How to make back fabric piece large at front
 

When I make a quilt front..I just make it until I like what I see...meaning not always makeing it a specific size but just build from center out or top to bottom until it is the size I want. Making blocks different sizes is usually how it starts.
Anyway...I finish the front and then go for the back fabric...and just regular fabric (42-44" wide) is not wide enough. It is usually at least 6 inches on each side to short. Top to bottom is usually okay... My goal is a twin size quilt.

So the only way I have figured to make the back equal to the front...is to get a matching color fabric, solid or print. and add a 6" border to each side. Well, that done...it now looks silly to have the border on the sides, and not the top and bottom...so I add there as well. Now it all fits or possibly the back larger than the front but I can cut that back. But..to me..this just looks like exactly what it is...a quilt made to small and the border added to make it bigger. It just screams "MISTAKE" to me to have the back "framed" like this. Currently I have a fabric with horses running in a field...beautiful, and of course to small so if intend to add green "borders" to match the green grass on the print. I have an eagle's flying in the sky fabric..same thing..back to small so I add matching blue and "frame" the eagles fabric with it.

I guess it looks okay if it is given to someone that doesn't quilt, but to me...it looks like I was fixing a mistake.

I know I should do more with measurements and all, but I am not that good at it and by the time I have done the math..the blocks don't end up matching that anyway which is why I just make the blocks, then sash it and then deal with the back.

Does anyone have any other ideas about how to make the back fabric larger? I have only seen where they cut the back in 1/4ths and do a sashing inbetween the four pieces to make it larger, but I dont like that much..I prefer a back with no seams. Thanks for any suggestions

If you want a back with no seams then you need to buy extra width fabric (I think it comes in 120" ... I don't remember!).

You could also piece the back with two pieces of fabric sideways. If it's a large print I like to match the print, if it's a small print it doesn't bother me.

Or ... instead of two strips down each side ... run a single strip down the middle. Of course when you do this you need to center it so it doesn't look wonky.

Or ... piece the whole thing from large scraps of the fabric from the top. I've seen lots of lovely backs that were just large squares or rectangles pieced together.

If I'm just a few inches short, I use this method of diagonal piecing.
http://www.multi-patch.com/html/fabric_calc.php

Thanks for the suggestions. I am a very tailored kind of quilter and having so many "pieces" on the back is just to me...makes it look like I used scraps to make it and scraps on the front and just to much "scrap" theme. I have not seen fabric larger than the 44"wide...I only have JOann's to shop at. And no...I dare not try the strip down the middle...to much a chance that it would get wonky! I don't do strips because of this either!

Joann's carries 90 inch and 103 inch in our local stores and online.

Craftsy has a free class and quilt backs called "Creative Quilt Backs

http://www.craftsy.com/class/creative-quilt-backs/117

INteresting. I'll keep this in mind, but my problem is that I can only get fabric that is 44" wide. There is always going to be an short back of the main fabric. I guess I just need to adjust my "standards" and not think of it as "addition" but as "part of"..in this case I am going to tell my GD that I am making the quilt for that the green (that I added) is part of hte meadow the horses are running in. I was just hoping for a less mathematical way of doing it!

I use 44 inch wide fabric for my backs. I piece it. If it's all the same fabric by the time it's quilted it looks like one piece of fabric.

You may be overthinking it. I think a border around the edges of your back would look really attractive and be a real design feature.

You should be able to use 44" fabric for this technique, it WILL work. Don't be scared by the math, it's quite simple once you grasp the concept.

Pretend this rectangle is 44" wide. Not wide enough for your backing, right?
http://www.multi-patch.com/assets/images/Diagonal4.gif

Notice carefully what happens when you cut diagonally, slide the piece on the bottom left UP, and the piece on the upper right DOWN. The width of the rectangle (your fabric) gets WIDER.

http://www.multi-patch.com/assets/images/Diagonal3.gif

It also gets shorter, which you will have to take into account. But, this is a good, reliable way of making 44" fabric wide enough to use for a backing.

Also - when you go to Joann's (any fabric store), ask the employees where they keep the 108" wide fabric. I've seen it at Joann's.

There are lots of stores online that sell wide width fabric for backing.

http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabri...Source=LeftNav

if you have a twin top-say 63" x 72" you buy 4 yards of fabric for your backing- cut it in half---now you have 2 pieces 72" x 40" (or so) sew them together---now it's 72" X 80"...Quilt your quilt trim to size, bind--and you have some scraps to add to your stash...you do not have to add borders if you don't like the look- do some math & buy what you need to make your back fit. or you can always purchase wide backs- they are available from 90" wide up to 120" ...some people like scrappy pieced backs- some like them to look whole. if you piece like the first example when it is quilted it is pretty much impossible to tell it's not a whole piece.

Thousandsofbolts.com has lots of 108" wide quilt backing material.

I use to work for an Interior Design workroom. When we made bedspreads and coverlets we would run 2 seams longways of the piece. We would center one width of fabric then split the other width and sew one on each side of the middle one. That stopped it from looking off center and made it very tailored.

You could also buy flat sheets to use for backing.

our group did a medalion quilt that just kept growing on the back we put in a band of fabric 6. wide off set to the left vertically and below center horazontally where they intersected we fitted a lable---it looked great

go to John Flynn's web site. I believe it is undr workshops. He has a method for piecing the back on the diagonal in which you add a certain number of inches to the length cut on the diagonal and then slide one side down to increase the width. It works great and sure saves fabric.

Here are few ideas for enlarging a regular size (44" wide) fabric backing.

Jan in VA

I did a quilt for my nephew and had that problem - I had some extra blocks that I did not use on the front. I slit the bake about 1/3 of the way left to right and inserted the blocks - looked like I planned it and gave the back some pizzaz!

Why not make a few extra blocks and put them on he back in a design format . I do this and it does get rid of those extra pieces of fabric you did not need for the front.

See reply #20 from Jan in VA. I've seen this before and I copied/pasted her diagrams. It is now inside my book, Over Easy by Lerlene Nevaril, for later use. The book is also a great resource for piecing the backs of quilts.

Awesome solution!! Thanks for the link!

Personally, I don't see the back with extra colors as a mistake. I see it all as a work of art, creative, and not one person has ever complained. It's original - one of a kind - and could be reversible! My hand quilting is very creative....

Lots of quilt shops and LA's have backing fabric in 108 in. width. You may have to ask to see it.
I like the look of a back with lots of different things in it.

I prefer muslin for my backs and it comes in wide widths at Joanns. Only use prints etc on kids quilts..

Thanks for all of your great responses.

Thanks everyone. I'll consider all. I used to use sheets for backs so this wasn't a problem but I have ventured out of the box trying new things and like the patterned back! In this particular case..there is a directional pattern...herd of horses running through the meadow..the pattern repeats top to bottom but my problem was width. I can cut it in the middle but that would break up the path the horses are running. and to add on each side the same fabric would do the same so I think in this case I just have to add borders to each side.

All you need to do is google extrawide qilt fabric and you will get more sites than you can shake a stick at. Unless you are making quilts bigger than 120" you will be able to do it with one piece of fabric. There is more and more available all the tme. They are even making batiks extra wide now.

You can also cut a center wider strip instead of 2 on the outer edges. You can also turn the fabric and instead of running it lengthwise...sew it widthwise.

Well I'll be darned ... never thought of this, how clever! Thanks for sharing.

How does the front of the quilt look???? It seems to me that is the "focal point" and the back is just that.........

What a fantastic site! Thanks so much for sharing.

Hancock's Fabric-- you can order on line 108 and wider. They are a great source, plus if you have a local store you can pick it up there also. I also do a lot of ''create it as I go'' quilts I use the left over blocks from the front as my focal fabrics and go from there til the top and bottom are the same size. This way the recipient has 2 designs to chose from. I have only done 1 quilt where the back is of a solid color, to me its sort of blah so I kept it for myself.

maybe if you think you might come out short don,t add sashing in between blocks,just make it block to block,that might help

Connecting Threads has the wide backing fabric for 11.99. Never saw it any cheaper anywhere

Even WalMart has 108" muslin. I piece my backs, but only use one fabric. When it's finished, you usually can't tell it's pieced.

Why not make a center rectangle of pieces that are on the front of the quilt layed out in a pleasing pattern. You could have a large pinwheel for example and have the center piece bordered with the same border fabric that you are using on the edges of the quilt; kind of a square in a square or rectangle in a rectangle.

If I have a "busy" print for the back, I piece it "sideways", that is the length of the fabric will run perpendicular to the lengthof the quilt top. If the quilt is not longer than 80 inches or so, it will work with 42-44 inch width fabric. Cut longer than the width of the top for each piece, and press under one long edge. Now lay it on the opposite edge of the other piece so that the prints line up perfectly pin, and top-stitch. Voila! You cannot see the seam because the print blends together and looks like one continuous print.