Quilt topThe top layer, usually the decorated one, often pieced from many fabrics.
BattingThe soft padding in the middle that makes a quilt warm. It is also called wadding.
BackingThe bottom layer of cloth, on the back of the quilt.
Quilting stitchesThe lines of stitches that hold all three layers together. They are sewn through them, all over the quilt.
On the quilt top: 5 5
BlocksThe units, often squares, that the quilt top is built from. Here each is pieced from four triangles.
Patchwork piecesThe small pieces of fabric sewn together to make each block. Sewing them together is called piecing.
AppliquéA shape cut from fabric and sewn onto the top. Here it is a flower on the middle block.
BorderThe band of fabric round the blocks, framing the center.
BindingThe strip of fabric sewn round the very edge. It covers the raw edges of all three layers.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. (1) Wikipedia, Quilt, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilt : a multi-layered textile, commonly three layers: a top of woven cloth, a batting or wadding layer, and a woven back, joined by quilting, sewing through the face of the fabric; small pieces joined in units called blocks; patchwork or piecing; appliqué, an upper layer of fabric sewn onto a ground fabric; medallion quilts with a central panel and one or more borders. (2) Wikipedia, Quilting, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilting : the three layers are the top fabric or quilt top, batting, and the backing; binding the final product. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
These are the parts of a quilt, drawn from above and then with its three layers pulled apart. Start with the 4 main parts, then the quilt top.
Read the full guide
The three layers
A quilt is usually three layers: the decorated quilt top, the soft batting in the middle, and the backing underneath. Quilting stitches sewn through all three, across the whole face and not just round the edges, hold them together.
The top
The top is built from blocks, each pieced from small patchwork pieces, sometimes with appliqué shapes sewn on. A border frames the blocks, and the binding finishes the edge.
Quilting is the stitching through all the layers; patchwork, or piecing, is sewing the top together.
Questions and answers
What are the three layers of a quilt?
The quilt top, the batting (or wadding) in the middle, and the backing. Lines of quilting stitches sewn through all three layers hold them together.
What is batting in a quilt?
The soft padding layer between the top and the backing, which makes the quilt warm. It is also called wadding.
What is the edge of a quilt called?
The binding: a strip of fabric sewn round the edge that covers the raw edges of all three layers.