Typically a long arm quilter likes between 4 and 6 inches extra on each side , so adding 1 foot more than the length should get you what you need. Double check with your long arm pro for the exact amount of extra that you need. Just a thought since you are going with a wide backing ..and will have a lot of extra in the width.. select a fabric that you would use in an another quilt , so you can make good use of all that extra, especially for borders . One thought on the color .. consider a neutral high quality muslin ( Jo'ann's has a nice wide high quality you could use a coupon). A neutral also shows off all that wonderful long arm work.
Last edited by Lori S; 04-08-2013 at 05:07 PM.