junegerbracht

Have you tried it with a white batting? I think it is worth it to use a backing that I really like after putting time into piecing, appliqueing etc. the quilt.

cashs_mom

I was thinking the same. I doubt you'll ever hold it up to the light so why worry about it? If it looks okay laying on my table, it's okay.

I use a lot of tone on tone for backings. I like them and they do tend to be easy to work with.

SherylM

Watson, I don't spray baste, but I do use Elmer's glue.

I've pretty much decided that the batting will be enough. I really can't see the backing fabric through even one thin layer of batting and the top with it lying on the table, so it will be fine.

I do have a king size cream colored flannel sheet that I use on our bed in the winter - I'm trying to decide if I want to sacrifice that, instead of another layer of batting or muslin, to make it warmer.

Gay

I always use white batting with a quilt with a lot of white for this reason. If you're still bothered by the batting or backing showing through the top I would invest in an inexpensive white sheet to quilt between the flimsy and batting.

SherylM

Yes, my batting is white, but it's thin.

I should have the top done in the next couple of days, so once I have both the top and the backing done, I'll sandwich them with one layer of batting and see how it looks. If I'm not happy with it, I'll decide if I want to add another layer of batting, or a layer of muslin.

So thanks to all the suggestions, that's the game plan. 😊

Tartan

Just the nature of the beast with white background fabric. Some people use 2 layers for a more opaque white look but if I can’t except some shadows behind WOW , I use a different background.

Railroadersbrat

Okay, so I have this weird confession.

I actually adore white fabric in quilts. I think that was started by my grandmother, all of her quilts had white backgrounds, no doubt from using up sheets, but I'm almost positive that's where my love affair with it started. She did an Irish Chain in white and blues that was just incredible and I always promised myself that someday, I would make an Irish Chain with white and blue.

Skip ahead to the here and now, I've yet to make any quilt with white, I am actually terrified of it. That is just from the fact that white gets dirty and stains easy and the show-through seam allowances. I know there are ways around those issues, but suffice it to say, when it came time to design my sister's quilt, I had zero intentions of using white and I love white on the DWRs.

The funny thing is, I plan to make my older sister a lap quilt, an Irish Chain, in white and blue, I can't get away from white when I think about Irish Chains, though I have seen some real stunners in natural and ivory. So, white is in my future, I've accepted my fate, lol.

copycat

Thank you for the link to the pattern! Did you try the tip in the video Jenny gave that she says allows you to keep your points from being sewn into the seams?
She said to stay on the seam side when you sew where the seams intersect. Does she mean Seam allowance? I would like to try the pattern and can use tips on how not to loose the points.

SherylM

Yes, that is what she means. I press my seams open and line them up by putting a pin through the tips of the points, before I pin the rest of the seam. It's much easier to see where those points are, so that I don't sew over them. You also get a much flatter join where all of those tips come together.

I really like this pattern and I want to make another, much larger one at some point, only with the corner pieces sewn on in some of the different ways that she mentions.

I have a few yards of fabric that has what looks like newspaper clippings all over it and I'd like to use that for the background, with scrappy black and white fabrics for the colored blocks.

Ideas...ideas...ideas... 😁