I was told to use pillow ticking. It's not as heavy as canvas, so easier to pin. I agree with Justabitcrazy, prewash/shrink the fabric before making your leaders. I also suggest you get 2 tape measures that have zero in the middle and sew them right to your top and bottom leaders. When you put the leaders on your machine, line up the zeros, 25 inch marks, 50 inch marks. Makes it so much easier to put your quilt back on the machine. Good luck!