with a sunbonnet hiding her face that is still popular among quilters. The design has been around since the 1920s.

T

Tacking Gun: A tool used instead of pin or thread basting the quilt sandwich together prior to quilting.
Template: A shape cut from plastic or cardboard and used as a pattern for tracing either piecing or appliqué patches, or it may also be used to transfer quilting lines to a quilt top.
TGIF: Thank God It’s Finished!
Tied Quilt: A quilt in which knotted strings or ties are used to hold the three layers of the quilt together as opposed to stitching.
TOT: Tone-on-Tone
Trapunto: A quilt that is stuffed in order to make it fluffy or to give it more dimension. It can be stuffed with yarn, additional batting, or other matter.

U

UFO: Unfinished Object
Unfinished Objects (UFOs): Quilt projects that you have in your studio that are unfinished. It is common for quilters to have many of them.
Unit: Two or more sections of a block or border that forms together to construct a quilt.
Utility Quilt: A plain, basic practical use quilt that is made without fancy materials. It is meant for warmth and for your everyday bedding.

V

Value: A term describing the lightness or darkness of a particular color. The right value is significant in a quilt, as it can make the difference in whether your quilt shines or doesn’t.
Variegated Thread: Thread used in quilting that changes in color throughout the strand.
Vertical Row: A quilt that is arranged vertically as opposed to the more traditional horizontal method. There are some specific designs that will look better if the quilt is assembled vertically.

W

Walking Foot: A special foot you attach to a sewing machine that helps to feed the quilt through more evenly, as it has grippers on the bottom. It is especially effective to use this walking foot in machine quilting.
Warp: The woven threads in the fabric that runs parallel to the selvedges. They are the most stable part of the fabric and many quilters like to use the warp direction for cutting borders.
Watercolor Quilt: A technique using tiny pieces of floral fabric of different color varieties and to make a design similar to a painting.
Water-Soluble: Accessories used in quilting such as threads, markers, and stabilizers that dissolve when wet.
WHIMM: Works Hidden In My Mind
WIP: Work In Progress
WISP: Work In Slow Progress
WOF: Width of Fabric
WOMBAT: Waste of Money, Batting, and Time
Wonky: A style of imperfect patchwork in which fabrics are cut at awkward angles and sewn together with no rhyme or reason. It is a liberal and improvisational style of quilting.
WOW: White On White

X

X-Ray Film: Some quilters use X-Ray film to make templates.

Y

Y-Seams: A sewing technique where you join three different pieces of fabric together to form a “Y”. While sewing, you should stop ¼” away from the seam in order to not sew over the seam allowances.
Yo-Yo Quilt: A fabric embellishment made with three-dimensional circles.

Z

Zipper Quilt: A quilt pieced together to mimic a zipper.
Zigzag Stitch: A stitch that goes from side to side and is often used for machine appliqué. Your stitches can be short or long.