WOF? FPP? HST? What does all this mean? 

Quilting comes with a loooooot of acronyms and other terms. When you’re a beginner, it can definitely feel overwhelming not knowing what everything means right off the bat. Never fear! I’m here to help you out as a beginner learning the ropes of quilting! I’ve also added in some common terms that AREN’T acronyms. I’m here to help! 

Quilt Units & Techniques Acronyms

• HST - Half Square Triangle
  • A square made from two triangles, usually created by cutting a square diagonally or using the two-at-a-time method.
• HRT - Half Rectangle Triangle
  • A rectangular unit made from two triangles sewn together along a diagonal seam.
• QST - Quarter Square Triangle
  • A square divided into four triangles.
• SQST - Split Quarter Square Triangle
  • A unit made from three triangles, created by splitting one side of a half-square triangle into two smaller triangles.
• FPP - Foundation Paper Piecing
  • A technique where fabric is sewn to a paper foundation to create precise shapes.
• EPP - English Paper Piecing
  • A hand-piecing technique that uses paper templates to help create shapes.
• QAYG - Quilt As You Go
  • A quilting method where you quilt smaller sections individually before joining them together to complete the quilt.

Fabric & Cutting Acronyms

• WOF - Width of Fabric
  • The distance from selvage to selvage, generally assumed to be anywhere from 40” - 42"
• FQ - Fat Quarter
  • A quarter yard of fabric cut into a roughly 18" × 22" piece.
• F8 - Fat Eight
  • An eighth-yard cut of fabric made by cutting a fat quarter in half, typically measuring approximately 9" × 22".
• RST - Right Sides Together
  • A sewing instruction that means to place two fabric pieces with their printed or “right” sides facing each other before sewing.
• WST - Wrong Sides Together
  • A sewing instruction that means to place two fabric pieces with their wrong sides facing each other before sewing.
• SA - Seam Allowance
  • The amount of fabric between the stitching line and the raw edge.

Quilting & Construction

• FMQ - Free Motion Quilting
  • A quilting technique where the quilter moves the fabric freely under the needle to create decorative stitching.
• SID - Stitch in the Ditch
  • A quilting technique where you sew directly along the seam line between two pieces of fabric.

Other Quilting Acronyms & Terms

• BOM — Block of the Month
  • A project where you receive or make a new block each month.
• QAL — Quilt Along
  • A group project where people make the same quilt or follow the same schedule.
• WIP — Work in Progress
  • Because every quilter has approximately 47 of these.
• UFO — Unfinished Object
  • A project that has been abandoned or set aside.
• FO - Finished Object
  • A project that is actually finished!
• EQ/EQ8 - Electric Quilt/8
  • A computer software program used to design quilts, create quilt blocks, and plan quilt layouts.
• Y-Seam
  • A seam where three pieces meet at a single point, forming a Y shape.
• Flying Geese
  • A rectangular quilt unit made from one large triangle and two smaller triangles, creating a triangle that points in one direction.
• Chain Piecing
  • Sewing multiple pieces or units together one after another without cutting the thread between them.
• Pressing
  • Using an iron to set seams and flatten fabric during the piecing process.
• Squaring Up
  • Trimming a quilt block or unit to the correct size and shape.
• Nesting Seams
  • Aligning seams so they fit together neatly when sewing two pieces or blocks together.
• Fussy Cutting
  • Cutting fabric so a specific part of the print is featured in a particular piece or section of the quilt.
• Dog Ears
  • Small triangular pieces of fabric that extend beyond the seam allowance after sewing two pieces together.
• Quilt Sandwich
  • The three layers of a quilt: the quilt top, batting, and backing.
• Binding
  • The fabric strips used to cover and finish the raw edges of a quilt.
• Batting
  • The middle layer of a quilt, placed between the quilt top and backing.

Whew! THAT WAS A LOT! You’ll get the hang of it really quickly though, I know it. You’ll fall in love with quilting just as quickly as I did! What was the term that tripped you up the most when you were a beginner? Let me know!