Iceblossom

When I have my preferences and budget, I prefer to buy extra wide backing for my quilts. I've found that it is often not-on-sale and so you can often use those Joann coupons for them to bring the price down. That doesn't always work though, whether it is timing or a fabric style choice. I joke about being inherently cheap, it's not a bad thing -- my goal is that my backs cost less than $20. I can't always get what I want for that price and price isn't always my number one concern, but it's top 3!

I do prefer to buy backs I can actually feel/smell, but sometimes to get what I want I take risks and order on-line... I have used sheets before, I take each on it's own merit. That is, sometimes a heavy stabilizing sheet is exactly what you want for that top, and other times it is not! Or that particular sheet just has a super nice feel and thread count and will be delightful no matter how you use it.

I typically look at piecing yardage before sheets though. More and more as part of my design process/concept of the top also includes some degree of piecing on the back. Sometimes that is just because I wanted to use up fabric, other times because my backing maybe wasn't quite big enough, sometimes yes -- I'm treating the back as a giant block. Another reason for piecing is I'm really trying hard to use stash. I rarely bought anything over 3 yards long myself, and that's just about half an average back.

I do look at backs and bindings as one more place to add fabric to my top. I do like using wild and crazy and often large scale prints for the backs. Most of those I get at the thrift store, if/when I find 6-8 yards of a cotton quilting fabric (big enough for a back!) for under $20, I snatch it up. Has to be pretty awful/"taste specific" for me to not find value in just that amount of yardage alone, but as wild and crazy as I may go there are fabrics I still don't get.

katiebear1

I use sheets a lot. Walmart Mainstay brand works well and they come in lots of colors. They are a cotton poly blend. But I find them as good as medium quality quilt fabric. And they are economical.

leaha

when I first started quilting I used plain muslin, found out when I used colored thread every mistake really showed up. So I found that if I use a really busy busy print my oops did not show up so much. I use thread to match the back, so back must blend in with the top. I also do both machine and hand quilting in the same quilt, yes I know not done so much, but it is what I like to do. My one hard fast rule in quilting is that "in quilting nothing is written in stone!" So do what you like to do and just have fun!

rvsfan

Quilting fabric, 100% cotton print so my mistakes don't show up as much. I don't particularly match it to the front of the quilt. I have not yet tried the 108 inch backing fabric available.

Doggramma

I like to use the 108 inch wide backs. The ones I use are the quilt shop quality fabrics. Otherwise I choose a quilting shop quality fabric from my stash, usually something that I have in a bigger amount. In my earlier quilting years, I didn’t have a lot of money. So I would go to estate sales or garage sales and get old sheets. Unfortunately a lot of them were so worn out that they started to rip through after the quilts were washed a few times. I’ve used new sheets too which hold up much better.

Jingle

I like the wide backs fabrics for backing. I don't want to spend a lot on them as I either make donation quilts or give them away. Sometimes I will use quilting cottons and add borders to them. I buy my own quilting supplies for the above quilts and i don't know how they will be treated.

tranum

I didn’t see anyone mention fleece for backing. I make many kids charity quilts & been satisfied with using it. No batting used or needed. Fleece makes a great self binding when trimmed to 2” then folded twice to front.

Kimber56

I just put a french fuse interfacing on the fleece I am using for a backing. Didn't know if I should use a batting or not.

Julienm1

I live in NM and right now hot hot hot!!! Backing for our quilts is a flannel sheet...preshrunk. I don't care that the quilting is not noticable so the piecing is the focual point.

KathyM

I get wide backing from Marshall Dry Goods, they have a website, the Dream Cotton is very nice have used many times.