is there a rule for grain wise for the back of a quilt? i mean does the fabric really need to be going the same way as the front? instead of buying mor fabric to piece the sides to be wider, a friend told me that i could fold the fabric in half and cut then sew it. this way i would have the width as my front piece. i would have a seam in the middle on the back but i would still get my length and the width that i want.

I'm sure some purists will disagree with me, but I don't think it makes much difference or a pront needs matching up. I was taught that quilt backs should be pieced in thirds to waer more evenly, but I think that is more of a personal preference.

so i understand that you are saying that it is to be be pieced into thirds. but turning the fabric the other way is what i am concerned about. as far stretching goes. but my piece i think will only be cut in half to make it look right because of turning the material sideways to get the width. so do you think this will look ok?

I saw some prize winning quilts with the back made by piecing different size patterns togethe


anthing goes, please yourself :D

I don't think there is a hard fast rule. Use to be you divided it into 3rds to reduce stress on te seam, or so I have been told. But I do it however I can with whatever amount of fabric that I have. My main consideration is not to waste fabrci by cutting it in such a way to have 3rds when if I used another method, I might have a bigger scrap left over. Did I make sense? Crosswise or lengthwise, halves or thirds, it is up to you. I saw some quilts at a quilt show that had a hodgepodge of fabric for the back and the owners were quite pleased with the result. The quilt police have been bannished so please yourself.

I've seen the backing done in many many ways. Big blocks of fabric from the front, half and half, in thirds. I usually end up doing the back in different sizes.......just cause I want them to be be used and loved. If you give it a "look" to the back, they'll love it that much more.

Don't be afraid to TRY anything, if it's pleasing to your eye, it's going to be wonderful. If by cutting on the bias it frays then use your zigzag. No quilt police will ever say it's wrong. I promise.

Merry Christmas,
Sharon

The only problem that comes to mind is if your bias is running along the edges of the quilt. That could lead to stretching while your trying to quilt it and you could end up with unwanted puckers. As long as the lengthwise or crosswise grain is running paralel to the edges, you shouldn't have any problems.

Helen

If I'm understanding you right, you are taking 2 shorter lengths of fabric and joining them at the sides to make a bigger piece with a join that will run across the middle of the quilt. I do this all the time, works great :thumbup: , whatever I can to make my fabric go a bit further. Don't forget to remove your selveges first though as they are at a different tension to the rest of the fabric. If you don't you could create a lovely ripple effect right across the middle of your quilt, don't ask me how I know this :lol:

what i am trying to say is my top piece is 45-1/2" and my back is a little over 43". when i trim the salvages it will make both pieces shorter and i want to keep it around 43 to 44 inches. so what i want to do is to take the 43" back piece fold the length in half, cut it and then turn it sideways and sew a seam so that it now gives me the width i want and still have my length. i believe i explained it right this time. i guess i was still asleep when i wrote my first message. ps i realize and was going to buy more material and add on to the sides, but a friend of mine told me how to do it this way. that is why i am asking about the grains and the stretching. sorry if i had confused anyone about the way i tried to explain this. but i think all of you knew what i meant. thanks for all the input.

Measure quilt top
Add _____inches to allow for take-up that will occur from quilting.

If smaller than width of backing, minus selvage, you only need to buy one piece same length.

If smaller measurement is bigger than width of backing, minus selvage, you will need to piece backing.
Decide where you want your seam to be.
Buy two lengths of backing

If the piece I'm using for my backing is too small, I usually add borders to all 4 sides (if necessary). Sometimes the length is just fine and only the sides need additional inches.

Simply put, It doesn't matter if the fabric grain runs in the same direction as the front of the quilt.

The idea behind piecing the backing in thirds is so if you fold the quilt for storage, the seams will be less stressed if they don't lay where a fold is.

Lots of quilts have pieced backs. You can do whatever you want.
peace :D

By the time you have quilted it, the grain really shouldn't matter

Right, wrong or indifferent, that's the way I do it!