Originally Posted by
jillmc
I am thinking I may try to quilt just the top and batting.....maybe put a thin muslin on the back of the batting to prevent it catching...then do the embellishing....then add a backing and bind it. Maybe add some felt snowflakes that are attached through all the layers to anchor the backing? I don't want all of the knots/stitches on the back of the skirt, and I don't know how to accomplish beading without having the stitches show on the back.
I do this all the time with beaded and/or hand embroidered wall quilts. I even do it with unembellished wall pieces when I am going to have lots of starts and stops or many changes of thread color/type. I hate worrying about how to hide all the stitching inside the sandwich or how it's going to look on the back. I then do something simple (usually SID or grid work) through all three layers to anchor them. With non-washable pieces, I've also used snippets of Misty Fuse sprinkled over the batting to fuse it to the backing with no additional quilting at all.
Quilting with just the top and batting gives me less stress and more freedom which generally translates to
much more creative quilting. I use W&N (scrim side down) with nothing added on the back of it and have never had it catch or snag in any way. Try a test piece with your batting before you start on your actual tree skirt. I think you'll really like working 'backless'. LOL