Fleece backing question
 

Working with the granddaughter on her quilt for the boyfriend. She has decided to do an Irish Chain front with an Army Fleece back. I have never used fleece as a backing. What do I need to know or do? Besides it does stretch like crazy!! Can fleece be starched to stabilize it? Does it need batting in the middle?? I am worried it might be too hot. We are in AZ but he is in Boot Camp in GA.

How big is the quilt? I used fleece for the backing on a lap-size quilt once and it worked just fine. I didn't use any batting as I thought the fleece was warm enough and lofty enough without it. I do remember that I basted the heck out of it because I was afraid, like you, that it would stretch. It wasn't that bad to quilt but I didn't do anything fancy and kept the quilting to a minimum. That was before i had my LA so I did it on my domestic.

I think this would be a prime time to use 505 Basting Spray!

I like the idea of using fleece on the back of quilts...how snuggly! And , I have used the minkie kind on a baby quilt I knew would be well loved. I used my frame and was just really careful to not stretch it.

But, I have not done one with normal fleece. I am afraid the fleece will get old and look awful when the top still looks great. I rarely see fleece that lasts 3 seasons, let alone 25 years.
Just a thought.

@Suze9395 - LOL, it's a 19 year old female in love with a boy in Boot Camp, her last concern is longevity. It just needs to tell him of her undying love and say US Army!! LOL Goodness, I would not be 19 again for anything!!!!! But I have to give it to her, for someone who has never even sat in front of a sewing machine, she is doing really well. She has done everything except the cutting!! I guess that is proof of true love! I'll post pictures if we get this done!!

I use fleece all the time for backing. I use very minimal quilting as it makes the fleece stiff. My favorite way to use it is to pillowcase or birth the quilt, then 1/4 inch around the edge, then quilt a few large shapes to keep the quilt together. My family loves these and they have lasted four years very nicely, often washed.

This will cost some money, but look around for a good sturdy fleece. Some is, some isn't. The sturdier stuff will cost more----------but be sooooooooooooo much easier to work with.

Otherwise, buy a billion safety pins and start pinning!

fleece makes great backs---remember to (smooth) it, not stretch it- lots of pins (starch really is just wasting the starch)
great for tied quilts- she could do the pillow case (birthing) method to put it together- top stitch around the edges- then add ties to hold it all together- really makes it easier than quilting-
if quilting is the desired finish lengthen the stitch length, and do a simple wide cross hatch or stitch in the ditch maybe around each large block-minimum quilting necessary. he will love it & so will she :)
as for batting- if she wants it to be (lofty) cozy warm add batting---he will be sent somewhere else when done with boot camp-===could be cold---it is a personal choice- i live in northern michigan & tend to add batting -- but some people make them without...one thing is the batting does kind of (stablize)the fleece- especially if using warm & natural or a 'like' batting...if you do go with batting the quilting does need to be the amount the batting recommends...so w&n is a good choice- you don't want one that needs to be quilted every 2".

I've used fleece on a ton of lap size quilts....fleece is about 55-60 inches wide, so that will be the width of your quilt. I agree, do not try to use spray basting but use a fair amount of pins. I would not try to use the ''birthing'' method as there will be some movement of the fleece ( cotton top and back and batting, all stick together ) since it isn't ''sticky''. I lenthen my stitch length a bit, use a walking foot to prevent a lot of fabric movement and just do a simple SID to hold the fabrics together. You can either do a turned binding....backing to the front....or use regular cotton fabric for the binding. I cut mine about 3 1/2 inches wide, fold in half...( like reg. binding ) and use a 1/2 inch seam. I just feel a wide binding looks better on the bulkyness of the fleece. I have fleece blankets that have been used for years with several washing/dryings, and they still look good!!!!

Thanks for all the suggestions!!