Originally Posted by
leggz48
I use sheets as backing about half the time.......the ones I use most often are Walmart brand 200 thread count. They are either cotton or a poly/cotton blend. They are stable enough to work with and soft enough to be comfortable. I usually buy a King for approximately $15 and use the excess for borders and/or binding. It works great but I always cut off all hems and selvages, square it up, before I start putting it with the quilt.
I've heard that the higher thread count, being more dense, can be a bad idea because the needle will break the fabric threads since they are so close together .....whereas on a lower thread count the needle will go between threads. Whether that is true or not, I don't know; but it makes a good story.
I often use sheets as backs, and agree that the 200 or 300 thread count is best. It is true that needles can break the fabric threads in really high thread count fabrics. The idea that higher thread count is better is a Myth of urban legend proportion. Only so much thread will fit into an inch. A thread count of anything over 400 is achieved by using finer and finer threads. It's equivalent to using 100 wt thread instead of 20 wt.
Sweetpea, your sheet is 108" wide. But does it really matter? In reality your usable fabric will be 108 x 98 (est) because of the wider hem on one edge. You will have to open that up or cut it off. Unless it is a directional print that must go one way, it shouldn't make a difference which way you turn the usable fabric.