Shelbie

Is there a "best" way to piece a back for a quilt? I am trying to prepare a back for a King sized quilt and nothing that I have is wide enough. Should I seam yardage lengthwise or widthwise, slice the piece I have lengthwise and insert a fabric strip down the middle, add borders all the way around, quarter my fabric and add length and width or something else that I haven't thought of? My quilt top is 100" x 108" and needs to get finished. I'd love to hear all about backs.

LindaM

If you're sending this out to a longarmer, I'd contact them and ask what they would prefer you to do.

For seamed backs it is much better to have the seams lay the same direction as the rollers. If the seams are perpendicular to the rollers, as the quilt gets rolled those seams pile up and make an uneven spot - some of the quilt will be tight at the seam, loose between the seams.

Be sure to remove the selvedges from the backing.

What I'd do myself is to have three strips across the width of the quilt - that's because my 10' frame won't load a 108" quilt plus the 4" each side needed to load on the frame. If your longarmer has a wider frame, three strips lengthwise would work.

If you're hand quilting or quilting this on your domestic machine, you can be as creative as you'd like!

I would be cautious of borders as it can be tough to ensure they get matched perfectly to the top as it is loaded.

Hope this helps, Good luck!

roguequilter

your second idea, split down middle and add a strip, was the recomended method when i learned to quilt in the 80's. the thought was, that the back was stronger by having seams to side and solid strip in center. but since then, methods and thoughts have changed. no rules ...i am in love w pieced backs. backs made w leftover blocks, backs made scrappy style with big chunks of fabric left over from piecing the quilt. do what is fun ... it all works and looks great!

Prism99

It really depends on whether this will be quilted on a frame or not.

If quilted on a frame, the traditional method of splitting fabric so you have a large piece in the center and a piece on each side of the center is not good. This is because the seams starts to "pile up" as the quilt is rolled, creating bumps where the extra fabric of the seams are. In this case, it is better to have the seams running from side-to-side rather than the traditional up-down.

If quilted on a domestic sewing machine (or a sit-down longarm), which direction the seams run doesn't matter as the quilt is not rolled onto a roller as you quilt. Whatever looks good works!

dunster

Like the others have said, I always try to load the back so that any seams run along the rollers. However, I've also loaded heavily pieced backs on the longarm with no problems, and could probably make do with any configuration if necessary.

QuiltnLady1

I would use John Flynn's diagonal pieced method and start with one of the extra wide back pieces Here is a link to acalculator that will help you figure out how much fabric you will need: <O></O>
http://www.multi-patch.com/html/diagonal_backing_calculator.php. <O></O>
<O> </O>
Here is a link to an explanation of theconcept:<O></O>
http://www.needleandforge.com/infobox/tutorial-diagonally-pieced-backing/<O></O>
<O> </O>
This is a link to a .pdf from John Flynn,but the explanation is not as clear:<O></O>
http://flynnquilt.com/media/uploads/2009/04/08/files/diagonalpb1103.pdf<O></O>
<O> </O>
I have used this method on many, many quilts. I love it because I can roll the quilt on thequit frame and you don’t get bumps where the seam is. Additionally, depending on the fabric, theseam can disappear.<O></O>

Jeanne S

The previous advice is good especially if you are quilting it on a long arm. That being said, you might look at the back as another creative opportunity. I often try to incorporate some extra blocks from the front onto the back as well as using some coordinating fabrics in large pieces in the back design. If you google "quilt backs" you will see lots of images for ideas. With just a little extra piecing in the back you will create a reversible quilt! I would avoid trying to be too symmetrical or trying to add border type strips as I have found it difficult to get an exact placement of the back when you sandwich it, so I don't try to piece anything in the back too close to the edges.

Maureen NJ

I have a question. I hand baste using Sharon Schamber's method. When I piece the back pieces together, whether it is 2 or 3 pieces, it never seems to lie flat when I press it. Why is that? What can I do to make it better? Also, when you lay the front to the back, I always seem to have problems lining it up so the seam will be the same amount in from the edges and look ok when I put on the binding. Any suggestions? Thanks for your input.

Boston1954

I saw a quilt in a show once that had a fairly large piece in the middle, and then using fabrics from the front, just kept building on the four sides until it was big enough. It was terrific!

KalamaQuilts

all of my quilts are double sided, the one I just got back is 2 of Bonnie Hunters mysteries, the other is the one I made with the 50 fab stars paper piecing book with a heavily pieced reverse...my long armer doesn't have any trouble quilting them, but we both understand that if a needle hits a joint with a lot of layers in it the stitch will not be the same size as those surrounding it.
My dear jane was double sided and I hand quilted it.
Quit worrying and start creating.
Double sided quilts half the cost of sending a quilt out to be long armed
Halves the storage space required.
And they are Always beautiful on the bed...

rules are for fraidy cats