A quarter is most likely used to refer to a quarter of a yard. (do you use meters?) A fat quarter is a cut of fabric that ends up measuring 18x22 inches. This gives more usable fabric than a straight quarter of a yard which would be 9x44 inches. LQS is as explained above.I have never used plastic stencils for free motion quilting, but understand your concern about being all over the place. My best luck has come from not thinking about the WHOLE quilt, just a portion of it, perhaps an 8 inch column of area, and quilting within that area, leaving spaces where the next column of quilting can interweave. I have also successfully used Golden Threads paper with my design drawn on it, attached to the quilt and then quilted thru the paper to follow the design. I have used quilt basting spray to attach the paper - this really keeps it in place, but leaves the surface of the quilt tacky - comes out in the wash.