Tartan

I went to pick up wide quilt back from my LQS because I had a $30 gift certificate. It was for a UFO that I want to get quilted. Found a wide back that I liked and as she was getting ready to cut it, not a piece big enough. I tried to find another one but had to settle for yardage of regular fabric. SIGH! Now I am stalled again because I have to seam the back. Will I run it vertically up the middle? Will I press the 1/2 seams to one side or open?
My top has sashing, will I be able to get the seam placed so the sash quilting stays centered? I hate when the straight stitching line from the front runs along a seam line because if you don't keep the back perfectly centered the seam line will wander. I could piece in some block on the back but I don't really want do deal with keeping then straight either. I am trying to motivate myself to start cutting and sewing but I am procrastinating on QB instead.
When you piece a back, do you iron the seam allowances to one side or open?

charsuewilson

I use the wide backs, but in the few cases where I've had to piece a back, I've ironed the seam open to reduce the bulk.

Nilla

I press seams open nearly all the time, but lately I've been piecing big blocks and sometimes I press them to the sides so they nest together. A while ago I asked about a technique where the backing comes out as pieced triangles (I'm probably not describing that quite right). That might work for you. I agree that matching a straight seam up with quilting around the sashing would be tricky. That would bug me too.

LavenderBlue

I wrestle with this dilemma all the time. Spend so much time graphing out the pattern to see where the quilting lines will hit the back pieced pattern - all the while avoiding any seams on top of each other. I am paranoid about it being straight and measure, hope and pray. They turn out well in the end. I press those seams open.

Monika

I piece my backs all the time. I have never used wide backing fabric. Keep meaning to try it. Sometimes I press the seams open but mostly I press to the side. I treat it a lot like the piecing of the top. When I put in blocks, I usually but them off-center so I don't have to worry too much about center lines. But I have done them kind of "medallion-style" too. A block or piece of fabric in the middle, then other fabric around it. I don't worry about the quilting. After it is washed, it all seems to work out.

Lori S

If I piece a backing I press open and starch it so it stays open. This gives a flatter look to the back.

toverly

I never use wide backs, most of my quilts are throws, favorite size 48 x 72. I use a vertical row of either extra blocks from the front or just fabric squares used in the front on the back just to widen to 50 inches. An added advantage to using extra fabric from the front on the back is that if it ever needs to be repaired, the fabric is right there and worn with the quilt. So it blends.