Sheets as a backing
 

I have been reading long arm services and many of them do not accept a sheet for the backing. I cannot find a reason for this. I know a lot of people don't use sheets for backing, but it seems that just as many do. I am having a long arm delivered Tuesday and planned to use a sheet for the backing to practice, play and learn to use the machine. I don't want to do this if it could cause a problem. I am getting a 12 ft majestic Gracie frame with a Tin Lizzie 18 Ram.

I have a longarm and use sheets remember it's your machine and your quilts and you are the one in charge

I don't know why quilters don't like sheets. We use sheets to back our quilts that we give to people in need in our community. We have a Fred Meyers in town and frequently they put twin sheets on sale for 3.99. They are good count sheets. This week they have an extra coupon we can use for 20% off which brings the sales price of the twin sheets down to 3.19 per sheet. IMHO, that is a bargain since there are more than 2 yards of fabric in each twin.

Hope you enjoy your new longarm set-up. Happy Quilting!

I always believed it was the thread count, density of the fabric and having polyester in them. I have never used sheets either because I was taught by Harriet Hargrave that you should use the best fabric you can afford. I don't use anything in a quilt with polyester. I want my quilts to be shown on Antique Roadshow in the year 2052. :)

Most sheets have a tighter weave and higher thread count than quilting cotton, and some machines get finicky about that with resulting tension problems. I would say go ahead and try it, if you have a sheet on hand. But I've found that most sheets are more expensive than simply buying muslin yardage.

I would avoid bed sheets because of their thread count and fiber content, particularly if they contain polyester. If you're wanting to use a bed sheet because it requires no sewing to put together a quilt backing, check out the wider (108"- to 118"-wide) cotton backing fabrics available at quilt stores and online. You can get everything from white or off-white muslin to prints or even flannels.

I don't have a long arm, hopefully one of these days, but I use sheets all the time and FMQ on my DSM and have never had a problem, so I don't know why a long arm would have a problem.

We love to sleep on high thread count sheets, but the higher the thread count the least likely you should use it as a backing. The combination of a high thread count and the needle size used by longarm machines.. make it likely the stitch hole will break the fibers and it will be a true hole. I once ha a long arm pro take out a good amount of stitches on a batik backed quilt. When I noticed the " holes" where she had made a mistake and taken out a very large section of quilting.. she told me not to worry they will close up. Well they never did, batiks are also a higher thread count, I can still see every hole the needle made. I almost wish she had left the original stitches.

I use thrift store top sheets that seem to have been washed a zillion times and are very soft. I have also used 200 count cotton sheets, but they are hard to find. Sheets with this low of a thread count are often a poly blend. I agree with the other posters. Try one and see if you and your machine are happy.

I often use 100% cotton flannel sheets for backing. I have had them done by a couple people on their long arm - they came out perfect and the long arm operators didn't seem to mind.