A quilt is a multi-layered textile, traditionally composed of three layers of fiber : a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding, and a woven back, combined using the technique of quilting, the process of sewing the three layers together.
The pattern of stitching can be the key decorative element if a single piece of fabric is used for the top of a quilt, (a "wholecloth quilt"), but in many cases the top is pieced from a patchwork of smaller fabric pieces; and the pattern and color of these pieces will be important to the design.
In the twenty-first century, quilts are frequently displayed as non-utilitarian works of art but historically quilts were often used as bedcovers; and this use persists today.
(In modern British English, the word "quilt" can also be used to refer to an unquilted duvet or comforter ).
