Backing a quilt with Minky
 

I am thinking of doing this on a few baby quilts.

Any helpful tips and tricks?
Do you still use a batting?
Do you find with quilting cotton or cut the minky large and bind with the backing?

Thank you to everyone who always shares their experience with us newbies!

As a favor for a friend, I quilted a baby blanket she had backed with minky. I have a longarm but no frame. I found the fabric hard to deal with and was glad I got to practice a bit before I went with minky myself. I wouldn't chose minky for a backing again because it was so stretchy, It puckered a bit on the back side and I'm not sure the 505 adhesive we used really took. We used minky for the binding and machine stitched it on. Glad that project is overwith and I probably won't do that again!

I have used minky on the back of several quilts. I really like the feel and I think it makes the quilt a little extra special. I quilt on my Janome 6600 and I really didn't struggle anymore than usual :)

I have used batting with the minky backing I did not feel that I needed to cut the binding wider

I’ve made 3 “I Spy” donation quilts with fleece backing (no batting). I bound one - cut the binding 3” - worked well.

Other 2 after quilting, I cut the fleece 2” larger and turned it (2x) to the front. One backing had diagonal pattern (lines about 8-9” apart) so I merely stitched the lines - very happy with my diagonal quilting so I’ll be looking for fleece with a similar pattern In the future.

I have used minky on several baby quilts and also on several throw size quilts. I use batting and spray baste them, then stitch in the ditch with my walking foot. When I baste and use my walking foot, I have never had any problems.

Timely post for me ... I have a couple of quilts in the works that I have been thinking of using minkee for a very large snowman applique (likely reverse applique, with the rest of the front being cottons) and possibly minkee for the backing too.

Do you foresee any problems in using the minkee both front and back?

How wide is minkee?

Thank you!!!

I groaned inwardly when my cousin showed up with luscious gray minky for the back of the t-shirt quilt I was making for her graduating senior.
I decided not to use batting because I didn't want it to be heavy, and it worked great. I stitched in the ditch around shirt squares.
Tip: I stitched on top of newspaper like I do when I applique.
The minky was about 54-60 inches wide and she bought too much, which prompted me to fold it to the front like a cozy frame. Loved it. Will use it again. Have no complaints.

I've quilted down two crib sized quilts on a long arm using a minkee-like backing. My friend had put the minkee on the frame and then let it sit for several months -- it stretches! I was able to use it but had to take out what she had done previously and redo withe orientation on the frame turned around.

Had zero problems, would do again. My friend in Phoenix sends her minkee projects to be quilted, her quilter does not charge extra. She has a long arm frame with a medium throat machine -- she cannot do above about a crib size with her machine, just gets too thick wrapped around. She tried doing it halfway and taking it off and resetting it but she always got more of a lump in the middle than she liked.

So for the snowman applique, the big question is do you have a long arm? Or at the very least a deep throat sit down domestic?

I do have a Sweet 16, so have that option. However, I have a friend who has long arm basted my quilts lately, and had been thinking of having her FMQ the whole thing when I am ready. I am pretty sure that she has quilted with minkee before. If so, then she could follow through to the end.

Thank you so much for sharing the details of how you have thought this through. It sets me up to know what I need to consider, about doing them myself and/or to discuss with her about doing part or all.

But first ... I need to get them to that stage!! :)

thx for advice! I'm finishing borders is a baby quilt right now (which as per my usual is turning out huge. I just can't seem to get the hang of small quilts) and will try this.