Is sashiko a kind of quilting?

Closely related. Sashiko uses running stitches through layers of cloth, which is a form of quilting, but its purpose grew from reinforcement and mending into decorative geometric stitchwork. Matelassé only looks quilted; it is woven, not stitched.

Can you tell them apart by touch?

Yes. Sashiko has visible thread and stitch holes and a relatively flat, textured surface, while matelassé has a soft, pronounced padded relief and no stitching at all, since the puff is woven in.

Sashiko is traditionally hand-sewn, stitch by stitch. Matelassé is machine-woven, which is why it can produce its quilted look quickly and uniformly across a whole bolt of cloth.

Side by side

Sashiko vs Matelassé

Sashiko and matelassé both cover a cloth in a raised, quilted-looking geometric pattern, but one is made with a needle and the other on a loom. Sashiko is hand needlework: rows of small running stitches worked through layers of cloth, building geometric motifs and a softly textured, quilted surface. Matelassé is woven: a compound cloth whose two layers are bound at intervals so it puffs into a quilted relief straight off the loom, with no stitching at all.

Sashiko

No. 164

running-stitch needlework on woven cloth · first documented 1600s

Matelassé

No. 146

compound double cloth woven to look quilted · first documented 1800s

The differences

Aspect	Sashiko	Matelassé
How it is made	Hand running stitches sewn through layered cloth.	Woven on a loom as a bound double cloth.
The pattern	Stitched geometric motifs (waves, hemp leaf, grids) in visible thread.	Puffed diamonds, scrolls, or florals raised by the weave.
Surface	Flatter, with the texture and thread of the stitches.	Pronounced padded relief, soft and dimensional.
Origin and use	Rural northern Japan; mending, then decorative craft.	France; bedding, jackets, structured eveningwear.

Which to choose

If the quilted geometry is sewn in visible running stitches, it is sashiko; if the relief is woven in with no stitching, it is matelassé. Both imitate quilting, but sashiko actually stitches the layers while matelassé fakes the puff on the loom.

Common questions

Is sashiko a kind of quilting?: Closely related. Sashiko uses running stitches through layers of cloth, which is a form of quilting, but its purpose grew from reinforcement and mending into decorative geometric stitchwork. Matelassé only looks quilted; it is woven, not stitched.
Can you tell them apart by touch?: Yes. Sashiko has visible thread and stitch holes and a relatively flat, textured surface, while matelassé has a soft, pronounced padded relief and no stitching at all, since the puff is woven in.
Which is handmade?: Sashiko is traditionally hand-sewn, stitch by stitch. Matelassé is machine-woven, which is why it can produce its quilted look quickly and uniformly across a whole bolt of cloth.

Full entry: Sashiko Full entry: Matelassé

Sources & References

1.Sashiko, Wikipedia
2.Boro (textile), Wikipedia
3.Matelassé, Wikipedia
4.Quilting, Wikipedia