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"Quilting Definitions"
Confused about some of the terms used when it comes to quilting? These are some of the most commonly used terms today.
Quilting is the stitching which holds three layers of the quilt sandwich together while forming a decorative design. Quilting can be done either by hand or machine.
Crazy Quilt: A crazy quilt is usually a "scrap" quilt, meaning that it's made from lots of different fabrics. It also isn't made with regular "blocks" pieced with precise "patches" or shapes of fabric, which are then set in some kind of grid. It often also has various bits of embroidery work on or between the individual pieces to decorate it more (they were originally made just to easily use up any leftover fabric a family had). Crazy Quilting.
Basting: The three layers of the quilt must be fastened together temporarily to prevent slipping and sliding around when using a sewing machine, this is known as basting.
Miniature quilts can have blocks as small as 1". 'Medallion' quilts often have one very large block and several borders. The same block can be colored many different ways and often has a different name for each variation.
Piecing: (or 'patchwork') is an exacting method of sewing small pieces of fabric ('patches') together to produce a decorative. The secrets to successful piecing are accurate cutting and the use of an accurate and consistent seam allowance (usually a scant 1/4"). pattern or 'block'. This can be done either by hand or with a sewing machine.
Strip Piecing, Often, strips are sewn together before cutting apart with a 'rotary cutter' to reveal strips that are already sewn together. This method is called 'strip-piecing' and is faster and often more accurate than the more traditional methods:
Hand appliqué is the method of 'applying' fabric shapes (called 'patches'), by hand, onto a  background to produce a decorative pattern or 'block. The secrets to successful hand appliqué are smoothly turned edges, sharp points and a tiny, invisible stitch.'
Machine applique: For machine appliqué, fabric shapes are usually cut out without the seam allowances. The shapes are then fused to the background with heat-activated fusible web before sewing around them on the sewing machine. They are usually sewn using a close zigzag stitch (called a 'satin stitch') and matching thread. This method is particularly suited to intricate 'pictorial' appliqué, which attempts to reproduce a picture.
A 'setting' is the method by which blocks are joined together to make a quilt top. Blocks are sewn into rows. The seams of each row are then carefully pressed in opposite directions before being sewn together. This reduces bulk where the seam allowances cross and makes quilting easier.
A border is the frame for the quilt. Just as artwork is framed, so is a quilt often framed by its border, which often serves to contain the design. Borders also serve to 'tie off' the ends of seams that are not crossed by any other stitching. They also serve to stabilize the edge of a quilt top and prevent it from stretching. A good quilter can even 'square up' a stretched or misshapen quilt top by the skillful application of the border.
Stippling: A free motion technique of using squiggly lines to quilt or fill in a project area.
Cross Hatch: The shading of two or more sets of intersecting parallel lines.
Quilt Frame: Four strips of wood for supporting the layers for quilting.
.gif) Quilt Binding: Finishing the raw edges of the completed quilt.
Quilting Hoop: For keeping your work taut, usually made of a smooth wood such as basswood.
Patchwork Quilting: The joining of small pieces of fabric to create an appealing pattern.
Embroidery: Hand or machine decorative stitching on fabric. Most commonly found in patchwork quilts. 
Common Quilting Terms
WASIQ have a (WASIQ) following their definition.
APNQ
Association of Pacific Northwest quilters. They hold a big quilt show in Seattle once every two years.
Applique
attaching of fabric to the surface of other fabric. Applique can be attached by hand, machine, fusible web, or duct tape (ok, just kidding about the last one. we don't see many duct tape quilts), among other things
Baste
attaching the layers of the quilt sandwich together in a temporary way, in preparation for quilting or tying. Often done with thread, but also with pins, safety pins, basting spray, and tack guns.
Batik
hand-dyed fabric, mottled and textured by using dyeing elements. Each batik is unique as they are all painted by hand. Batik has "crackly" motifs on a differently-colored background, but this term has been expanded to include fabric with no motifs.
Bias
the direction not along the grain of fabric. Practically, this means that the direction which is very stretchy. True bias is 45 degrees off from the grain of a fabric (either warf or weft). If you pull a fabric on the bias, it will distort out of shape. Bias tape (long thin flat cylinder of fabric) is cut on-bias so that it will curve around corners. Bias binding operates in a similar way: it is cut so that the length of the binding is along the bias. Bias binding is necessary for quilts with curved edges, because of the way the bias stretches.
Binding
the strip of fabric that goes on the edge of the quilt and encloses the the batting and raw edges. Or, the act of attaching the binding to the quilt.
Block of the Month
A kit, divided up into twelve sections. You do a block a month and then after a year you have finished the whole top.
BOM
Block of the Month
Charms
small pieces of fabric of different patterns and colors, often square and all the same size. Charm quilts are scrap quilts composed of these charms. The goal in these quilts is usually to use as many different fabrics as possible, in small squares. One of the ongoing, participate-whenever-you-want exchanges is a 6.5" square charm swap.
Crazy Quilting
A kind of piecing where the pieces are not cut to specific sizes, but simply sewn together (usually on a muslin foundation) in no particular pattern. Traditional crazy quilting is thick with embroidery and were made with scraps of silks and velvets.
CYA
Cover Your Asphodels. Keep good care of those flowers!
DWR
double wedding ring, a traditional quilt pattern
English paper piecing
A type of hand-piecing using paper templates. Fabric is basted to the paper templates and then sewn together. The paper can remain in or be removed later.
Exchange
see "swap"
Fat eighth
piece of material measuring about 18" by 11". Constructed by halving a fat quarter. More useful than a traditional 1/8 of a yard, which would be 44" by 4 1/2".
Fat quarter
piece of material measuring about 18" x 22". Traditional quilting fabric is 44-45" in width. A yard is 36". A regular quarter yard is 9" by 44"; a fat quarter is made by cutting a half yard (18" x 44") in half in the direction of the length (splitting the 44") instead of the width (splitting the 9").
Finished
size of a block, minus a 1/4" seam allowance around the outside edge. "Finished" refers to the size that the block will appear to be once incorporated in a quilt top. For instance: 12" square finished == 12 1/2" square unfinished.
FOCL
Falling out of my chair, laughing
Foundation paper piecing
piecing using a foundation (in this case, paper) for stabilization and accuracy. Foundation piecing is also done with muslin or stabilizer foundation.
FQ
fat quarter. See "fat quarter" for definition
Fusible, fusible web
an interfacing (thin, treated fabric) used as a foundation for applique and foundation piecing. These come in many varieties, including sticky, woven, non-woven, and gets-sticky in a heat-activated ways.
GFG
grandmother's flower garden, a traditional quilt pattern grain, on-grain
the direction of the threads in fabric. Threads are woven together, horizontally and vertically. Horizontally (the "length" of the fabric) there is no stretch. Vertically (the "width" of the fabric, typically 42"-43" for quilting cottons) there is a little stretch. Blocks are often cut so that all of the grains are parallel to the sides. This is known as "on-grain" and the block distorts and stretches less with ironing and normal handling.
Hand-dye
fabric that has been dyed by hand. Each piece is unique. Hand-dyes can be mottled and textured, multi-colored, or even.
Jewel tone
vibrant, "jewel"-like colors; usually fully saturated (highest intensity) colors.
LQS
local quilt store. The quilt store geographically and/or sympathetically closest to a person.
Marble
a not-quite solid fabric that is a tone-on-tone with a kind of "marbled" effect, sort of like swirling clouds. The most famous are the Moda marbles, which come in many different colors.
Marbled
fabric that has been colored in a marbled way, like the endpages of old books. The process of marbling involves floating oil-based paints on a water surface.
Paper piecing
see (primary) foundation paper piecing and (secondary) english paper piecing
Patis
plastic hexagons for constructing hexagon- based quilts (specifically, grandmother's flower garden).
PIG
Project In Bags (see UFO)
PIM
Project In Mind. Something stewing about your head that has not yet been translated into fabric. After creation, see UFO.
PP
paper-piecing; usually foundation paper piecing quilt-as-you-go
A quilting/piecing process which incorporates sewing together a block and quilting it at the same time.
Rag quilts
quilt, usually using flannel, whose raw edges of seam allowances are exposed and then cut to form a soft fringe.
RR
Round robin, a quilt exchange in which an entire top is passed around and each member of the round robin adds on pieces, forming a larger top. Examples: block RR (each member attaches more blocks), row RR (each member attaches another row to the top), and theme RR (each member makes blocks in a certain theme, specified by the owner/originator).
Sandwich
backing, batting (or wadding, if you're British), and top. Used as a verb, putting these all together and basting.
Scrap quilts, scrappy
Patchwork or applique quilt done with many different kinds of fabrics, usually in smaller pieces. The pattern is usually a set of repeating blocks, with similar colors and values in the same places in each block, but with different fabrics.
SEX
Stash Enhancing eXperience
Sharps
longish, thin, sharp needles used in hand-applique
Slice 'n' Dice
(WASIQ) Local name for the technique of constructing blocks without measuring specific shapes. Somewhat like a more structured form of crazy quilting.
Squishie
fabric received in the mail. The contents are nice and squishable.
SS
Secret Sisters, one of the ongoing swaps. Each member is given a secret sister who she then sends gifts to for 6 months.
Stack 'n' Whack
Using fabric repeats and cutting multiple layers, you can make kaleidoscope effects.
Stash
the contents of one's fabric collection
SUI
Shopping under the influence. Purchases made when influenced by others
SWAN
swap without a name (see exchanges) (WASIQ)
Swap
a group of people from the list who are exchanging items. A swap hostess conducts the trading, and may be the central repository who then distributes out the items
Tone-on-tone
fabric comprised of different tones of the same color, such as dark red flowers on a lighter red background.
Top
the patchwork of fabric meant to be on top of the quilt.
Tying
Attaching the quilt sandwich layers together by tying knots at certain intervals.
UFO
UnFinished Object. A project you started but have not finished yet. Doesn't count if it's just an idea on your mind or a pattern on paper. Some people tend to attract UFOs, and some repel. Most quilters have at least a couple. UFOs are a NON-GUILT-ITEM. You are obviously letting them age (like fine wine) while your creative mind is developing other projects.
Unfinished
raw size of a block, including seam allowances on each side. A 12 1/2" unfinished square will make a 12" finished square when sewn together with other blocks
Wedge, or "the Wedge"
Mass of WASIQ members descending upon some poor hapless merchant (either online or in person). Based on the mental picture of such an event, and the idea of forging through crowds.
WOW
white-on-white fabric. A white fabric with printed white design on it. It looks and feels like a silk-screened design on a t-shirt.
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