If you're using the same thread in the bobbin can you quilt with the back side up? The reason I'm asking is because the markings would show up much better on the back.

I have seen quilts that followed a pattern on the backing fabric and it looked great. So I would say yes you can.
Sue

I had a whole book from the library on quilting from the backing side, so the answer has to be yes. By using a patterned backing, there was some interesting quilting done.

Yes, you can. I don't, because I want to see the top as I quilt it.

Yes, lots of people use the backing as the pattern that they follow to quilt, so the bobbin thread is on the top of the quilt.

There's a very good book about this very thing called "Quilting Back to Front" by Larraine Scouler. I haven't tried it yet but want to. Here is her website:
http://www.pnc.com.au/~scouler/B2F/

"Can you quilt with back side up?"

Ohhhhh, you mean the backside of the quilt, I thought you were talking about my backside being up. hehehe

yes you can benartex actually sells backing fabric already marked with quilt designs for this very reason.

Thanks! I was getting REALLY frustrated because no matter what I used to mark the quilting pattern with it wasn't showing up well enough to follow. I was about to pull my hair out. Quilting on the back is soooooo much better and will help me keep my sanity too. :-)

I know we have to be contortionists to do this but that's going a bit too far. LOL!!!

sounds scary!

this is an interesting topic. thanks all.

I know, right? I was hoping no one would ask for a picture... :oops:

if you want to---who would know except you? when the quilt is finished- no one knows how you do any of it except you- unless you choose to share (or tell on yourself)you can quilt it any way you want to....it's your project

Yes, I've done it. The only problem I had was a corner loosened up from the spray baste and folded over underneath. If I had basted the entire outside edge, that wouldn't have happened. It came out good other than that little fix.

Sounds good to me!

sounds interesting! I would try this

I didn't know that!

:P

DH just asked why I was cracking up. LOL

YES YOU CAN !!! Sometimes it is easier to mark the backing of a quilt. GOOD LUCK !!! :lol:

I'm sure he understood when you told him it was just those goofy people on the quilting forum. :-)

It's going much easier! Not fighting with it and making it a chore instead of something I enjoy.

I've seen many quilts done this way, my main problem is getting the tension exactly right so the "wrong" side which in this case will now be the "right" side, looks exactly the same.

I didn't think about that until I had done quite a bit of quilting but so far so good. Keep your fingers crossed. :-)

Lots of people I know do this. It is easier to quilt on the plain back rather than the front which looks quite busy with the pieced blocks in their opinion. However, as the front is the important bit, I like to see what is going on and so I prefer to quilt from the top.

I have just read an article on this topic and it's called 'reverse quilting'. It looks quite interesting and it's something I would like to try one day.

I quilted this quilt from the backside and it came out fine. I used one of those backings that's already marked.

Yes you can and I have. I used the backing fabric as my quilting pattern.

I took a class in Houston a few years back from Laura Heine and she actually had fabric that she showed that she quilted from the back. So next time you pick out backing fabric see if there is a pattern you can use to quilt...much easier than marking.

Quilting from the back also gives you a chance to experiment with different weights of thread in your bobbin to show up better on the top. Laura Heine does this often. Her book Color Fushion has some projects that advocate quilting from back. You are going to like the results. I know, marking can be such a bother with the beautiful fabrics that are out there. Have fun and let us see what you came up with.

:thumbup:

Yes!

It's your quilt!~ do what ya want! :)
Have FUN!

I am doing that as we 'speak'! And it works very well. Of course I am hand quilting this quilt, but I've done it when I was machine quilting too.

I use a large print on the back and follow the design. It work great and I do not have to mark the quilt.

Good one...Thank you for my laugh of the day :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

LOL.... I knew one of us on here would come up with something like this. Just couldn't resist could you?

You sure can. I have seen people use large floral prints on the back of their quilts and then "quilt" the flowers - the front then has nicely quilted flowers on it.

I did that on a quilt I did for my DD FF. It turned out fine.