Buying the wrong backing twice!
 

I made a quilt top that has actual pineapples shapes on it in tones of yellows, golds, greens of course for the pineapples. The background fabric is dark red which makes the pineapples "pop". Ordered a backing fabric off Facebook and when it came it's more of a chrome yellow...won't do. Went to Hobby Lobby and found a mustard yellow with white flowers and black stems. When I got it home … it's just barely ok.
So now I have two pieces each 4 yards in length that I probably won't use. Searching for the perfect piece to use again. Is this why my fabric stash keeps growing?? Of course! How many times have you bought the wrong backing to use? I feel like a dummy....

I've sometimes used a backing that I didn't think would matter (didn't really go with the quilt) and regretted it bigtime.
So now you have extra fabric but at least it's not forever in the quilt like mine. :)

I do that too. LOL I can usually can tell my quilting friends Oh I have the perfect backing for your quilt. I think the back of the quilt is as important as the front. I don't like using any fabric to get rid of it for the back. Use that fabric in scrap quilts.

For me it's borders... I have so many strips that I cut and some that I've actually sewn down and taken off again. I prefer to cut length wise so they are usually 3 yards long.

For one of my recent donation projects I set out with the idea of using a particular piece for the back. Only I decided the top needs another 4" of border all around and that's too big for the fabric. And the second choice. I found a 3rd choice that was large enough but I just didn't like it.

When I dove into my "pieces big enough for backs" to bring a selection for one of my Tuesday group members (she chose to keep looking) I found two pieces I had forgotten about, either of which would make a great back. And then one of the other Tuesday ladies brought fabric to share which included a perfect flannel for the back. Now I have 3 choices! Which means I have 2 more quilts to make...

Since the backing is as important as the quilt it is very important that the fabrics be a complete match. Because I don't always have the perfect eye for this kind of thing I frequently will use blenders and be safe. Then there are the times that I purchase the backing when I buy the primary pieces for the quilt so it will at least match one piece in the quilt then I know it will work. Now that I am working from my stash most of the time I try to pull a fabric that I can use small amounts of a few different pieces in the quilt top and sew together larger pieces of the pieced part to complete the backing. I like to make backs that look like overgrown crazy quilts for the back this way. It seems to work very well.

I usually have to buy more of the backing fabric. Most likely it is a coordinating print from the front fabrics in the quilt or something related.

I've never considered the backing as important as the rest of the quilt, so just pick something that is good enough out of my stash and use that. I've got a lot of "less desirable" wide backing I picked up at 75% off (it was what was left that no one else wanted). Most is either tonal or one color with white.

I had a similar problem. Was looking for the perfect golden yellow for a project. Kept buying what I thought would work and bought 5yds each no less, only to find out it wasn't the perfect golden yellow. So now I have lots of golden yellows with no idea what I'm going to do with it. And yes, I did find the perfect golden yellow........it was already in my stash. Drat it all!

I agree. I have done backings that in no way relate to the front and have been well pleased with the quilt. If I plan on going over the top with quilting, I will choose a solid back or something that reads solid so the quilting will show as the star and more often than not it is a solid wide muslin. I will also piece backings out of scraps and not necessarily use any fabrics I have used on the top. This quilt is a prime example of that. Here is the front:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]614724[/ATTACH]

and this is the back:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]614725[/ATTACH]

Most of my stash is made up of fabric bought on line that turned out to be not quite what I thought it would be. When I used to have a LQS nearby, I would take the top in to choose a backing. Now that I choose backings on line, what I do is put a photo of the top up on my monitor while I browse for backings, so that I can see them together. It works pretty well, but there's always a chance that a fabric will look different in person than it does on a website.

Backings are the bane of my existence! I always love watching the MSQC tutorials when Jenny says something like ....and look at this backing, isn’t it cute? we used 8 yards ...... all I can think is that’s 100 bucks! The problem is I do care what the back looks like. It the quilt is wide enough to use a wide back I tend to stick with a blender that goes with the front. I like that the scraps are quite useful. A couple of times I have gotten lucky and months later found a print from the same fabric line as the front on the clearance rack. Either way the most I have spent on backing is $40 and I hope to keep it that way!

Finding matching fabrics--ugh ! I try to take a piece of fabric I need to match to the stores then move to windows to try to get true colors and even with that, sometimes I have to settle !

Cattitude I laughed and agreed with what you said about Jenny's tutorials when she is talking about the backing. I too care what the back looks like and while I am inclined to be really matchy-matchy, keeping the cost of the backing down trumps my desire for the perfect backing fabric. Lately I have been finding the backing first out of my stash, then choosing fabrics for the top that will be compatible. Otherwise I do tried to find something as close as possible out of my stash, but if I don't have anything I try to find clearance fabric for the back. My goal is to keep backing fabric no more than $20. Not always doable, but again, it's the goal. :)

Can you post a picture please? :D

I like my backings to be "compatible" - but they do not need to "match" the fronts.

My thing is that the bindings have to look okay with both sides.

I agree binding and backing have to go together...But since most of my stuff is wall hangings I just try my best to find something in my stash that picks up some color on the front and goes w/binding. I've never had anyone come into my hse and look at the back...They are just stunned by the beauty of my fronts!

I agree with this. Sometimes I get lucky and have enough of a fabric in my stash to do the back. Otherwise, it's a trip to the LQS. They have a good stock of wide backing fabrics mostly in blenders that I have used extensively. If the quilt is small, like the baby quilt I just made, I often have enough for the back. I actually used the print on the back on the top also and pulled colors from it for the rest of the top. Otherwise, I just tote the top up to the LQS and purchase some backing that is compatible.

You can return the Hobby Lobby fabric within 30 days. I like my backings to coorinate with my front, but not necessarily match.

Have you looked at the "back" side? I often do that in piecing! Nothing wrong with that!

If I have a backing fabric that is close to colors used in the front I will use it. I try to make sure the binding looks good with both sides. I only get picky if it is for our bed. I figure it doesn't matter so much for the donation quilts which is what I mostly make. Warmth is more important than everything matching.

I, too, like my backings to coordinate with the tops. If I have not bought all the fabrics at the same time for a quilt, I will usually take the completed (or mostly complete) top with me while I shop so I do get a fabric that works with the top. In lieu of that I will at least take scraps from the top so I have a clue what shades work best. Then again, you get a specific color in your head and can't find what you want.....

i like wide back on my bedsize quilts so have a bolt of nice quality white muslin and will buy a dark backing if it's a quilt with enough black on the front that I need to use a black bat.

Hmmm.....I finished my chicken quilt top almost 2 years ago. I have 5....yes 5 backings I have bought, and I don't like any of them. I want it to match my border. Perhaps I should take a border sample with me when I find that perfect backing that never quite works. I wanted the binding to be the same as the border, but somehow, in the last two years, I have "misplaced" the binding fabric. So now. I need something that will match the border, and look good with the binding too!

When I order backing I have to take a complete yard, so no half yard cuts. So I order 4 yards of 108. I don't want to have to pay postage to send the whole thing to the longarmer, so I cut some off.

Twice now I have cut it in the wrong place, leaving two pieces both too short. It was the right backing but the wrong measurement.

Yes, I feel silly, yes, my stash is getting too big.

Peckish….will post pictures when it is quilted and bound.

Sew all those "border" strips together into one long strip. Then put together like a jelly roll quilt.
Sew them all up for charity quilts. Use the fabric you don't like for the backs.
That gets stuff out of the house that you don't know what else to do with.

If I have a quilt top that is "persnickety" about color, I take the top with me shopping so I can find the right color or pattern. I tend to be fussy about my backing matching, so many times I get backing fabric when I am buying the fabric for the front. Since most of mine are considered "gifts" I want everything to be just right, not "just good enough".

I don’t always care about the backing matching the front. Sometimes I use ugly fabric for the back regardless of matching just to use up the fabric. Other times I have to buy fabric for matching the front. Depends what or who the quilt is for.

Backing always sends me to the store to purchase something I think will "go" with the quilt. I usually settle for a blender, I have learned to only use blender colors that I like. Years ago, when I purchased a mattress in college, the salesman said,"Don't worry about the fabric on the mattress, it's always covered up by the sheet." But, everytime I changed those sheets I cringed at that hideous fabric. I don't want someone to cringe at that hideous back.

I shop at backsidefabrics.com. They will send you free swatches of up to 10 fabrics, and then you can order what you like. I Love their fabrics. They have up to 118" wide. Service is great. Prices are extremely reasonable. They have a huge selection.

I do the same thing. It makes for fewer mistakes in color coordination.

One thing that Feline Fanatic brought up that I think is a very good point - if you are going to do some "out there" quilting, it's best to use a plain backing so the quilting will show. I've put a lighter neutral shade on a black with bright colored top because I was doing a lot of black thread quilting and I did want it to show on the back. A wild print on the back is great if you don't want the quilting to show - there are no seams or corners in the back to hide stops and starts -so all that shows very well.

I do make plenty of quilts that I'm more particular about the backing as they are made for someone specific, but the majority of what I make - I make because i want to and have no idea who is going to end up with it. And it is better to have them finished than "perfect" so when I get a backload of tops (like 10 -15) sitting in a pile, I will pick backing from stash that is good enough and get them out to the LA to get them quilted.

I have been know to buy the backing first and build the quilt around it. Or I take the quilt top with me when looking for backing. I don't trust the pictures online and my hubby is excellent picker-outer! I always take him with me.

I have one backing that I am not pleased with - too bright, but I'm using it. It's for a bed and my son would never leave a bed unmade, so basically it won't be seen.Why use it? I live on a pension, I don't want more fabric in storage, etc. My son and his wife are hunters so I can tell them I used it because 'Hunter orange'.

Everything on my quilt has to match. That’s just how I am.

Same here. I will usually buy wide fabric for big quilts (full size bed or bigger) that blend well with the front. On smaller quilts, I try to use my stash and have done several pieced backs that I really like.

Take 2.5 yards of each of those fabrics and put them together with bat between and make a whole cloth quilt. If you don’t particularly like it, donate it. Someone will love it. You will still have 1.5 yards of each fabric to use as stach or cut into 2.5 strips and make a jelly roll quilt or rug or a bowl. So many things out there on Pinterest or you tube. Use the internet to come up with ideas! Use it up. Just my 2 cents.

If I'm not sure about the fabric, I buy 1/4 yard, and take it home to see if it "works." I can always use the 1/4 yard for church projects.
On my last quilt, it needed queen size backing plus the 4" for the LAer. SO, I went to Walmart, bought a cotton sheet for $11. Took it home, washed it and the LAer was very pleased with the sheet fabric. It was soft and worked up well.

I'm with you, Cathy! Linda Hahn of Frog Hollow Designs was a guest speaker at our guild and she's not troubled by backing matches either. She found a darling frog print and bought the whole bolt. Then she backed everything with it!

Our bee does only charity quilts. I am the main "backer" and I can't afford to angst over the backs. I generally can find a good match within our donation fabrics or my stash but I can't spend much time when often I have 30 or more tops every month to find backings for. Linda's presentation really was freeing for me!

I am particular about my backings, however, I have learned never buy backing and sometimes even borders until the quilt is finished and take the quilt with me. I have bought as many as three borders for mone quilt. I know that is part of the reason my stash is big. I do try to get a backing that coordinates with the front in some way. It doesnt have to be exact same colors. I was glad I got over having to use something in the quilt as backing. Goodluck on finding the right fabrics.