Help!! How do you prepare a 106 inch wide fabric for your backing??
 

I bought a 106 inch batik wide backing to use for one of my quilts. I am struggling to figure out the best way to prepare it. My quilt is 76 inches square so I want to have a piece that is around 85 inches square. My 106 backing is around 92 inches long.

So, what are your steps?

Do you press out of the fold wrinkles/lines, then try to square it up, then cut it down to the size you need?

It is such a large piece of fabric, I can't figure out how I can maneuver it to be able to square it up (holding it by the selvage edges, let it drop and move the edges back and forth a bit until the fabric drapes relatively straight).

If the fabric doesn't look too far "out of whack", would you just cut off the selvage and then cut down the piece to the size you need then press out the hard fold wrinkles?

Am I overthinking this?? It just seems so hard.

I would first wash and press the fabric (or maybe just press, if the rest of your fabric isn't pre-washed); fabric pressed with Best Press (or starch) is more stable and manageable. Then I would straighten the cut edges in the usual way when preparing for cutting (fold, matching selvages, cut with ruler and rotary cutter). Then I would re-fold the other way and cut off the selvages (as when cutting fabric length-wise for borders). You should then have a straight piece of fabric to work with. I would then lay it out on the floor, determine its measurements, calculate the amount you need to cut off, and measure in that amount from the edges, marking the distance along the length and width. Then I would take it back to the cutting table, re-fold and use my ruler and rotary cutter to cut along the marks; then repeat for the second edge.

I know a lot will gasp in horror, but when I square up wide fabric I tear it. I always prewash, then press, then tear to get my cut edges on straight of grain. Then I leave the whole piece as is and don't cut it down until I trim after quilting.

this is the way i do it also... so no gasping from me

This is what I started doing. Much easier.

They tear the fabric at my LQS.

I do it almost the same -

First,I overcast the edges before dunking -

Then, wash and dry so the fabric "will do its thing"

Then - I do try to follow a thread across and do the tear to that I have the least loss of fabric. Occasionally i have ended up with a big wedge after tearing.

Then as feline fanatic does - - -

The piece is about the size of a king size sheet - if your washing machine is adequate to handle a large sheet - no big deal about washing the fabric

I wash the piece first, take it out immediately when dry or slightly damp. I press, then tear.

Tearing a large backing makes sense because the backing needs to be larger than the quilt top anyway. Tearing does damage fibers at the torn area, but only for about 2 inches (with the most damage being in the inch closest to the tear). You typically want your backing at least 4 inches larger than the quilt top (or the 6 inches the OP mentioned), so the part of the backing that will actually be in the quilt will be undamaged.

Preparing the backing has ALWAYS in a pain in my butt and I seldom used the larger cuts! TA DA LADIES and thank you! I am gonna rip the darned things.....better than wanting to rip out my hair!