word of the day:
tubbins
The topsoil which is placed on top of a Cornish hedge.
Filters:
A
adze
A tool similar to an axe, but with the blade at an angle of approximately 90° to the handle, used for cutting and shaping wood. Surface of wood can be adzed to add a decorative effect. Often seen on wooden arts and crafts furniture.
Applique
Applique is a sewing technique in which a crafter sews fabric pieces onto other pieces of fabric. You can do this process by hand or machine. While machine applique is faster, many crafters prefer hand sewing with an embroidery hoop to ensure a nice, even edge around the design.
B
bat
A ‘bat’ is a flat, removable (usually wooden) board placed on a pottery wheel before throwing, that enables the potter to remove their pot easily and safely (on the bat) once it has been thrown.
Batik
Batik is a dyeing technique that uses wax to resist dyes and create patterns. It was developed in Indonesia, where it was (and still is) used to decorate textiles and clothing.
bitter end
The “bitter end” is one end of a rope—the final, inboard part that is secured to “bitts” (heavy wooden posts on a ship’s deck). It signifies the last possible inch of rope, implying no more resources or options are left when fully extended.
Bleed
The ‘safe space’ between the elements of a print that you want visible and the edge of the paper, ensuring that the design’s edges are safe during trimming—no blood involved!
Blocking (millinery)
Shaping a hat form onto a wooden block using steam and water.
Bombarder
Also known as an “Electron Bombarder” or as a “Neon Bombarder” which is misdescriptive. It is a machine used in the processing of neon tubes and cold cathode tubes, to clean the inside of the tube on a molecular level and then fill the cleaned tube with very low pressure inert gas, for example 100% neon. The machine is made up of two distinct parts: An ultra-high vacuum pump with a manifold and a controlled high voltage transformer (20kV), which has a variable current output ranging from 0 Milli-Amps (mA) up to usually 1000 Milli-Amps (mA).
Braid
Braids are made by obliquely interlacing three or more elements that cross one another diagonally. They can be flat or three -dimensional, functional or decorative and are produced by various techniques including using foam or card discs, braiding stands and gripfids, as well as just people’s hands.
Brayer
A handheld roller, typically with a rolling rubber cylinder attached to a plastic or wooden handle. It is used in printmaking to evenly spread ink onto surfaces such as blocks, plates, or stamps, creating consistent coverage that is then transferred to paper or fabric.
C
Capeline
A wide hat body, made from materials such as wool, fur or straw, and used to form a wide brim hat.
checking
“Checking” is what woodworkers call the separation of wood fibres that happens as they dry. Because the outer layers of the wood dry faster than the interior core, the resulting tension causes visible cracks along the surface grain of a timber.
Crochet
Crochet is a technique for making fabric by interlocking loops of yarn or other materials using a crochet hook. It is one of the oldest fiber arts and creates textured patterns that crafters can easily customize by changing the hook size and type, yarn weight and stitch pattern.
Crumb
The tiniest bits of fabric you trim away when squaring up to achieve precision pieced patchwork.
D
dactylioglyph
A dactylioglyph is someone who engraves gems for rings or ornaments. It can also refer to the engraving itself, especially if it’s on a ring. I believe it originates from Greek words for “finger” and “engrave,” and is closely related to concepts like fingerprinting (dactylography) and finger spelling (dactylology), but refers in this case specifically to gemstone artistry.
Decoupage
Decoupage is a crafting technique that involves decorating surfaces with cut-out paper images or other decorative elements which are then sealed with layers of glue or varnish. The word “decoupage” was derived from the French word “decouper,” which means “to cut out.”
Dog Ears
Little bits of fabric that are left overhanging after sewing triangles. They are trimmed off after piecing the triangles together.
F
Fat Eighth
A patchwork-friendly length of fabric that is created by cutting a ‘fat quarter’ in half. Commonly measures 9” x 21” (23cm x 53cm). See fat quarter.
Fat Quarter (FQ)
A pre-cut piece of fabric, typically 50cm x 55cm (20in x 22in). It is cut from a standard quilting fabric width (usually 110cm/44in), which is sold by the metre. To make a fat quarter, you take half a metre (50cm/20in) and cut it in half vertically, giving you the full half metre in length (50cm/20in) and half the standard width (55cm/22in). This ‘fatter’ (more square) shape is more versatile for patchwork and quilting than a ‘long quarter’ (25cm x 110cm), which is cut the other way, maintaining the full width. It offers a better proportion of the fabric’s design, and is often sold in coordinating bundles.
fellies (or felloes)
The curved segments of the outer rim of a wheel which are typically made from elm for flexibility.
fettle
to grind, file, clean, smooth or trim the surface of a cast or forged metal component in order to remove unwanted material, such as excess metal, sharp edges, or rough surfaces (known as “flash” or “fins”) left behind during casting or hot-dip galvanising. (Possibly the original of the phrase ‘in fine fettle’ to mean in high spirits or good health.) Originally from 18th-century Lancashire dialect.
G
Gleaning
The gathering of left over straw from fields to produce straw plaits for hat making. Suffolk 19th century.
grog
‘Grog’ is a gritty substance usually made from ground-up already-fired clay, that is added to unfired to improve its performance. Grog reduces shrinkage, prevents cracking and warping, and helps to resist thermal shock when pieces are fired. It also adds “tooth” for more structural integrity in hand-building and sculpting (and hurts your hands when you’re first learning to throw!)
grounder
The heavy boulders that are half-buried as the bottom layer of most Cornish hedges.
J
Jakka ha Jenna
Cornish for ‘Jack and Jenny’, this term describes a herringbone style of Cornish hedging prevalent where slate is the predominant stone.
L
last
A foot-shaped form, traditionally made of wood but now often plastic or metal, that provides the foundation for designing, making and repairing footwear. It suggests the resulting shoe’s volume throughout the making process.
last
To last means to stretch and shape the upper material (eg leather) over a shoe last, fastening it to the insole, and allowing it to set, creating the final shape, fit, and size of the footwear. The term evolved from the Old English word “laest” which meant “footprint”.
Loom
A loom is used to weave fabric. The major parts of a loom are the warp beam, which holds the warp threads under tension; the harnesses or heddles that raise alternate sets of warp threads so that they can be interlaced with weft; and the shuttle, which carries the weft from one side to the other during weaving. The yarns are usually pressed together using an adjustable fabric cover called a cloth beam or batten when not in use. Loom construction varies between different cultures, periods and applications.
M
Mandrel
metal spike which tapers and is used as a former for making stone settings, ring shanks and bangles.
MENDING
Is the act and art of repairing something (usually textiles-based items) in order for it to be useful again.
Mod Podge
Mod Podge is a liquid adhesive that can be used for several applications. Crafters often use it for decoupage and scrapbooking, but it also works great for making stickers and other projects. Mod Podge has many different varieties, including matte, glossy and multi-surface. Water-resistant Mod Podge is another popular option.
muffin
A plate made for muffins. From Stoke on Trent.
N
Needle Felting
Needle felting is a form of needlecraft that uses barbed needles to interlock wool roving to form images or three-dimensional objects. In needle felting, the crafter starts with a small amount of wool roving or batting and uses the needle to repeatedly poke the fibers, causing them to tangle and compact into a solid piece. The needle has tiny barbs that catch the fibers and pull them into the surrounding fibers, creating a firm and dense felted material.
Needle turn
A technique used in appliqué. Cut edges of fabric are turned under using a needle and thread, then hand stitched to a base fabric to neaten raw edges.
niddy-noddy
A hand tool used to wind yarn into skeins. The name is thought to mimic the nodding motion of the tool.
noise
Noise (also known as ‘chatter’) is what happens in Linocutting when an area of the Lino or ‘block’ that was intended not to receive any ink is not fully carved away, and the ridges between carved areas pick up some ink, which gets printed onto the paper. Some artists try to avoid this at all costs—others believe it adds character and authenticity to a Lino print.
O
Orts
Orts are the leftover bits of thread when you are done sewing or stitching.
P
Paper Mache
Paper mache is a technique of creating three-dimensional objects by layering strips of paper or other materials over a form and then coating the layers with a mixture of glue and water or flour and water to create a hardened shell.
Petersham
A type of woven ribbon with scalloped edge, it is used in millinery and hat making to trim hats.
Piecing
The process of stitching fabric pieces together to form a patchwork block, using hand or machine stitching.
Pinking Shears
Pinking shears are scissors that have serrated edges. The serrations create a decorative effect by cutting a zig-zag pattern. You can use pinking shears to trim seams and edges before sewing them together, or you can use them for cutting paper and other thin materials.
prick and pounce
A method of transferring an embroidery design by using a paper pattern that is ‘pricked’ with tiny holes, placed over the fabric you wish to embroider, and then ‘pounced’ all over with a powder that filters through the tiny holes, leaving the intended design in equally tiny dots on the fabric. Pounce powder was traditionally made using ground cuttlefish bone or pumice, and it is contained in a ‘pounce bag’ or ‘pounce pad’ made from a fine fabric such as cheesecloth.
pugmill
A pugmill, pug mill, or pug is a machine that mixes, kneads, and extrudes waste clay scraps back into a smooth, uniform, plastic consistency, ready to be reused. It forces clay through a barrel and out of a nozzle, using rotating blades.
punky
“Punky” is used to describe wood in which fungi have been allowed to grow for too long, making the wood “punky,” soft, and structurally unsound. (Fungi is sometimes encouraged for the ‘spalted’ colouration and patternation effects it creates.)
R
rab
The sub-sub-soil (decomposed granite), which you find compressed between two stone walls in a Cornish hedge.
reed
A ‘reed’ is a comb-like tool used to space the warp threads in weaving.
S
Skive
To reduce in thickness the edges of sections of leather that are to be sewn together, in order to avoid discomfort for the wearer. Skiving is the only shoe-making task done sitting down and, therefore, it is thought to be the origin of the term ‘skiving’ to mean avoiding work or duty.
slath
The centre of a basket base where the bottom sticks cross each other. ‘Tying in the slath’ is the start of a basket where the bottom sticks are secured with willow weavers. Most baskets in the UK will use either an underfoot slath where the base is formed without splitting the sticks and is held down with the feet, or a split slath where the rods are split.
slip
Slip (aka clay slurry) is a mixture of clay and water. (There is no fixed ratio, but it tends to be approx as runny as single cream.) It is used either for joining leather-hard (semi-hardened) pieces of pottery together; ‘slipcasting,’ a process during which it is poured into and then out of a plaster mould, leaving behind only the clay that has dried as water is absorbed into the plaster; and/or glazing or decorating the pottery by painting or dipping the pottery with slip.
Slype
A sloping cut on the end of willow rod, used in basket making. You would cut a slype in order to more easily insert the rod into the weave of a basket.
souderigyon
A Cornish word that translates to ‘little soldiers’ and describes a style of Cornish hedging in which stones are placed so that their faces look like books on a library shelf or ‘little soldiers’ lined up and standing to attention.
spalted
Spalted wood is wood that has colouration or patterning caused by fungi, specifically resulting from the initial stages of decay. Spalting can be seen as a flaw, but it is increasingly sought after as an aesthetic in woodworking, characterised by dramatic dark lines, bleached areas, and vibrant staining. It is most visible in paler timbers such as maple, beech and birch.
Squeegee
a scraping implement with a rubber-edged blade set on a handle, typically used for cleaning windows.
stash
An informal and often self-depricating or affectionate term used to describe a large and growing collection/hoard of materials (yarn, fabric, paper, scraps) owned by a craftsperson.
T
Thrums
In weaving the thrums are the leftover parts of the warp which cannot be woven. They usually refer to the threads at the back and front of the loom where they were tied on. Finding ways to use up this scrap yarn is a joyful challenge for many weavers.
tubbins
The topsoil which is placed on top of a Cornish hedge.
U
upsett
When making a basket using the stake and strand method, willow rods are inserted into the round base and then ‘upsett’ to create the sides of the basket. To do this they are pricked up (bent) using a bodkin or a knife. The lower rows of the basket are then woven to secure the rods.
W
Wadding
A thick fabric used between a top and bottom layer of fabric to form a quilt. Layers are stitched together using hand or machine stitch.