08/31/2026
Let me show you one of those little quilting abbreviations we use so often that sometimes we forget nobody is born knowing what it means.
WOF.
If your pattern says, “Cut 6 strips 2 1/2" x WOF,” it means width of fabric.
In quilting, that means you’re cutting the strip across the fabric from one selvage side to the other.
Now here’s where people sometimes get tripped up. You might see quilting cotton described as being around 44" wide and expect every strip you cut to give you that much usable fabric. But those selvage edges are part of the total width, and your actual usable width can be smaller.
That matters when you’re figuring binding, borders or anything else where you need a certain length out of each strip. So when a pattern says WOF, don’t read that as “I am guaranteed exactly 44 inches.” Think selvage to selvage, then remember that you may need to trim those selvages before using your strip.
It’s a tiny distinction until you’re six inches short on your last binding strip. Then it suddenly becomes very interesting.
Did you know what WOF meant when you made your first quilt, or did you have to look that one up too?
