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Quilting Dictionary

Grain / Grainline

Fabric
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The direction of woven threads in fabric — lengthwise grain parallel to the selvage has minimal stretch, while crosswise grain has slight stretch.

Grain / Grainline

Illustrated reference guide for Fabric concepts and patch assembly.

Also see

Selvage

More Fabric terms

Keep exploring the glossary.

BiasThe 45-degree diagonal orientation relative to the fabric grain, offering maximum stretch and flexibility.BoltThe large roll a fabric is sold on at the store.Charm PackA precut bundle of 5" fabric squares, usually one of each print in a fabric collection.Directional PrintA fabric print with an obvious up/down orientation (like stripes or text) that needs extra care when cutting pieces.Fat EighthHalf of a fat quarter, roughly 9" × 21".Fat QuarterA quarter yard of fabric cut to roughly 18" × 21" instead of the standard 9" × 42", giving a more useful shape for cutting patches.

Put it into practice

Block LibraryBrowse classic pieced blocks and their history.Pattern MakerDrag blocks onto a grid to design your own quilt top.Yardage CalculatorWork out exactly how much fabric your quilt needs.
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