well then I guess our quilting sisters of old were not "real quilters"---they used muslin, either natural or bleached........the use of printed fabrics on back is quite recent....I personally think it was an idea of a fabric designer/mfg......sell more fabric that way.....I use unbleached or bleached muslin on all of my own personal bed quilts.....nothing as soft to the touch as washed good quality muslin......just my personal preference..