Originally Posted by
happyquiltmom
It depends. I just finished a charity kids quilt with muslin on the back, simply for the cost savings.
I often will use fabric from the sale rack at our LQS (still excellent quality) that doesn't necessarily match perfectly, but blends or adds interest.
If it is an heirloom quality quilt, I will use a print of one of the fabrics used in the quilt top.
I've also been known to piece my backs. I even have a reversible quilt, made from the same blocks on the front and back!
what happyquiltmom says except I try to do a simple 9-patch alternating the colored squares with fabrics and colors from the quilt top all the time...I tend to do only traditional patterns and love the idea of a pieced back. It works in most instances. I am finishing a wedding quilt for my niece which will be a departure from my usual
practice because the top is an Irish chain with alternating 8-inch plain squares I will be filling with quilting designs. I didn't think the quilting would work well from both sides, so I am finishing the back with $100 worth of the light background fabric from the front--only because of the quilting issues and then because it's a special-occasion quilt. I love muslin, too, so don't hesitate to use it for the piecing of my 9-patch quilt backs.