| Word | Description |
| Fat Eighth | A 1/4 yard of fabric that is cut in half between the selvedges so you end up with a piece of fabric that is approximately 9" by 22" |
| Fat Quarter | A 1/2 yard of fabric that is cut in half between the selvedges so you end up with a piece of fabric that is approximately 18" by 22" |
| Feed dogs | The sawtooth-edged metal strips that are just under your sewing machine needle. They help guide your fabric beneath the presser foot so your piece can be sewn. |
| Felted wool | Wool that has been machine washed and dried, creating a tight-woven material that won't fray. |
| Finger press | When you press a small seam with your fingers and pressure instead of an iron. Frequently quilters finger press their patches instead of ironing them. This saves time and allows some flexibility to the blocks. |
| Flannel | 100% cotton fabric that has a brushed, napped surface. Flannel is generally very soft and wonderful for baby quilts. It can also be used inside a quilt instead of batting. |
| Foundation piecing | A method of sewing fabric pieces on the reverse side of a paper pattern or foundation fabric. Once the block is complete, the paper is removed. |
| Four patch | A block or patch unit that is made up of 4 squares of equal size. This is a simple four patch. Four patches can also be made up of half-square triangles and other shapes within each quadrant. |
| Framed block | A block with fabric strips around it so it looks like it has been framed. |
| Free-motion quilting | Quilting done on a machine with the feed dogs down, so the quilt can be moved in any direction under the needle. Usually a darning foot is used instead of a regular presser foot. |
| Freezer paper - or "grease proof paper" in the UK | is paper with a waxy finish on one side. It is generally used to wrap and protect food that will be frozen, but quilters figured out that they could cut patterns out of the paper and lightly iron it to fabric. It's great for stabilizing appliqué pieces onto the backing fabric. |
| French fold binding - or double fold binding. | Quilt binding that is made from a strip of fabric that is folded in half lengthwise before it is sewn onto the quilt. It is also known as French-fold binding. |
| Fusible web | A paper-backed adhesive that you can iron onto the back of fabric and then cut it into shapes and iron onto a background fabric. |
| Fussy cutting | When you find a particular design, picture or print in your fabric and then cut around it so it fits into a patch or block on your quilt featuring the special picture or design. |