Backing for a quilt !! question
 

I am doing a quilt for some one and they told me to just do a plain back on the quilt.... it is for king, wants to keep cost down, imagine that.. should i bye muslin and piece it or get a material from the LQS and piece it.. either way i have to piece it because of size... what should I do on this?

Well, if their main objective is to keep the cost down and if they want plain, then I would say to go for the muslin. But, on the other hand, maybe the LQS has a fabric you could use that is on sale!

Well it is a king size and it is going to be machine quilted out and hand binded and it is at 550.. and she is fine with the cost of it. so for a king size the rule of thumb is how many yards??

I measure thru the middle longwise I take that measurement and add 8 inches...I was taught to have 4inches sticking out on each side of batting and backing for shifts...others may have a different way. Then multiple that by 2 or 3 depending on the width of the fabric your using the make it wide enough. Hope I was easy to follow. This is my way. Happy Quilting!!

You can also find lots of wide fabrics that would be pretty, would eliminate the need for piecing, and might be just as economical.

Why not try Marshall's dry goods.
http://www.marshalldrygoods.com/

I just bought some 108 fabric for $7.99 . It was the same as what I could have gotten in the stores for $12-13 or more.
I bought a green floral print for mine but they have some others there too. I like it . I got 3 yards and although the shipping added a bit to it. I saw the same in a shop here for 13.99 . So I figured I saved a little bit and I don't have to piece it.

If its going to be machine quilted , you may be able to find a flat sheet at a discount store. My Ikea has very nice sheets for very reasonable.

you can purchase wide backing fabrics- including muslins which are available in 108"- up to 120" wide- shop around- fabric.com has quite a good selection of wide backing fabrics, muslins, flannels, batiks- in various price ranges- you would only need 3-3 1/2 yards of a wide backing- which really saves $$

Both Hobby Lobby and Jo Ann's carry material that is 108" wide and it comes in a variety of colors and patterns. Also if it is on sale or use your 40% off coupon (you can sometimes get that at their website), you can get it for between $8.00 and $10.00 per yard and you only need 3 1/2 yards when it is that wide. Check it out.

There are two possible problems here. One is that muslims come in different thread counts per square inch. If you get the really cheap flimsy fabric, it will be a disappointment on a quilt. I have no problem with the right kind of sheets on my longarm to quilt it -- but if you're going to have it quilted by a longarmer, contact them BEFORE you purchase the backing. They may NOT be willing to quilt it on a sheet. I just got a customer with 4 quilts --- she wanted sheets for her own reasons and she was turned down by a number of quilters. I see no problems with it and told her what type to get (no jersey sheets -- it stretches too much). Also, different longarmers require different amounts of fabric beyond the size of the top. Some say 4 inches extra on all sides, others say more.
If you piece the backing ----- use 1/2" seams and press them open ---- it lays flatter and nicer