Quilting Dictionary
62 terms, from appliqué to zigzag binding.
62 of 62 terms
The bottom layer of a quilt — the fabric on the underside, behind the batting. For anything wider than a fabric width, it's pieced from several widths seamed together.
Temporarily holding the quilt sandwich's layers together (with pins, spray, or thread) before quilting.
The insulating middle layer of a quilt, sandwiched between the pieced top and the backing.
The 45-degree diagonal orientation relative to the fabric grain, offering maximum stretch and flexibility.
A tool that folds fabric strips into even, pressed bias tape, often used for binding curves.
The fabric strip that wraps and finishes the raw outer edge of a quilt sandwich.
A single pieced (or appliquéd) unit, usually square, that gets repeated and joined with others to build a quilt top.
The large roll a fabric is sold on at the store.
A frame of fabric strips sewn around the outer edge of a pieced quilt top before basting.
A vertical, fabric-covered surface (often flannel or batting) that quilt pieces cling to, used to arrange and step back from a layout before sewing.
A fabric print with an obvious up/down orientation (like stripes or text) that needs extra care when cutting pieces.
Stitching a line (or several) that repeats the outline of a shape at an even distance, like ripples.
Hand-piecing fabric around paper templates (often hexagons) and whipstitching the folded edges together.
Half of a fat quarter, roughly 9" × 21".
A quarter yard of fabric cut to roughly 18" × 21" instead of the standard 9" × 42", giving a more useful shape for cutting patches.
A curated collection containing one fat quarter of every print in a fabric line.
Sewing fabric directly onto a printed paper pattern for precise, intricate piecing, then removing the paper afterward.
Machine quilting where the feed dogs are dropped and the quilter guides the fabric freely to stitch curves, loops, and custom designs.
A hopping presser foot that allows the quilter to move fabric freely in any direction for free-motion quilting designs.
Deliberately cutting a patch to center or frame a specific motif in a fabric print, rather than cutting wherever falls.
The direction of woven threads in fabric — lengthwise grain parallel to the selvage has minimal stretch, while crosswise grain has slight stretch.
Like a half-square triangle, but cut from a rectangle instead of a square — creates elongated, angled triangle units.
A pieced unit made from two right triangles sewn together along their diagonal to form a square — one of the most common building blocks in quilting.
A fabric tube sewn to the back of a quilt so it can be hung on a rod for display.
A precut bundle of 1.5"-wide fabric strips, useful for narrow strip piecing, delicate sashing, or log cabin centers.
A precut bundle of 10" fabric squares.
Machine quilting done on a large, dedicated frame machine, often offered as a finishing service by a longarm quilter.
An all-over, random, puzzle-piece-like free-motion quilting pattern that fills space without crossing itself.
A quilt built around a large central design, surrounded by a series of pieced or appliquéd borders.
A precut bundle of 2.5" fabric squares, usually featuring one square of each print in a fabric collection.
A diagonal, folded corner used in binding (or borders) so the strip turns the corner cleanly instead of overlapping square.
Pressing opposing seam allowances in opposite directions so they interlock and lie flat where two seams meet.
A block or quilt setting rotated 45° so it sits like a diamond instead of a square.
A pieced unit made from four triangles sewn together, used when you need the straight fabric grain running along all four outer edges of a square.
A fabric label, usually stitched to the back, recording the quiltmaker, date, and recipient of a finished quilt.
The three layers of a quilt — top, batting, and backing — layered together before quilting.
The pieced, appliquéd, or otherwise decorated top layer of a quilt, before it's layered and quilted.
The stitching that holds all three layers of the quilt sandwich together, whether done by hand, machine, or longarm.
A thick, clear acrylic ruler marked with grid lines and angles, used to guide a rotary cutter for precise, repeatable cuts.
Placing two fabric pieces so their printed or finished front sides face one another before stitching, ensuring seam allowances end up hidden on the inside when opened.
A round-bladed cutting tool, used with a self-healing mat and acrylic ruler, that's largely replaced scissors for cutting quilting fabric.
A quilt made of many different blocks (often one of each), traditionally used to practice and showcase a range of techniques.
Strips of fabric sewn between blocks to separate and frame them before joining into a quilt top.
A quilt pieced from a wide variety of leftover fabrics rather than a single coordinated collection.
The strip of fabric between the stitching line and the raw edge. Quilting almost always uses a scant 1/4" seam allowance.
A small hooked tool for cutting and removing stitches — every quilter's most-used "un-sewing" tool.
A cutting surface made to "heal" after being cut with a rotary blade, protecting both the blade and the table underneath.
The tightly woven, non-fraying edge along both lengths of a fabric bolt, usually trimmed away before cutting.
The arrangement of blocks in a quilt top — straight, on-point, with sashing, and so on.
Quilting directly along an existing seam line so the stitches nearly disappear into the seam.
A precut bundle of half-square triangles, typically cut at 6" along the legs, ready for instant HST piecing.
A sewing machine attachment that feeds top and bottom fabric layers evenly — useful for straight-line quilting through thick layers.
The measurement across a bolt of fabric from selvage to selvage, typically about 42–44".
Did we miss an important quilting term?
We are constantly expanding our quilting glossary. If there's a technique, block name, or piecing term you'd like added, send us an email at [email protected].