quilting

[kwil-ting]

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noun

the act of a person who quilts.

material for making quilts.

a heavily padded wrapping, as for fragile cargo.

Origin of quilting

First recorded in 1605–15; quilt + -ing¹

quilt

[kwilt]

noun

a coverlet for a bed, made of two layers of fabric with some soft substance, as wool or down, between them and stitched in patterns or tufted through all thicknesses in order to prevent the filling from shifting.

anything quilted or resembling a quilt.

a bedspread or counterpane, especially a thick one.

Obsolete. a mattress.

verb (used with object)

to stitch together (two pieces of cloth and a soft interlining), usually in an ornamental pattern.

to sew up between pieces of material.

to pad or line with material.

verb (used without object)

to make quilts or quilted work.

Origin of quilt

1250–1300; Middle English quilte < Old French cuilte < Latin culcita mattress, cushion

Related formsquilt·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for quilting

covering, lace, decoration, tapestry, brocade, needlepoint, stuff, cover, fill, bedeck, knit, decorate, embellish, stitch, sewing, embroidery, knitting, stitchery, tatting

Examples from the Web for quilting

Contemporary Examples of quilting

His wife reportedly told members of her quilting club that she, too, was carrying a pistol.
The Storm of Violence That Killed Texas District Attorney Mike McLelland
Michael Daly
April 2, 2013
Cox has been quilting for 20 years and her latest book is The Quilter's Catalog: A Comprehensive Resource Guide.
Quilts for Obama
Meg Cox
May 16, 2009

Historical Examples of quilting

Embroidery may be added to the quilting, and this is often an improvement.
Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving
Grace Christie
I am sure Mother will want my help with her quilting this afternoon.
A Little Maid of Old Maine
Alice Turner Curtis
It was drunk at every spinning-bee, quilting, or other gathering of women.
Customs and Fashions in Old New England
Alice Morse Earle
(b) Quilting, banding, practice for curves and square corners.
The Making of a Trade School
Mary Schenck Woolman
Among the few home occupations that have survived is quilting.
Quilts
Marie D. Webster

British Dictionary definitions for quilting

quilting

noun

material used for making a quilt

the act or process of making a quilt

quilted work

quilt

noun

a thick warm cover for a bed, consisting of a soft filling sewn between two layers of material, usually with crisscross seams

a bedspread or counterpane

anything quilted or resembling a quilt

verb (tr)

to stitch together (two pieces of fabric) with (a thick padding or lining) between themto quilt cotton and wool

to create (a garment, covering, etc) in this way

to pad with material

Australian informal to strike; clout

Derived Formsquilter, noun

Word Origin for quilt

C13: from Old French coilte mattress, from Latin culcita stuffed item of bedding

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for quilting

quilt

c.1300, "mattress with soft lining," from Anglo-French quilte, Old French cuilte, coute "quilt, mattress" (12c.), from Latin culcita "mattress, bolster," of unknown origin. Sense of "thick outer bed covering" is first recorded 1590s.

quilt

1550s, from quilt (n.). Related: Quilted; quilting. Quilting bee attested from 1824 (see bee).