You need to understand some common quilting terms before you try to read your first quilting pattern. If you don’t understand the basics, you are setting yourself up for frustration and, potentially, hours of ripping out mistakes. Some of the more common quilting sewing terms are explained below that help people understand some of the basics of quilting.

Basting your quilt is the process of holding the three pieces together (quilt top, batting, and backing) so that you can quilt it without the pieces slipping and moving around. You can baste with safety pins, plastic quilt tabs, temporary adhesive spray, or a long running hand stitch.

Stippling is filling in a portion of the quilt with stitches, either by hand or by machine. Stippling is one continuous line of stitches which does not flow in a straight line, makes no sharp corners, and does not cross on itself. It is used to create texture on your quilt, and is much easier to do by machine than trying to stipple by hand.

Stitches per inch are the number of stitches you can count on the top of the quilt in a one inch space. Stitches per inch are important because they are a measurement of how closely the material is quilted, and can make a difference in shrinkage of the material when the quilt is washed. Many types of batting have a recommended stitches per inch ratio.

Seam allowance is the distance from the edge of the fabric and where you place your stitching. Generally, quilters allow a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Seam allowances are important because too large of an allowance causes bulk in your quilt, and too small of an allowance could cause your seams to pull apart.