A

Acid-free tissue paper - A tissue paper made without chemicals that would destroy the fabric fibers. It is used to to protect your quilts and fine fabrics when they are put away in storage.
Air erasable pen - A type of temporary marking pen, which usually disappears within forty-eight hours.
Album quilts - Friendship quilts assembled from individual blocks, each executed and signed by a different person.
Align - To match raw edges, fabric pattern or matchpoints.
All purpose zigzag foot - Zigzag foot with a small indentation on the bottom.
Amish quilts - Quilts made by members of the Amish or Mennonite Communities. The quilts are characterized by solid dark and bright colors with intricate, beautiful hand quilted designs.
Appliqué - Small fabric shapes placed on a background fabric and stitched on by hand or machine. Motifs include flowers, animals, houses or any rendering of a picture.
Arrow - Symbol on pattern pieces indicating lengthwise grain, direction of stitching, or direction for folding pleats and tucks.

B

Backing - The back or bottom layer of the quilt.
Backstitch - A stitch taken backwards to reinforce the beginning and end of each seam.
Bar tack - Hand or machine stitch to reinforce areas of stress (zipper, pocket opening, end of buttonhole).
Baste - To sew with long stitches to hold one or more pieces of fabric together, temporarily.
Bearding - When batting fibers migrate through a quilt's top or backing.
Bias - True bias is a line at a 45-degree angle to the selvage.
Binding - A long strip of fabric, usually bias, that finishes the raw edge of a quilt.
Bonded batting - A method of securing batting fibers together. Fairfield uses two methods of bonding. See Spray bonding and Low melt bonding.
Butt - To match the edges or folds so they touch.

Dart - Stitched fabric fold, tapering at one end, used to shape flat fabric to the contours of the figure.
Dominant color - The main color of a quilt.
Dropped shoulder - Design with shoulder extended over the top of the arm.