I always try to find a sheet to match my colors on the front of my quilts, so that they blend. I also will buy nice sheets at garage and estate sales, for quilt backing. I've used them many times and IMHO, are a lot cheaper, more colorful and seem to last forever.

I use sheets all of the time too both cotton and flannel. They are easy to machine quilt and wash and wear well. I find by the time the sheet on the back is showing a lot of wear the front is too. I've never had a sheet on the back wear out before the fabric on the front. Often the sheets I use are a heavier cotton than my quilt fabric front so I certainly don't expect them to wear out first. I can often buy a good quality cotton sheet for $10 or less and I sure can't buy much quilt fabric yardage (less than a metre) for that. I often make a quilt or two a month and buying fabric yardage each time for a quilt finish would definitely upset my fabric budget.

Thank you ladies, This is my first quilt and I have not gotten to how I'm going to quilt it yet. It depends on how big I make it as I have a small singer so I might not be able to machine quilt it. Might have to do it by hand. Thanks for all the info I know I could count on all of you.

I use whatever i can find to quilt with.. I even use old fleece quilt for batting... Why not use whats available.. ?

All the time. You can find beautiful 100% cotton sheets at thrift stores and garage sales.

I would be surprised if a sheet would wear out before the front of a pieced quilt too. Several of my flat sheets are over 30 years old and still going strong. I have give some away because I don't have room to store many and want newer prettier sheets. My husband was given a quilt by his grandmother - she just sewed 2 twin sheets together with batting in the middle, he didn't like it so when we were first married we used it when we went to the beach and on picnics. (In San Diego that is year round.) It is no wonder that it didn't survive for more than 8 years. I was going to make another one, but we stopped going to the beach so much - having children can co that to you.

Yes, I have used cotton sheets for backing without any problem. In the 80's when my children were small and my sewing budget was teeny-tiny, I bought t-shirt fabric for backings. Stretchy, yes, but then I tied my quilts, so it was not a problem. Flannel is my backing choice for receiving blankets and baby quilts. The sheets are way less expensive than fabric on the bolt. As long as you don't buy a really high thread count (which makes hand quilting a problem, dunno about machine quilting), you should be fine.

Not crazy at all. I've done it and had great success. I buy 180 to 200 thread count. Poly-cotton sheets also work well if there is more cotton than poly - of course, that's just my opinion. I buy flannel sheets at the end of the season - right about now - and use them for quilt backs as well.

I have a friend that uses sheets and her quilts come out beautifully.
I don't use sheets, the weave is too tight for me, b/c I hand quilt.

Making one at the moment using 100% cotton sheeting that I got on sale