piecing back - selvedge to selvedge
 

When I have to piece a backing horizontally I used to trim off the selvedg as carefully as I could and then sew my 1/2" seam. The results were "iffy" at best as to how straight my cutting had been. Now I leave the selvedge on until after I sew the seam - using a seam allowance that is the width of the selvedge plus 1/2". This works so much better for me! When I told my BQF (best quilty friend) :) about this she informed me that she's been doing it this way for a while. So ... in case I'm not the last one on the planet to figure this out ... here's to straighter seams!

I prefer larger backings and seam vertically when I can, but ... lately they seem to all come out better horizontally. I quilt them myself on my domestic machine.

Good info...

I've been doing it this way, too...never even thought about trimming first. I do lots of things wrong with quilting, but I am self taught...no lessons for me..

If the quilt is made with love, you didn't do it wrong! :thumbup:

I may give this a try next time. I always snip and rip the selvedges off.

Have you tried John Flynn's method of cutting and piecing the back on the diagonal. Sure saves fabric.

Great tip. I had not thought of it and appreciate your posting.

John Flynn's method only works if the height and width are within certain rations.


ali

If the salvage is not printed but the same color as fabric I don't even cut it off. The width of the seam is the width of the selvage. Done!

The main idea to this method is the seam on the roller is NOT all in the same place, which can cause a major problem when you roll the backing onto the roller. By cutting and having the backing on the angle, that backing seam is spread evenlly across the roller....Hope that makes sense

This makes sense, and I understand what you are saying, however I have had the salvage edge shrink differently than the rest of the yardage. May I suggest after the seam is sewn to use your wavey/pinking blades and cut off the salvage, then iron seam open, will lay flatter for backing....IMHO :o

I leave the selvedge on until after I sew the seam - then cut and press open. So ... seam allowance plus the width of the selvedge - sew, cut, press open. Don't know why it took me so long to come up with this!

Yes, I've tried it, but didn't get the math quite right. I had to add "embellishment" to make it fit. I added a row of leftover blocks. It worked out, but I'd like to try again to get it right.

Flynn method works great !!!!! I guess it helps if you have algebra & geometry but if not try it with a piece of paper and you will see how it works....saves lots of fabric and the full length of the seam is never on the fold when storing the quilt. If you do not understand the math just plug your projects numbers into the formula, after first checking to be sure you are within the guidelines. My avatar has a backing done this way and it is difficult to even find the seam after quilting. My two tall friends who are holding up the quilt for the picture were giggl.ing and trying to find the seam when I snaped the photo

The only problem with that is that when the quilt is washed the selvage will shrink differently than the rest of the quilt. I always fold my fabric enough times that I can get my 36" ruler lined along the selvage and then cut it off with my rotary cutter.

Me, too. If you tear it, it's always straight.

I rip the salvages off.press smooth and sew.i know i have a straight seam that way.and always a1/2 seam allowence.i'm a long armer and 1/4 seams stand up as they are quilted and hard to manage.

Here goes -- if you make a paper sample it may help you get the picture.
1. Get a sheet of paper (8 1/2 x 11 works great).
2. Fold it across the diagonal and cut on the fold.
3. Now, lay the pieces on a flat surface cut edges together and slide the right side toward you. See how the overall width of the paper gets wider? This is what happens with the fabric back -- after you make the cut you move the fabric up or down until the piece is wide enough and long enough for the back.

For me it is great because it saves fabric (if you are doing a big quilt and the fat back is not quite big enough, this still works. The other thing I like is that the diagonal does not usually match any seams -- I hate it when the back seam winds up an exact match for one of my long pieced seams. (Since I normally use my home machine I don't have the problem with the roller.)

There is a formula out there that allows you to calculate the fabric you need: http://www.multi-patch.com/html/fabric_calc.php

I understand the John Flynn method, and it makes sense, except: there will still be waste from the triangular pieces that stick up and down? Right? I've never done it, but wonder how you get the line straight to cut on the angle. I could put my quilt frame sticks on the fabric, but how do I get the fabric to lie perfectly flat and square? I suppose tape it to the floor? Would a string stretched across be good enough?

If you leave the selvedge on, snip it about every 2 inches to prevent puckering from uneven shrinkage. I've done this for clothes that were washed frequently and never had a puckering problem.

Never heard of John Flynn but found this, helps calculate yardage needed and diagram on how to cut. Hope that helps others like me, LOL

http://www.multi-patch.com/html/fabric_calc.php

that is a good tip and I had not thought of it, thank you!

I have always left the selvedges on and sewn a good 1/2" seam, it works for me :)

Try it with paper and it will be easier for you to figure out.