Does the print or color of backing have to match the front?
 

I made a top of tan, black, beige and a print with rust background made in a bear paw pattern. I found a flannel piece red, white, blue plaid I was planning to put on back and bind in tan. My sisters are saying they need to match like the rust in front is different than the red in back and there is no blue in the front. Does it matter? Their reason is in a lap quilt you would tend to see both sides at times.

No, it doesn't matter. I often use a completely different fabric as backing, essentially making a reversible quilt. I go by "my quilt, my rules."

The quick answer, no!

Nope...
No......
Absolutely not.

That's part of the fun of a quilt.

unless the quilt is for your sister AND she has paid for it (at least the fabric), there is no reason to do as she says. Quilting comes from the heart--the heart of the maker not necessarily the viewer! Do what you want. I tend not to match backs and fronts, personally, as I like the reversible quality. I do use a binding that matches front and back though.

I tend to back a lot of my quilts in muslim but if I am putting a fabric other than muslim on the back I like them to at least coordinate. Of course I am also the person who can only do organized scrappy quilts. The ones with brights and earth tones and primary colors and pastels all mixed together set my teeth on edge. Bottom line quilting is an art form and in art it is what the artist sees. So I do agree your quilt, your rules unless you are making a commissioned quilt.

Go to a local quilt show and look at the backs of the quilts, and you will have your answer. Some match, some do not, some are even pieced and look like "a coat of many colors." The point is, there are many ways to do a back. I think it depends on where it is going. If it is for someone that would be picky about the back or someone that likes the feel of flannel for the back like my son, I know to always put flannel on the back of his quilts. I also let the color of thread determine the color of backing. "To each his own" Do what works for you unless you are doing it for someone who is paying for it.

I agree completely with the other responses - your quilt, your choice. For my own quilts, I want the back to be somewhat compatible and similar in style to the front. If I go scrappy on the back, I want the scraps to harmonize with the fabrics on the front. The exception might be a child's quilt. They seem to enjoy more diversity.

Tell your sisters to make their own quilts and to quit picking on yours.

When I make a quilt top, of multiple colors. I dont try to match the backing to the front. There is time's that i use 6-8 peices of different colors to use for a backing, or sometimes, or 2 peices the width & length of the quilt.And the 2 peices dont match either

It's definitely a personal choice, as others have said. I do like, however, to bind the quilt in a fabric that coordinates with both the back and front.

Here is the fabric in question. It is a give away quilt to I don't know who. I don't want to have a ugly one.

This is the best answer ever. LOL cad_queen_rules!!!!

The back is a good place to use up leftover fabric from other projects or fabric you may not like so much for piecing.

I belong to a small quilt guild (less than 20 members usually), and we have small annual quilt show every fall which is open to entries by the public as well as members. Due to space limitations, we usually only have 70 or so quilts. We try to have a different judge each year, often a LQS owner, prolific quilter in the area, quilting teacher, etc. We try to find someone who is not too "tough", as we are more interested in learning from our entries than being "perfect"...in other words, we try to avoid having a strict "quilt police" judge! One year we goofed, tho, and got a real toughie who picked on every little thing. One of our members is a very prolific and talented quilter and does beautiful work. She entered a stack 'n wack that was out-of-this-world in both workmanship and beauty. The judge really complained, tho, that the back didn't "relate" to the front (this was her only complaint on this one) - guess she felt she had to find something wrong. We all had to just laugh at the judge's criticisms of our entries and vow to never have her judge again. We still tease the stack 'n wack entrant, tho, whenever she brings something for show and tell, making her show us the back and voting on whether or not is "worthy"!