Fleece Won't Hold Still for my Ruler!!!
 

How in the world do you measure fleece for a backing? Every time I try to measure it, it slides around so bad I can't get the ruler to get a grip on it for a measurement and end up with a saggy back that doesn't fit at all. What can I do to get an accurate measurement so I get a back that fits the top? TIA

I will be watching this post to see how it is done also! My biggest problem with fleece baby blankets, getting them square.

I have never used fleece BUT I would lay it on the floor. Then I would lay the top over it. Next I would cut around it with scissors leaving what is needed around all 4 edges.

that's exactly the way i do it. i prep my top the way i would for a backing. lay the fleece down on floor, wrong side up. lay top on that to ensure i have a few inches extra on all four sides of top. then lift off the top, lay the batt, then the top and proceed to spray baste. even tho floor business is getting more difficult with age, it's still the best way i've found to prepare a fleece backed quilt for machine quilting.

I measure fleece with a good old fashioned measuring tape ��

If you have one of those cardboard cutting boards (usually used in dressmaking), pin the fleece directly to it with sturdy straight quilting pins. The fold lines on the board make good straight scissor lines, too.

I've not used fleece for a backing, but perhaps the rubber sheets that are used for cabinet drawers and shelves would work if you have a roll and lay it under the fleece so it will adhere some, then try cutting. I don't know if that will work or not, but I know that these rolls work for lots of things and work well under the sewing machine to keep it from walking when you have to sew on a table. The owner of Jordan fabrics used hand weights that she lays on the end of her ruler when she I cutting to keep the ruler from moving, this might help with the fleece I you have some of the hand weights and place them near he edge of the fleece worth a try.

Welcome to the world of fleece! It can be such a challenge to work with. I sell hundreds of yards of fleece to folks making the tie blankets and the first thing I tell them is to not try to make the 2 pieces match. Lay one down and gently lay the other on top of it - do not stretch to make it fit. If you do, it will pull back and make everything wobbly. Once you have gently laid the 2 pieces and pinned them, then you can trim them to make them even. Same thing applies to a quilt. Lay down the fleece and lay your top on it, then pin and trim. In fact, with the quilt, I would probably do a basting stitch all around before I would trim.

Thank you for your advice. I have always avoided using fleece as a backing and this really helps.

This may or may not apply to what you are trying to do, but I apply a thin line of clear nail polish along the edge of my rulers, then sprinkle the wet polish with table salt. This helps keep my ruler from sliding around without obscuring my the lines on the ruler.

lay it out flat and put anything heavy in the corners then in the centers of the outside edges to hold it in place but not too close to the edge. Leave enough space between the weight objects and the edges so you can either cut with scissors or slide your cutting mat very gently under the fleece and use your rotary cutter. I hope this helps. Good Luck, fleece and minky have the same characteristics for stretching easily. This is how I did the backing for a minky quilt but after I got it laid out flat I used a wash a way marker and a long ruler to mark a straight edge all around for cutting and used scissors not my rotary cutter. This was not my idea but the lady who owned the quilt store suggested it and it worked great. I was getting the minky so stretched out of shape I was not sure if there was any hope for it but this really worked for me.

Good idea! Thanks.

The rulers I use for cutting fleece, cotton - any fabric - are sprayed with basting spray. At first it is too sticky, so I immediately used some backing scraps to rub excess basting spray off. The ruler holds firm to the fabric. Eventually, the basting spray wears off, so then I just repeat the process.

But I really like Quilting Cats idea!

I have 2 of these, one quite large that I use. It works well, but is getting old like me, and don't know if I can find another. Do fabric stores still sell these? (Another retired Math teacher here!:)