New to quilting-yellow brick road backing question.
 

Hello. I'm new to the boards and new to quilting. This summer I signed up for my first quilting class with a friend and made my first quilt. I actually just finished it yesterday. You can't imagine how happy I am to actually have completed one all by myself. For quilting, I just quilted it around the edges of the squares. (no fancy quilting machine)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ose/004-18.jpg

I'm working on my second quilt. Yellow brick road. I have all the squares cut out and all sewn together. (making the lap size) I have the directions and they have seemed pretty easy up until now. I bought some wide fabric for the backing of the quilt and was hoping to have enough left over for the border. But now I can't figure out how to prepare the fabric so I can figure that out. I don't see anywhere in the directions what size the backing fabric has to be or how to make it ready? I know the pattern says I need 3 1/2 yards for the backing but that's it. And since I'm new to quilting, I'm not sure what my next step is.

I'd like to cut/prepare the backing so that I can see if I need to buy fabric for border or if I have enough of the backing fabric to use as the border fabric, but just have no idea what to do.

Here is where I'm at on this quilt now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ose/002-21.jpg

Can anyone help me? Or point me in the right direction.

Welcome from Minnesota and happy quilting :)
sorry, don't have an answer for you, but someone will shortly

Welcome, I am new to this site and I just created my profile. As for your question. I usually measure my top in 2-3 places across and up and down because of the way material stretches it may be different in areas. Next I take the largest measurement and I cut my backing to 2-3 inches larger than the top. I lay it out and tape it down with painters tape, then lay my batting then the top. I'm not sure if that answers your question or not. I'm sure there are a lot more experianced quilters out there tha would know better but this works for me. Hope to see you on here again and have a great time quilting.

You are a natural. Your talents for a beginner are over the top along with picking fabrics. I have been quilting for a couple of years and still have trouble with picking fabrics. I can't help with your issue but someone will step in to help. This QB is a wonderful resource!! Keep quilting!!

Hi and welcome to the Board from Southern California! What are the dimensions of your YBR top? Keeping in min, your backing fabric is about 40" usable, and you should have a few inches extra on all four sides when you baste it, you may be able to just use the length opened up, and have enough to cut strips for your borders. You might have to make the borders a bit narrower, but without knowing the size of your top, can't help too much. I would say, for your binding, though, take all the left over scraps of blues and cut your 2 1/2" strips in random lengths, and randomly sew them together, end to end, and make your binding a scrappy one. That will look great! Very nice quilts you have made!!

Welcome, quiltingnd, You have a great start in quilting! Your quilts are lovely. May I make one suggestion? I am concerned about the fact you only quilted the first one around the squares. Did you follow the instructions on the batting package? It looks like a full size bed quilt and I don't think you have enough quilting. The batting will start shifting and become bullky in places if it is not quilted enough. It wouldn't take too much time to put in pins (to stabilize) and choose lines to sew down within your blocks (stitch in the ditch). I would hate for you to wash it someday and have it have bulges! It is a very beautiful quilt and you are right to be thrilled with it!

Thank you for the warm welcome and great suggestions. I will get the measurements of the quilt and the fabric I have for the backing. Hopefully later this afternoon. :)

Sierra- I quilted in the squares, around the squares, and around the lattice. I was just too lazy this morning to type all that. The quilt was made in a quilting class and I quilted where I was told to quilt. (since I'm new to quilting, I had no idea what to do and am going to have to wing it on this YBR quilt.) Oh..and the finished quilt above is only a lap size quilt.

I have a plan old square quilt top that I made over 7 years ago. Trying to make something along the lines that my grandmother would have made using just 5 inch squares (she would use a piece of cardboard and it's what I used, lol.) The top sat here for years. I was going to actually throw it away when a new friend of mine who quilts took it and quilted it for me. I am very grateful she did that. I still need to make the binding and put it on. It's actually a queen size quilt and I can't imagine trying to quilt it with a regular sewing machine when the lap ones are so very difficult to pull and tug the fabric around. I will have to share a picture of it, but it's not fancy by any means.

Ok... I just measured and I hope I got this right.

The quilt top measures width- 45 1/8 inches- 45 1/4 inches (two different spots measured) and the length was 63 1/8. (in both spots I measured)

The backing fabric was wide fabric so I hope I get this right. From selvage to fold (which is the width?) measured 55" so I times that by two since it's folded and have 110 inches? (can that be right?) And the length (?) was 55 1/2 inches. I bought the back so long ago I have no idea how many yards I got. My sewing friend was with me and she helped me pick. But she lives an hour away and it's been so long she can't remember how much we got.

The YBR pattern is calling for 6 1/2 inch strips to make the border.

When I made the finished quilt above, I had to somehow cut it and sew it back together to make the backing. Will I have to do that for this quilt?

I googled some images of YBR quilts and I really like the look of a smaller border and then a bigger border around that. I don't think I'll do that with this quilt, but it's something I might want to try in the future.

wow they are pretty. great job