Jeanette Frantz

I'm a rank amateur when it comes to making quilts, but I think I would prefer the 108" wide backing fabric, certainly for backs, and perhaps for a whole-cloth quilt top, too. Economic issues always exist -- and I'm no exception to the rule. I walked into a LQS the other day, and while their fabric was really beautiful, there wasn't a piece in the whole place for less than $12/yard. So, I turned around and walked out. That's just too much for my budget! I just recently completed a large quilt (88" X 118"), and it took 18-1/2 yards of fabric. At $12/yard, that's $222 just for the top (excluding the orange/red center block). By the time you buy backing and batting, you've got a hefty investment in dollars and cents, PLUS the time you spend making the quilt. Also, if you send your quilts to a LA quilter, you'd have to include the cost of the quilting. That expenditure would make quilting prohibitive for me. Okay, I didn't spend $12/yard so I can continue making quilts. But I do SHOP for good prices, as do most of us. Okay, end of rant. I know that $12/yard is not viewed as an excessive cost by most of those on this board, but it would be prohibitive for me. The 108 inch quilt backing is by all means a very good buy! Since I pre-wash my fabric, I also pre-wash the backing. Assuming the 108 inch measurement (I forgot to measure prior to washing) when washed in hot water, the backing fabric only shrunk 2 inches in width, making it less than 2% shrinkage. That's pretty good!