OK..I tried to do an art quilt..got excited, got creative, got excited, thought I was Degas and Rembrant all in one..Thought i would enter it in a show..then I was done, I looked at the back..looks like it fell on a sticky floor at a messy thread factory..threads hanging, birds nests all over, scribbling meanders that were suppose to be circles..but are pointy thingys.....In my defense the front is wondeful an egret flying over wetland sunset...what do i do..can I frame it. can I put a false back on it?? can I put big squares or circles on the back with egrets stitched on..?? If anyone sees the back Ill be tossed out of the quilt world and forever shamed. help... Any ideas..Dottie

dottie, Framing it sounds like the best way to go unless it is to big? It sounds lovely and I can't wait to see it( the front that is).

i'd put a back over it and go on as usual.

I would say that if you are serious about entering it in a contest for art quilts, then quilt a new back however you want that back to look, and attach it to your quilt,hiding the back you have now. You will need to work out the problem of the sides - will you birth it? or take off the binding and replace it? Since it is an art quilt I can't think that the fact the quilting on the top and back do not match will be anything but a creative, artful decision on your part. however, you might want to query the entry rules of the contest you plan to enter. You could have a reversible quilt. Scenic one side, whole cloth trapunto on the other. Good luck!!

THANK YOU FOR REPLY...
Its about 36" by 38"..Do you know if anyone on this board has ever framed a quilt..I did a search on hiding the back and found nothing...I am new to this board it is great..Im from Michigan..Dottiej

You can still use the quilt and enter it in a non judged show. Lots of guilds hold them.

But also use this quilt as a valuable lesson to find out what went wrong on the back and to check your back on the next one. Birds nests are normally caused by not bringing your bobbin thread to the top and holding it when you first start quilting.

Pointy things on the back that are nice rounded circles on the front sound like eyelashing to me, which means you have some tension issues and are probably going a bit too fast. So use these valuable lessons to make your next art quilt the masterpiece you know you are capable of doing that looks wonderful on the front AND the back. ;-)

Welcome to QB Dottiej!

My husband framed an art quilt for me. He made a flat frame the size I wanted and then we stapled the quilt to it. He then made attached another flat frame on top of that so the quilt is securely and evenly held all the way around. I think for one your size you would need some cross pieces on the back if you used a similar method.

I hope we hear about some other ways, too.

Thank you..I dont have a binding on it yet,,a double back sounds neat...I can make 3 or four and practice my quilting.....I do acrylic painting also..and have never been afraid of happy accidents..I can make it look intentional..however the back of this quilt is no happy accident..its a total wipeout..Dottiej

Are you putting into a judged show or is it for your own enjoyment? Will it be a wall hanging?

I'd be tempted to put a false back on it to hide the back. Framing it is expensive.