Geri B

Well here I am...alone again.....I only use muslin..either white or natural,for all things I have made......I just cannot justify in my head or wallet putting lovely fabric on the back of something I have cut, pieced and quilted. The muslin I use is good quality and I have even used it in blocks.....it is just the same material before printing.....

Sewnoma

This is sort of my philosophy about using muslin. Especially on king-size quilts I'm making for myself...I go all out on the fabric for the front and save as much as I can for the back.

I like scrappy backs too...my rule of thumb is that if I have to piece a back out of 45" fabric anyway, I'm usually going to throw something interesting into that seam, especially if it's a scrappy quilt (which most of mine are). A row of blocks using fabric from the front, or a strip of left over border fabric...whatever gets in the way gets thrown into that spot. And then sometimes I get a bug and decide to slice through the back again going in another direction and add another strip of "whatever". Kinda depends on how much I like the backing fabric, how much front-fabric I have left, what sort of mood I'm in, and how much of a hurry I'm in!

I've done fully pieced backs and I didn't like how I ended up with so many lumps where intersections from the front matched up with intersections on the back - it made it hard to quilt. My FMQ is amateurish enough without extra lumps in the quilt making it jag off to the side! If I pressed my seams open that would probably be less of a problem but I'm far too lazy for that.

AZ Jane

Several of my quilts started by finding the perfect backing. Then purchased fabric for the front!!!

maryb119

I use the extra wide backing fabric when I can but if I can't find something that looks good, I will use the 45 wide and seam it. Sometimes, I piece together leftover fabric from the top to make the backing.

maviskw

QUOTE from Sewnoma:I like scrappy backs too...my rule of thumb is that if I have to piece a back out of 45" fabric anyway, I'm usually going to throw something interesting into that seam, especially if it's a scrappy quilt (which most of mine are). A row of blocks using fabric from the front, or a strip of left over border fabric...whatever gets in the way gets thrown into that spot. And then sometimes I get a bug and decide to slice through the back again going in another direction and add another strip of "whatever". Kinda depends on how much I like the backing fabric, how much front-fabric I have left, what sort of mood I'm in, and how much of a hurry I'm in!
If I pressed my seams open that would probably be less of a problem but I'm far too lazy for that.[/QUOTE]

I've been making a lot of scrappy backs. What better way is there to get rid of some of that fabric that has been hanging around forever? If the front is scrappy, the more different pieces you use in the back, the less it matters what color they are.

My new idea I just thought of: If you have a piece of fabric that coordinates with the front (long enough or wide enough but not both), fold it on the diagonal from corner to corner, but not exactly in the corner, leave an inch or two, and cut off 1/16th or less from that fold. Just to get the fold off. Place the two diagonal pieces on opposite corners, and you have a straight blank space to fill in. Take another piece that is wide enough to fit that space (but it doesn't have to be long enough), and cut on the diagonal through the center to match the diagonal on top or bottom. Place one of these on the top and the other on the bottom. Now fill in the space you have left with anything. One piece or several. Pieced in a pattern or just fabrics to fit. I can't wait to try this.

Karamarie

I like piecing the back as a way to use up what I have. If I have nothing that works then I go to either the wide if I can find a piece I like and that goes with the front of the quilt or I will use 44" and piece. I have a couple of pieced backs I'd love to show you but cannot figure out how to send a picture. I printed off the help instructions but I have Windows 8 and for the love of me can not get it figured out. I thought I had it once but the picture showed up too small and I used the size the instructions recommended. Maybe it'll click one of these days.

carly

Geri B you aren't alone that is all I use also, unless one of the grandkids wants fleece .

Janette

I also prefer 108". My local store doesn't carry much so I buy it on line. Try typing "108" quilt backing. You'll be surprised how many on-line stores carry it. Keepsake Quilting carries quite a bit. I generally get mine from www.backsidefabrics.com. She carries a good range of fabrics and often has good sales. I even buy it for smaller quilts. The rest can be used for other projects or I donate it to a group here that makes quilts for homeless children.

WTxRed

Here are some scrappy backs I've made and love:

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But perhaps my favorite scrapped back of all times (I was so tired of this fabric after making the front!) ...

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Mariposa

I like to use wide fabrics for backs, but I also will use some of the fabrics from the front to make a band of pieces to add additional interest. Depends on the project, I guess!