How to Read a Quilt Pattern: A Beginner's Guide

A quilt pattern can look like a page of codes the first time you open one. Once you know how they're laid out, nearly every pattern follows the same order, and reading one becomes second nature.

1. Start with the finished size and skill level

Near the top you'll usually find the finished quilt size (for example 60 × 72 inches), the finished block size, and often a skill level. Check the size against what you want to make before you buy fabric. Many patterns include more than one size.

2. Read the fabric requirements

This list tells you how much of each fabric to buy, usually in yards or as precuts like fat quarters. Fabrics are often labeled by letter or by role (Fabric A, background, border, binding) and sometimes by value (light, medium, dark) rather than color, so you can choose your own colors.

Tip: Yardage assumes fabric about 42 inches wide after trimming selvages. If your fabric is narrower, or you plan to fussy cut a print, buy a little extra.

3. Check the seam allowance

Almost all quilt patterns use a ¼-inch seam allowance, and the cutting sizes already include it. A seam that's even slightly wider adds up across a row, so blocks come out smaller than the pattern expects. Sew a test block and measure it before cutting everything.

4. Follow the cutting chart

The cutting chart lists, for each fabric, how many strips to cut across the width of the fabric and how to sub-cut them into squares, rectangles or triangles. Cut in the order given; patterns are usually arranged to waste as little fabric as possible.

5. Learn the common abbreviations

• WOF: width of fabric, a strip cut from selvage to selvage.
• HST: half-square triangle, a square made from two triangles.
• QST: quarter-square triangle, a square made from four triangles.
• RST: right sides together.
• FQ: fat quarter, about 18 × 21 inches.
• Unfinished vs. finished: unfinished sizes include the seam allowance; finished sizes are what shows once sewn into the quilt.

6. Use the diagrams

Piecing diagrams show how units go together, step by step, and the quilt assembly diagram shows how blocks, sashing and borders are arranged. Pressing arrows tell you which way to press each seam so seams nest neatly when you join rows.

7. See it in your fabric first

The cover photo shows the quilt in the designer's fabric, which can make it hard to picture in yours. With Quilt Preview you photograph the pattern cover and the fabrics you're considering, and see the quilt made from them before you buy or cut. Then go back to the pattern for every measurement.