Backing size????
 

I have what I thought was a great book to show me various quilts that could be made with Jelly Rolls. Well, not so much as there aren't any fabric amounts for the backing of the quilts. Why would they do that? IMO it would take just adding 1 more line of text.

I would like to make one of the quilts and the top measures 58 x 76". How much fabric do I need for the back? I've figured 3 1/2 yards. Please let me know if I'll be ok with that much fabric or do I need more?


Thanks ladies--

I've never seen backing yardage printed in a book.

The answer to your question depends on several things. Are you going to use wide backing or regular width quilting fabric? If you're going to use regular width, how did you want to piece it? Diagonal or straight? If you piece it diagonally, you will require less yardage.

There are lots of resources on the web for how to figure quilt backing. Here is John Flynn's recipe for diagonally pieced.

http://www.flynnquilt.com/media/uplo...onalpb1103.pdf

or you can use a calculator to figure it: http://www.multi-patch.com/html/diag...calculator.php

Here's a resource for a straight-pieced back:
http://www.ctpubblog.com/2009/05/05/...quilt-backing/

One of the problems with giving yardage for backings is that there are so many factors in determining how much you need. If you're sending the quilt out to a longarmer, you may need as much as 4" extra all around. You may want to ensure that the seam goes across the quilt horizontally. You may be able to find a wide backing. You may want to keep costs down by using the diagonal seam method, or by doing more piecing of the backing (resulting in seams that go in more than one direction). You may prefer not to have a seam right down the center. With all those issues, giving a formula that always works for backing is impossible.

3 1/2 yards may be enough for your quilt, if you are quilting it yourself. If you are sending it out to a longarmer it may not be enough.

Here are some ways to piece your backing if you're not going to use wide backing fabric.

Jan in VA

Thanks ladies! The book has quilt patterns in it. I guess I don't understand why they wouldn't also tell me how much backing fabric that I need for the quilt. To me a book of patterns should have the same info. that an individual pattern has.

I'm off to check the resources you gave me!

Because there are way too many variables. As previously stated, the author wouldn't know if you were piecing it or using a wide back, or if you were going to hand quilt it, or send it to a longarmer, and every longarmer has her preference of how much fabric you need depending on how she has her longarm set up. Also, a lot of people do not make the exact same size quilt as what the pattern states.

As you gain experience, you will be able to determine for yourself how much fabric you will need.