Buckeye quilter

I usually wait until the quilt is done before I buy the backing. I try to shop my stash first, but that doesn't always work out. But if I do need to buy backing, I take into account all the scraps left over from the quilt top which will go into the (scrappy) back. The leftovers from the backing usually provides enough for the binding, too. No need to make another purchase for binding.

copycat

If I see a perfect backing fabric while choosing fabrics for the top, I go ahead and buy it right away. For example, I'm making a baby quilt with pieced guitars and I saw barnyard animals playing guitars in a colorful print that matched the colors of the top and the theme of the top...had to have that print it was so cute. I usually wait to choose binding fabric until the top is complete.


Often times, I will piece the backing and do scrappy binding from leftovers from the top of the quilt.


All in all, I don't have a consistent way of purchasing backing and binding fabric.

peaceandjoy

I don't really worry about my backing matching the top. As long as it has the same color family, I'm happy. I often piece backings and have never had a complaint from the LAs that I use. Wide backs aren't big enough for large king size quilts, so I have to piece them anyhow. 10 yards will do it.

A couple of days ago, I bought 15 yards of 3 different fabrics @ Hancock's of Paducah. 15 yards bc that's when you get their quantity discount. The first one is a light blue and green watercolor. $5.99/yard up to 15 yards, when the price dropped to $4.79/yard. The extra 5 yards cost me $11.85 and it's definitely a fabric I can use for either a smaller quilt back or in quilts.

Two other fabrics I bought were Kaufman batiks on clearance at $4.99/yard with a 15 yard price of $3.99/yard. I bought 15 yards of each. 30 yards is enough for 3 backings, so it'll be about $40 each - not bad for a large king. All will give me some scraps when I trim away excess after quilting.

I've seen people say it's too difficult to piece a back, but I don't find it troublesome. Long, straight 1/2" seams with no matching points or corners only takes a few minutes. Even if there's a pattern that I carefully match (I don't usually bother, these would really be considered more like a blender than a pattern), it isn't difficult.

It's also a good opportunity to use up fabrics, either no longer loved or odds and ends. My Carolina Christmas quilt, my first ever Bonnie Hunter quilt, has chunks of the fabrics pieced into the backing. I didn't want a bunch of Christmas fabrics in my stash, so sewed them together.

toverly

Most of the time at the end. I make "twin/throw" size and want the back to be pretty too. Sometimes I wait to see what color I want to bring out from the front onto the back. I'll use extra blocks between any seams I have to sew on the back.

petthefabric

Lately, I’ve been trying to decrease stash. So I find a large enough piece in stash and match that.

because I like the piecing pattern to show, the fabrics are usually low volume. So, I use a focus fabric for back and pick fabric to match the back.