Browse quilt patterns and pictures of quilts and you'll notice immediately just how varied their layouts can be. It's a good idea to become familiar with some of the options, and learn what those options are called. Why? In part because knowing the lingo helps you search for patterns by type.

What's a Horizontal Quilt Setting?

The three quilts on this page all represent a layout that's commonly called a 'horizontal set.' Quilt blocks are sewn together with their straight edges oriented up, down and to each side.

Quilt blocks can be sewn together in horizontal rows and then joined, or in vertical columns and then joined.

Sometimes I join partial rows into units, and then sew the units together -- a technique that can help avoid the stretch that sometimes occurs when working with long narrow rows of quilt blocks.

Horizontally set quilts are among the layouts we see most often. Many, like the Little Oddfellows Star shown upper left, have diagonally oriented patchwork that connects at block corners.

Other quilts illustrated:

Miniature Whirlwinds
H Quilt Pattern