Opinion on quilt back color and value
 

Hello - my first post, so be kind as I'm sure everyone on this board always is. :)

I've made several quilts in my life, but am still a novice. I have just finished an oversized king top. If any of you are on Pinterest, you've seen the beautiful zigzag rail fence quilt from Red Pepper quilts. http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2011/...new-quilt.html

I pretty much copied the quilt because my husband and I fell in love w it. Hubby wants an orange, solid background. My question, with so much white, will quilting on a solid background produce and odd, unintended effects? Pinholes? Dark showing through to the front? I don't really want a white back. Opinions and technical reasons to go with a light versus medium - dark back please! Here's the full quilt on the bed.

Thank you in advance.
Erika

Here's a closer look.

Your colors POP!!!! I love it.2 pictures came thru. Can not help with the quilting as I hand quilt or send it to a lA to be done. Hugs and Welcome from Baton Rouge, Louisiana

If he wants an orange solid back, maybe he'll go for a mottled orange back. That will help hide the stitching on the back. I prefer to have darker colors on the back, meaning anything darker than white. I want something where some dirt won't show. So, I also do not like too much white on the top of a quilt, nor on borders or binding. Even Cream is a little light for the outer borders, backing, and binding as far as I'm concerned.

Orange should work fine for the backing. You may be able to use an orange varigated thread on the top, and the same or solid orange thread on the bobbin for the quilting.

I'm not sure I'm understanding your question. You want to know if using an orange backing for the quilt will show through to the front? Are you not planning on using batting in between?

I wouldn't worry about pinholes. Those will disappear when you wash it.

A lot depends on the batting you choose. Some battings will allow backing color to shade through; other battings are totally opaque.

Warm and Natural will probably not allow an orange backing to influence the top at all; however, compared to other battings it is somewhat heavy and stiff in drape (the stiffness does soften with each washing since this batting is primarily cotton).

Hobbs PolyDown would be a good batting for this quilt because it is light in weight and offers a lot of softness and loft. However, it would probably allow a bright orange backing to shadow through to the top.

Your top is so beautiful. I am not sure I would trust the orange not to show through the white.

Makes me think of ribbon candy. Delicious!!!!

I really love your colors!! I'm too much of a novice to help you with advice, but I'm reading along for the expertise of others. If I thought there were no chance of orange showing through ,and hubby requested it, I'd honor him with that. But if the back color would influence it somehow, I'd gently explain that to him and suggest something suitable. It's too much hard work with white on top to get muddied by a dark color. But as I said, I just don't know.