B is for:
Background:
background is, well, the background or base for your block or your quilt. Exactly WHERE the background is on a block or quilt really depends on the construction of the quilt or the block. Usually, the background is a fabric (print or solid) that works well with the other fabrics in the quilt, and lets them stand out. In Compass Points, above, the background is the navy print, which acts as a nice backdrop for the brighter golds and pinks.
Basting:
basting is using a long, loose stitch (one that can easily be removed) to secure fabric layers together. Applique shapes may be basted down, for example. Basting stitches are also used to secure the quilt top, batting and backing together prior to quilting. Usually the basting stitches are removed after the applique is completed or the quilt is quilted.
Bleeding:
While it may not SOUND like a quilt term, bleeding refers to fabric colors running or bleeding onto another fabric. This is most obvious with high contrast quilts, such as red and white quilts.
Look closely at Dutch Windmills, above. I didn't prewash (one way to minimize bleeding) - and my brightly colored binding fabrics bled onto the white border on the bottom of the quilt. Yikes!
To prevent bleeding, prewash similar colors together. Use products such a Color Catcher or Retayne and Syntrapol to minimize bleeding and preserve your amazing quilt projects.
Block:
A block is the basic unit or piece in quilting. While many think of blocks as square, they can actually be rectangular, triangular, or many other shapes. Blocks can be traditionally machine pieced, paper pieced, appliquéd, hand pieced or even fused.
In Sea Salt, above, the block isn't what you may think at first glance - but it is one block, repeated over and over, to make the quilt!
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Visit Kate's blog to get definitions of other "B" terms: backing, binding, batting, bias, and border!
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