You can use almost anything you want as backing - you area making the quilt, you get to make the decisions! Having said that, be warned that some fabrics are a bit harder to work with. Fleece and minky like to slip and slide around A LOT. You need to be even more careful about puckering and gathering. Also, there are many, many online fabric stores. This group can give lots of suggestions and then just watch for their sales (watch their shipping costs also). Any, you can always buy online from the 'big' places like Jo-anns, buying the sale fabric and use their free shipping coupon. Welcome, have fun quilting and remember, you are the boss!

I haven't used Minky but I do use fleece as a backing on almost all my quilts and never have a problem. I pin baste and use a lighter pressure on my presser foot so as not to drag. Although fleece is stretchy, it's not that bad and with good basting it behaves well. I do not use batting in my fleece backed quilts. There are many adorable and very pretty fleece prints as well as juvenile, masculine and feminine prints.

I've just finished 3 lap quilts using a minky-type backing I purchased at Joanne's. I've done others with this too. I work on a long arm for quilting, so will tell you that if you are sending to a long armer or doing that yourself, you want to try to get a minky type back that doesn't stretch both ways--that will prevent any issues. I'm not sure how that works if quilting on your domestic though. One suggestion regarding fleece--there is fleece and then there's fleece! Having used it for variety of projects, some fleece pills easily and doesn't hold up well, others do great. Again, having them stretch only in one direction helps with the quilting process. As a long armer, I will not take backing that stretches both directions--just too big of a hassle. Good luck!

Minky & fleece are great for backings. I have used both & spray baste. That really helps with any stretching & shifting while quilting.

Lots of patterns adapt very well to flannel. Use of Minky on the back? Lucky person who receives--so cuddly and warm.
Interestingly enough earlier in topics is a link to thedoormouse.com/pattern.htm for a flannel quilt
Welcome

I too have used minky; it makes a wonderful cuddly quilt.

Hi and welcome to this awesome board from Arkansas!

I love the way that minky feels, but I do not like working with it at all. My favorite longarmer backs quilts with it and she has no problem with it. The quilting looks great and it turns out very cuddly. When I used it on my regular sewing machine, it stretched a lot. I can’t imagine trying to use it again.