LAF2019

I sometimes cheat a little, but don't tell the quilt police. if it's just a bit in the seam allowance of the top, i haven't noticed any harm....but I'm not too picky.
if asking specifically about the backing, I would suggest leaving it on, and since i am assuming your backing will be sized bigger than your top, you can just trim it off at the end. I don't see any problem with that.

luvstoquilt

I always cut it off because my mother told me to do that years ago. Lol

aashley333

When sewing 2 pieces of fabric together to create backing, I don't trim selvage, but I do use more than 1/2" SA. Sometimes, when I fussy cut for kaleidoscope quilts, I will allow SA to extend into selvage if needed.

sewingpup

Don't know if you are going to quilt with a domestic machine or on a long arm.....I am getting lazy...so what I do when I have to piece a backing with yardage...is to leave the selvages on....but...on the inside seams....I will stitch them with a inch or so seam...lining up the selvage edges....then I take my scissors and cut that seam down to maybe 1/2 or 3/8 inch cutting off the selvage edges...this generally gives me a straight seam without having to be careful and use a ruler (like I said, at my age, I am getting lazy). Then often times....I can pin the remaining outside selvage edges to my leaders and quilt away...if course I always have my backing bigger than my top so the excess backing gets trimmed away...so in the end, all the selvages are removed...

retrogirl02

I always cut off my selvages but I do use them in quilt blocks for sewing projects. I tend to cut at least the last inch of fabric so some of the pattern will show. People collect them and have made everything from skirts to bags, pincushions to string quilts believe it or not.

I kept all the bits from the Dear Jane quilt along for a selvage project someday. I used to cut them off immediately but I've been slacking the last few purchases. I have a shoe organizer full of colorful selvages for projects at some point. There was a tutorial on here years ago about making selvage squares. I'll have to see if it's still available in the search function. I've got some photos but I better make a separate thread for that. Will post to photos soon.