Mostly it is the same.....I often use yardage pieced together to make a backing. You can also buy "backing" that instead of the usually 42 inches wide fabric is about 108 inches wide so you don't have to stitch lengths of the regular 42 inch wide stuff together....I have noticed that some of the 108 inch wide stuff doesn't seem to be as good quality as the other and sometimes it is more crooked and I have to waste fabric straightening it up so I have learned to purchase at least a half yard extra when I have purchased it....Mostly I have gone back to just buying the 42 inch wide stuff and stitching lengths of that together to make my backing.....