Do you have good tips for making the backing of your quilt?
 

I have made many quilts and I consider myself a quilter. That being said, I still struggle when it's time to sandwich the quilt together. The yardage needed is not a problem for the back of the quilt and the sandwiching is not too much of a problem either, but the cutting and sewing of the fabric for the back still is not fun for me. Do any of you have a few good tips to make this event something to look forward to? I'm going to sit back and read your comments and hopefully find inspiration in your words. Thank you in advance.

It's a lot easier and less expensive to buy wide backing. Some good prices at Marshall Dry Goods.

I certainly agree with you on that one. How about something on one with 2 or 3 seams?

I kinda discovered a way to cheat, with the backing. :thumbup: First of all, I use Elmer's School Glue, for basting the sandwich together; I use Warm & White or Warm & Natural for batting.

Let's see if I can explain what I did, without causing too much confusion. Okay, I first glue-basted the front to the batting. Then I marked the center of the front/batting, top and bottom. I measured out the backing length (fabric A), then matched center top & bottom, to batting side of sandwich. I glued this to within about an inch of the selvage. Then I took my fabric B, for the sides of the backing, cut the proper length and cut the fabric vertically, making two strips (one for each side). I placed one side of B, right sides together, on top of A, with the raw edge even with A's selvage. I safety-pinned B in place, to prevent any shifting (pinned on each side of future quilting line, as well as a bit farther away, to keep B out of the way). Then I flipped the sandwich over and did one vertical line of quilting, at a point to catch at least an inch or so in from the selvage/raw edges of A and B. I made this line where I'd planned to have a quilting line, anyway. Flipped the sandwich back over, unpinned, trimmed the seam, then pressed B over to the edge of the batting and glue-basted into place. Repeated with other half. :)

When sewing pieces of fabric together, always,always,always cut off the seam allowance! It will make puckers every time because it has no give to it. I was told when using all the same fabrics, it is better to have 2 equidistant seams rather than one seam down the middle even if the 2 outside pieces are a different width than the center piece.

I was told the same thing with the reasoning being it is easier to fold a quilt, less wear on the front of the quilt, if the backing seam is NOT neither horizontally nor vertically in the center.

I've found that the best way to make the process of making a backing enjoyable is to either make it very simple (one fabric, either a wide back or 2-3 lengths sewn together) or make it very complicated (lots of piecing so the back almost looks like another top). Anything in between becomes tedious, especially if I'm trying to make the simplest use of the scraps left over from the front.

Did you mean "always cut off the selvage" instead of "seam allowance"?

For backings I just use the wide muslin.

1/2 inch seams on the backing--makes life much easier--[tip given to me by an 84 year old hand quilter]

I used to always piece together fabric for the backing of my quilts and just hated having those seams.

Then....I discovered that fabric is available in widths up to 108"! WooHoo! JoAnn Fabrics also has a few bolts of fabric available in this width. It's great to use some of those 40-50% coupons on, when you can't think of anything else to buy. I buy the 108" fabric in multiples of 2-1/2 yards to keep on hand. Many of the most boring looking fabrics actually look very nice as the backing for a quilt. I try to keep lots of tan florals, black/white prints, blues, pinks and purples on hand. I would much rather pay a little bit of extra money for the wider fabric, than have a seam on the back side of my quilt.

I either buy the wide backing or 2 2 yard pieces and sew them together, depending on the size of the quilt. I dont quilt my own unless its a table runner, or Baby quilt, then I spray baste the layers together.

Sheets work very well for backings. I know that there are some quilters who will disagree but I have often used them. They machine quilt easily, wash and wear well and come in a multitude of colours. I look for the cotton rich sheets in King size so that I have extra to make matching pillowcases. Quilting fabric is at least $15 a metre in Canada and it's hard to justify the extra cost when a sheet can be purchased for about $10 if bought on sale. I buy them at Len's Mills, Giant Tiger (small department store) or Sears and they all sometimes have seconds available (can't often tell why they are a second) and that's when I stock up. We use sheets all the time for the back of our Community Quilts stitched by our quilt guild.

I find it easier to seam the back pieces first with a wider seam, then trim the selvages together before I press the seam. If using 45" fabric, I starch and press it before seaming - it's must easier to handle than a wide piece. Then I only have to press the seam before I sandwich the quilt, not the large piece.

I go for the widebacks. So much easier and quicker.

I always procrastinate when it comes time to do the backing.....I'm seriously considering sheeting or widebacks.

I have only made four twin size quilts but on each one I have put a row of leftover blocks from the top pieced into a solid color back. I just take my time and do it. I love adding those little bits of color on the back.

Bedsheets are most likely OK if you are machine quilting, however for hand quilting it is not recommended because of the denseness of the warp and the weft. Especially with Pima cottons (commonly used in bedding sheets), the thread count is too high per square inch to yield even stitching and can cause more hand fatigue.

I always tear off the selvage. It gives it a nice straight of grain cut. I usually sew my backings in 3 pieces as I was told never to have the seam down the middle. I steam open my seam always. I back stitch on my seam on the back always. I usually add a different fabric also to the back to jazz it up or do something to make the back more interesting. I've never used sheets. Didn't know you could. I've used wide back fabric before. It's nice!

I like to buy the better 90" muslin at JoAnn's (coupon and/or sale) to use for my backing or use sheets.

I use regular quilt fabric I buy on sale. I snip and rip to the right length and I also snip and rip off the selvedges. Then I sew with a good 5/8ths inch seam and press to one side.

oops, yes I did. Thanks for catching that.

I used to hate backing the quilts until I found this book during a shop hop. Over Easy with subtitle of Creative Ideas for Pieced Quilt backs by Lerlene Nevaril. The book shows how the backings can be pieced with leftover fabrics, extra blocks, panels, etc. It has acted as a springboard for my own ideas. This book will NEVER leave my library:thumbup: !

I try to use the wide backs as well!

90" or 120" wide muslin backing. Piece of cake. Also any wide printed backing. Marshall Dry Goods or Connecting Threads has them. No fussing with seams unless you are birthing the quilt.

I usually add a border to the back of my quilts to add some interest, but that gives me the problem of centering everything. I work on my living room hardwood floor. First I lay out the batting which is always much larger than the front of my quilt. I spray it with basting spray and then lay and flatten the top onto it face up. Then on the batting I measure 5" around the outside of my top and cut along that line all the way around. Then I flip it over so that all I see is the batting. I use a marker to mark 5" in from the edge and now I know where the front reaches. From that, I can mark the center if I want to or I can just use spray adhesive to lay the backing face up onto the batting using that 5" line as my guide to keep the backing in the same position as the front.

One of the best solutions these days is to buy Fat Backs. That is fabrics that are 108" wide. They are wonderful and you don't have to do any piecing.

There are lots of ways to make a backing, if you are going to send it out to a LA, it makes it so much easier on the LA if you make the backing at least 8" longer and 8" wider, then if there is any shrinkage when quilting there will be enough fabric. Also if it is squared up it is easier and faster for the LA to get your quilt on the quilter. I charge extra if I have to square up a backing..
If I have any fabric leftover from the quilt I try to use it in the backing. But the best way for me to make a backing is to measure the length, plus 8", then double that amount. Take one length of fabric plus 8" cut cut off the selvages, then measure the width of that fabric, subtract that from the measurement of the width of the quilt, divide that number by 2, then with the second length of fabric, trim off the selvage and cut two pieces of fabric and sew one piece to each side of the first length. Clear as mud, huh. You can also google how to make a quilt backing and it will explain it better than I just did.

I usually go to www.backsidefabrics.com. This site deals only with wide fabrics, usually 108" or wider. She has a good range of fabrics at reasonable prices, plus often has good sales. I buy these even when the quilt I'm backing is 60". I take what's left over and may use it for a pillowcase or generally I put these large pieces aside and later donate them to a group that makes quilts for homeless children.

I agree that the best solution to the problem is buy the 108 in. fabric. It really is less expensive, looks better, and is easier. As a LA quilter I so often see quilts with pieced backing where the seams are stitched too tightly. This can result in skipped stitches.

Piecing a back is not a problem for me. I usually try to add something of interest, if possible, like a "spine" of the scraps from the front, or maybe just a block of them. After all the piecing on the front, the simple back is a a piece of cake! Plus I love the anticipation of the "surprise" to be had when the quilt is turned over.

[QUOTE=duckydo;5631321]There are lots of ways to make a backing, if you are going to send it out to a LA, it makes it so much easier on the LA if you make the backing at least 8" longer and 8" wider, then if there is any shrinkage when quilting there will be enough fabric.----(snip)--

And may I add, those extra inches on the side give the LAer a place to check the tension. If I forget to
have the quilter bring a few scraps of the fabric that is used in the top I raid my stash for similar weight & weave of fabric and stitch them out to the side on the extra backing & batting for tension checks.

I was machine quilting just this week and had the backing seam running the length of the quilt as it was mounted on the frame. My quilting mentor told me it's better to have it run horizontally on the frame since the seam doesn't stretch as it's being quilted (unlike the rest of the backing which will give a little as it's quilted). So if you're machine quilting, that might make a difference in how you plan your backings - it will for me :-)

Thanks - I didn't know about this company. She has all the 'name' fabric companies.

I am fond of pieced backs. It's like getting two quilts while only having to quilt one! I do my own quilting on my DSM. I do buy the wide backs sometimes and have been known to use quality cotton sheets for backs if the fabric is perfect. I love the prints in the old vintage sheets from the days when they were all 100% cotton and people used to iron them (my grandma always did). I love browsing thrift shops for them but always check them carefully for holes/wear/stains and wash them two or three times b4 using them. (I took a class with Bonnie Hunter and was tickled when she told us she buys vintage clothing and sheets at thrift shops and estate sales to use in her quilts. I had begun to think I might be just a little weird! Well, maybe I am, but if she can do it, I can too!)

I always choose a fabric that will coordinate somehow with the pieced front, so that my quilts are really two sided. I also make three panels on the back, with the outside two smaller than the middle so that folding won't stress the seams. But I would love to find really nice backing fabrics in one piece. It is so hard for me to handle big pieces of fabric and have to sew long seams. I will check out some of the suggested places to find wide fabrics. Thanks for the information.

I love to piece the back with fabrics from the front. I generally use graph paper to lay out a design and figure out the best way to sew it together. I have moved to thinking that the back of a quilt is just about as important as the front. After all, when you pull the quilt up over you, what do you see? The back!

If I'm machine quilting a bed-sized quilt, I usually do it in sections, which makes piecing the back a bit easier. I usually use a busy fabric on the back when I machine quilt so my stitches don't show! I buy fabric I like on sale for just that purpose (6-7 yds usually).

my choice too. Too me unbleached muslin is the only backing to use. smile. (except for little guy quilts)

It is worth it to get the wide backing, and there is so much more choice now than there used to be. But one other option, if you want a particular fabric, is to use the diagonal cut method. Just buy a little extra in length, cut in half diagonally and slide one side down until the width is right. This way, the seam is evenly distributed the length of the quilt. Here is a calculator: http://www.multi-patch.com/html/diag...calculator.php