Last december I bought background fabric for a quilt, I needed 11 meters but they only had 7 on roll - but they could order it, they said. All right, I bought the 7 meters, but it is now august and they still have no idea when the rest of my fabric is going to be in. So I found another store - a webshop I had ordered from before - that had the same fabric. Everything matched, number, line, brand, even the picture. But now I've got it and although it is the same fabric, the color difference is BIG. I have no idea why, different color bath, maybe the fabric from the store was out in the light too long, I don't know. But there is no way I can use both of them in my quilt. *cries*

Luckily I haven't started my quilt yet (I was smart enough to wait until I had all my fabric), but now I have a dilemma. I need to start searching for a good background fabric again (difficult enought the first time) and I need 11 meters of it (almost impossible to do, even though it need not be one piece); or I could use the 7 meters I have and find another fabric that looks nice with it and use that for all the sashing. The last one seems like a good option but I don't know if the 7 meters will be enough for all the blocks (they say about 7 1/2 yards for this quilt, which means I might just have enough - or I might just be a bit short, probably the latter), and it would change how I want the quilt to look. But after almost a year, I am dispairing of actually finding 11 meters of fabric...

I think I would use the original 7 meter purchase and find another fabric that looks great with it instead of buying all new fabric.

you don't have to use one piece for the backing, If the 2 fabrics you have work together use them and a 3rd fabric between to blend, like use fabric1/ then a blender in the center and then fabric 2. I seldom use 1 piece for my backing. Good luck, just be creative, it will work out

I'm so sorry this happened. I think you should use what you have and find another fabric that looks nice with it. I think you will probably have enough. If you are short one or two blocks, maybe you could use a "make-do" fabric. If you don't want to do that, perhaps someone on the board has your fabric. You could post a picture and see. If you're worried about it matching what you have perhaps you could ask the seller to send you a small piece so you can see it before you buy. Let us know how this works out. And please don't cry! We'll help you through it even if all we can do is listen and sympathize. We do that really well on this board! Good luck!

Yes, I agree. I have done this before and it looks terrfic. Do a search for some backs and get some new ideas...that what I did.

That's exactly what I would do. If I have to piece the backing, I want to do it in a way that doesn't look like it had to be pieced. Adding a third fabric is a perfect way to have a backing that doesn't look like it had to be pieced. I hope that makes sense. :lol:

It's not so much the backing of the quilt as the background of the blocks (did that make sense?).

I think I will probably pick up another fabric to go with the one I have - although I will admit that I am hesitating as to which one that will be, the 'new' one has a tone that I might even like better. Then maybe do the sashing in both colors, matching the blocks to the sashing... Or do the sashing in a totally different color. *Puts thinking cap on*

I'm sorry this happened, I hope you're able to find something that works and that you like.

I think she's talking about background, not backing.

What a shame about the fabrics not matching up well enough. I would probably do some more calculations to see if I could what I needed out of the 7 meters and then go with the coordinating fabrics for the sashing. I might put the whole thing in EQ7 and play with it as far as design. Good luck!

You'll have enough. A meter is approximately 3" longer than a yard, so if you have 7 meters, you have 7 5/8 yards. Find a coordinate and have at it!

I have been in this position before. I would "do the math" on the blocks and figure out exactly how much fabric is needed for the blocks. Maybe the pattern was written in with a bit of extra fabric built in. You wouldn't really know, though, unless you figure out how much of the background each block needs.

If there is no built in extra then I would look for a different sashing fabric. Or if the second batch of fabric is that really that off then maybe you could use that as the sashing. It might add a different dimension especially since the pattern orginally called for the same sashing and background fabric.

I would also post an ISO on the board with a picture of the fabric. Someone might have some in their stash from roughly around the time that you bought the original. Good luck - things will work out.

Heartbreaking! I hope the math works out and it turns out okay!

Make the background fabric you have work for you. Draw out your blocks on paper and find a design where you can either alternate the blocks or another design idea. I don't know what your blocks look like but perhaps you can use the second fabric to do setting triangles to put the blocks on point instead of sashing? This is your opportunity to be creative and make a whole new design!

yes it quite often happens with dye lots i allways tell my guest to order there frabice all at 1 time becase dye lost are all different. never let theme tell u it will be the same. maybe u can return it at both places and reorder it all at the same time

I'm so sorry and hope you can find a coordiating fabric. This has happened to me before as well. I think fabric is probably like buying yarn. When buying yarn they suggest that you buy all at once because the dye-lots can be off on the next batch and vary enough to look way off. I know you couldn't get enough but maybe this will help you decide next time. Hope all turns out well!

Could you post a picture of your fabric here, maybe someone might have some ? Just in case.

how about adding a 3rd fabric and call it a scrappy background? If they don't touch, could be they will be close enough for a scrappy look.

I would use it in the quilt. Mix it in.. With shadows and that sort of thing you won't know it wasn't intentional..

it's not for the backing, it's for the background of her blocks

After deliberating with my mother, who doesn't quilt but is very creative and always willing to think with me, I've decided to use the original 7 meters together with another matching fabric as background in my blocks and worry about the sashing when all the blocks are done. (I'll admit, I might even go for dark green sashing instead of the light color I had originally in mind)

So, problem solved (somewhat) :).

What size is your quilt? 11 meters sounds like a whole lot of fabric, for a background. What is the pattern like?

Maride: 11 meters was with sashing and some extra 'oops' fabric I always include. The quilt is 140 6 inch finished blocks, it's Sylvia's Bridal Sampler if you are familiar with it.

glad mom could help you out ;)

Wow! I looked it up!. I never heard of a quilt requiring 10 yards of fabric. I want to see it when done!

Why don't you mix the two shades of color throughout the block backgrounds so it looks intentional?

I find that pattern requirements for fabric often overexaggerate. Can you do the math to see how much fabric you really need? Can you plan the cutting sequence more efficiently so you have less waste? I'd gamble on 7 meters being enough, but that's me.

Sounds to me like the dye lot is not exactly the same. I learned that you buy what you need at one time and even though the clerks say "We'll be getting more in", nine times out of ten it won't match because of the dye lot (printing up the same fabric pattern, but the colors don't exactly match because the dye lot is different just a smidgeon). I would save what you have for something different or use what you have in the quilt but find another matching fabric to take the place of the yardage you can't use. I would forget about the fabric that was sent to you in that quilt because it just won't look right. Been there - it just doesn't work. But you can save what you have and just start all over again. I know it sounds expensive, but you probably won't be happy with it otherwise. The sashing idea sounds good! You should have enough fabric for that! Good luck to you. This is the stuff that makes us quilters. Edie

Good Grief , this must be some huge quilt. I usually buy only 6 metres for a backing of a queen size quilt. I would use the 7 metre piece for the background , and I think you might find that it will do the job.

Good luck

Can you use the additional 2 m. as sashing?

id use the galloping horse technique, if you ride by it on a galloping horse and can spot the difference, you probably want to change it. If you can't, keep going:-) Hope it all works out, I'm sure what you make will be wonderful

Sorry this happened, but there are always differences, unless it comes from the same dye, batch, lot, etc. You will find the same problems with any fabric, wallpaper, paint, etc. It can be a difference in the material used to color the item, as well as the raw material to be colored as well.

I would just find something complimentary to use for this and find another great project for the rest of the fabric :)

FYI
7-1/2 yards = 6.858 metres

Therefore, you have enough, along with a little to spare.

For something like Sylvia's Bridal Sampler, you probably will prefer the sashing to be different than the background of the blocks, as it will help to frame up each individual sampler block.

I would get some dye and put both pieces in it and see if the end result unified the pieces enough before perchasing more.

Yep

My gosh, how large a quilt are you making? Re quilt backs, I love to make pieced backsso there is interest on both sides. Will your two fabrics play nice together if they are separated by a strip of coordinating fabrics or blocks? Here are a couple examples

Well, if the focus fabric is for the background of the blocks, you could alterante the color in teh background. On the first block, use the 7 meter fabric, on the second block use the different shadde fabric and so on. That should look good. Or else use the one for the background and use the other for the other parts of the block. It's hard to say without knowing the block you are working on and where the focus fabric would be.

I agree. But get something that is a bit different, so it looks like a design decision instead of a running out of fabric desicion. Good luck!

Can you return the fabric to the original store? You bought it with the understanding that they would get you more.

Why don't you post the fabric on this board. Maybe some of us have your fabric in our stash?

Ah, I'm in the Netherlands, so getting the fabric here is quite a hassle, and then it still might be a different color - as seen by the two pieces of exactly the same fabric I have at home. But thanks for the suggestion.


I must admit that I am not much of a gambler, and the book also says the yardage (sp?) is an approximation, not to mention that I changed the color choices for the blocks and therefore will probably need a little more of the background fabric in some of the blocks. The blocks are all different, some use paper piecing, others simple piecing, and yet others use templates; I think there's even a applique block in there. So calculating exactly how much I would need is a lost cause (I'm not great at math to begin with). Not to mention that several of the blocks are more difficult than anthing I've tried before, so I'm also taking mistakes into account when looking at the fabric.

Basically, I'm too afraid that if I gamble on the 7 meters being enough (which I agree it should be), then I will make like 139 blocks and won't have enough fabric for that final block...and that certainly wouldn't look like a design descision! So next weekend there's a quilting exhibit with vendors near where I live and I will go there and buy about 2 meters of coordinating fabric to the 7 meters I have, and then I'll make 2 blocks with my original fabric and 1 block with the new fabric, so I get a 2:1 ratio of blocks, give or take a few, random over the entire sampler. That should look like a design decision, even though it started out as an 'emergency solution'.