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My quilt top is 113 x 113. I'm going to take it to a LA in our only QS in town. She is only open once a week so not able to talk to her yet. I'm thinking I'm going to have to piece the backing. I found some 108" wide backing I like but have no idea how much I will need or how to piece it. Can someone please help me figure this out so I can get the fabric ordered?
Thank You
Check out the calculators on this website. http://www.lilystreetquilts.com/lilystreet/calculators
It is great for determining needed yardage. Good luck!
I would get an extra 1/2 yard, since you will need to make the backing wider than 108" for your longarmer.
Personally, I like splitting my fabric 1/4 and 3/4 and then adding in a second color as a stripe. You could split your 108" fabric at 27" and then seam in 18" of a second fabric (1/2 yard by 118" or whatever your longarmer requires), then add the additional 81" of the wide back fabric. Trim as needed. And I press my seams open on the back since they don't nest.
If you are really trying to save every bit of fabric you can & are willing to have one area of your quilt that is heavily pieced, you can order 130".
Hancocks of Paducah and equilter both have some backing fabrics that are 116" and Hancocks of P has a couple 118" backing fabrics. I know I have gotten muslin, bleached and unableached that were 120" wide so you might want to look on the web to see if you can get an extra wide backing.
Just something to think about.
I have gotten muslin of 118" wide. Kona Premium from Beverly's Fabrics. Its a wonderful muslin! And often on sale.
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First you need to find out how much extra your longarmer needs on each side. Typically it can be 4" all around, which would mean your backing needs to be 121" in both directions. The other thing is to make sure your longarmer can handle a quilt this large. Many frames are 11 or 10 feet and would not accommodate your quilt. (Many other frames are 12', and could handle it, but it would be a little tight.)
Originally Posted by Dingle
As Dunster stated, find out if they can handle the size of you quilt first.
A Good Friend, like an old quilt, is both a Treasure and a Comfort
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