If you’ve ever scrolled through a quilting forum or read a pattern and thought, “What on earth does that mean?” — you’re in the right place. This guide to quilting acronyms for beginners breaks down 21 of the most common abbreviations so you can follow along with confidence and finally feel at home in the quilting community.
The good news about quilting acronyms for beginners is that once you know them, they’re second nature. And honestly, some of them are pretty fun (looking at you, PhD and FLIMSY). Let’s decode 21 of the most common quilting acronyms so you can follow along with confidence — and maybe even impress a few people at your next guild meeting.
Quilting Acronyms for Beginners: The Complete Glossary
To make this easy to scan, I’ve organized these into groups. I’ve included a short definition for each so you understand not just what the letters stand for, but how each term actually fits into your quilting practice.
First, let’s cover the terms you’ll see most often when talking about project status.
Project Status Terms
FLIMSY — A completed quilt top that has not yet been quilted
Not technically an acronym — it’s quilting slang! A flimsy is a finished quilt top that’s still waiting to be layered with batting and backing and quilted. We’ve all got at least one of these.
PhD — Project Half Done
Any project that you started but stalled somewhere in the middle. Different from a UFO (which hasn’t been touched in a while), a PhD might be actively in progress — just moving slowly. No judgment here!
UFO — Unfinished Object
Any quilt project you’ve started but haven’t completed — and probably hasn’t been touched in a while. Every quilter has a UFO pile. Finishing one feels incredibly satisfying!
WIP — Work in Progress
A project you’re actively working on right now. Unlike a UFO, a WIP is live — fabric is cut, blocks are being sewn, and progress is happening.
Next up, we take a look at terms related to fabric and cutting. These are helpful when you are buying fabric or getting started cutting your fabric.
Fabric & Cutting Terms
FQ — Fat Quarter
A quilter-friendly cut of fabric measuring approximately 18″ x 22″. It’s cut by taking a half-yard of fabric and cutting it in half vertically, giving you a wider, squarer piece than a standard quarter-yard cut.
LOF — Length of Fabric
Fabric measured along the lengthwise grain (parallel to the selvage). This measurement is often used for borders or backing strips where you need a long, continuous piece.
SA — Seam Allowance
The distance between the cut edge of your fabric and your stitch line. In quilting, the standard seam allowance is ¼”. Consistent seam allowances are key to blocks that come out the right size!
WOF — Width of Fabric
The measurement of fabric from selvage to selvage, which is typically 40″–44″ for quilting cotton after pre-washing. Patterns often use WOF to describe strip cuts that run across the full width of the fabric.
Moving along, here are details on the technique terms — these come up constantly in patterns and tutorials.
Technique & Method Terms
B2B — Border to Border
A longarm quilting term describing a design that runs continuously from one border edge to the other, covering the entire quilt surface in one seamless pattern.
EPP — English Paper Piecing
A hand-sewing technique where you wrap fabric around paper templates and whip-stitch them together to create precise geometric shapes. Hexagons are the most popular EPP shape.
HST — Half Square Triangle
One of the most versatile units in quilting — a square you make by sewing two right triangles together along the diagonal. HSTs are the building block of hundreds of quilt patterns.
QAL — Quilt Along
A community quilting event — often hosted online — where a group of quilters all work on the same pattern at the same time, sharing progress and encouraging each other. A great way to tackle a new pattern with support!
QAYG — Quilt as You Go
A technique where you quilt each block individually (layered with batting and backing and stitched) before you join the blocks together. Great for managing large quilts on a domestic machine.
Finally, a few terms related to tools, software, and the quilting community.
Tools, Equipment & Community
BOM — Block of the Month
A program — often run by quilt shops, guilds, or designers — where you receive one new quilt block pattern each month. A fun way to build a quilt gradually over the course of a year!
DSM — Domestic Sewing Machine
Your regular home sewing machine, as opposed to a longarm quilting machine. Most quilters piece and sometimes quilt entirely on their DSM.
EQ — Electric Quilt
Electric Quilt is popular quilt design software that lets you plan colorways, design blocks, and preview finished quilts before cutting a single piece of fabric.
LAQ — Long Arm Quilting
The process of quilting using a longarm machine — a large, specialized quilting machine mounted on a frame that holds the quilt layers taut. Many quilters send their tops to a professional longarm quilter (also called a LAQ) to finish.
LQS — Local Quilt Shop
Your neighborhood quilt shop — and one of the best resources you have as a quilter! LQS staff are typically experienced quilters themselves and a wonderful source of fabric advice, class recommendations, and community.
QOV — Quilts of Valor
A non-profit organization dedicated to covering service members and veterans with quilts to express gratitude and support healing. Making a Quilts of Valor is a meaningful way to give back through your craft.
RST — Right Sides Together
A sewing instruction telling you to place the printed or “pretty” sides of two fabric pieces facing each other before sewing. This ensures your seam lands on the inside of the finished piece.
WST — Wrong Sides Together
The opposite of RST — placing the back sides of two fabric pieces facing each other. Quilters use this for specific techniques like making quilt-as-you-go blocks or certain binding methods where you want the seam on the outside.
Download Your Free Printable Reference Guide
Want to keep this list handy? Download your free printable reference guide below — it’s a great one to pin up in your sewing room or save to your phone for those “wait, what does that mean again?” moments.
Download Quilting Acronym Reference Guide
I hope this guide to quilting acronyms for beginners helps you feel more at home in the quilting world. The community is warm, welcoming, and full of people who were once right where you are. And now that you speak a bit of the language, you’re one step closer to feeling like a true quilter!
If you found this helpful, you might also enjoy my other beginner resources — including my post on 5 Things Every Quilter Should Do Before Starting a New Project and my free Fabric Yardage Conversion Chart. Both are great additions to your quilting toolkit.
Until next time, happy quilting!