How to tie a quilter's knot
A quilter's knot is a neat, consistent knot at the end of your thread: wrap the thread round the needle a few times, pinch the wraps and pull the needle through.
Pinny's tip
What you'll need
- Hand needle: any.
- Thread: any.
Step by step
- Thread the needle.
- Hold the needle and lay the thread tail across it so the needle and tail cross.
- Wrap the thread round the needle two or three times.
- Pinch the wraps between finger and thumb.
- Pull the needle through the wraps while still pinching, all the way down the thread.
- The wraps tighten into a small knot at the end.
Watch
Make a Quilters Knot (1:02)
By Threads Sewing · Open on YouTube
The video this technique page has always pointed to, a 1-minute one from Threads Sewing. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
Common mistakes
- Letting go of the wraps. Keep pinching as you pull.
- Too few wraps. The knot pulls through.
- Using the wrong end. Wrap the long tail end.
Watch it done
- Make a Quilters Knot by Threads Sewing on YouTube. Opens on YouTube; the video belongs to its creator.
- How to Make a Quilters Knot by Needlepointers on YouTube. Opens on YouTube; the video belongs to its creator.
- Quilters Knot Tutorial by Amanda Lipscomb on YouTube. Opens on YouTube; the video belongs to its creator.
Sources
All checked November 1, 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.