I have done both but usually use a single color backing. I usually use my favorite which is a white paisley. I have to sew two or three lengths of fabric together to get it to fit especially a king size. I have made two quilts with a pieced back.

For me it depends on the quilt. I do both pieced and whole backing. I don't know of anywhere to get $10 wide backing. The LQS here charges almost $22 a yard for wide backing and I don't like muslin for backing. More often than not I piece a backing of the same fabric so it appears its one whole piece.

Actually wide backing is less expensive! Assume you have a queen size quilt you need to back. 45" wide fab, which these days it is really only about 42" of usable fab once you remove selvedges, you need to purchase at least 7 yards of normal width backing (usually 8 to 10 depending on how many seams you are willing to have ). Wide backing (108") fabric you only need 3 yards. Less than half. Most wide backs I see are in that 14.99 price range but I have seen it as low as $10 on line. Compare that to an average cost of fab at around $8 P/Y. 7 yards at $8 = $56.00 3 yards at 15 = $45 so the wide is less expensive because you have to buy less.

I like both pieced backings and one fab. I like using leftovers from the front in some pieced backs. But I do prefer a pieced back that is appealing to the eye not just big chunks of fabric put together helter skelter. If I am hand quilting I prefer as few seams as possible in my back. But if I am LAing it anything goes.

Ditto. I just want to get it done and move on to the next project. I am also a person who doesn't like clutter and I think piecing the back feels like too much to me - I need a single fabric back to balance the business of the front. Just a personal quirk of mine. :wink:

I do both .... some quilts "demand" a one fabric backing and others "want" for a pieced backing. Also, if I'm sending for hand quilting, the backing will be with as few seams as possible .... one fabric, or possibly minimally pieced (as in inserting one block or similar.

A one fabric back, can sometimes give you a nicer look at the quilting or the benefits of a second whole cloth quilt. At Christmas, I flipped one quilt to the back that had a black/gold print. Then laid a Christmas lap quilt on top ... showed it off better than it being on a couch in the family room! And can see doing the same for other seasonal quilts, rather than making a full bed quilt in the future.

Here's one with a pieced back .... it just seemed right!

I have always done a single piece backside. But then I wasn't exactly sure how to center it if it was pieced with multiple rows and such. Seems like a lot of frustration to me, but am sure there is an easy way.

That is what I learned to do, solid backings. I think the pieced is a great alternative. I want to try it on my next quilt.

Mine are mostly solid, but sometimes I piece for fun or necessity :D:D:D

I piece the back if I have good sized pieces of fabric left over from the quilt top. Otherwise I buy fabric that is on sale--like Connecting Threads--and use a soldid backing--still pieced because of the width of fabric, but all the same fabric. My family likes the pieced ones, they always look to see!

:thumbup: Sounds good. What is the thread count? Or does it matter? Thanks for the information. BrendaK