petthefabric

Lots of good replies. For me, I shop stash before I choose the front fabric. Then find fabrics that go with it-also from stash, hopefully. Figure out how large a quilt can be made from the fabric available. Then what pattern it will be affective on. So I do it backwards from many people.

Garden Gnome

Lots of creative ideas here. I mostly make kid sized or "throw" sized quilts, and I imagine that the backs will be seen a lot. Lots of tossing to the side and folding up, etc. So for me, it is kind of important to make the back interesting. One of my favorite combinations is a bright pink and orange Kaffe Fassett pieced top, and white with black polka dots back. I also buy wide backing when I find it on sale. And, I was one of the lucky people who was able to get to Hancock's Fabrics before they closed, and bought "rest of the bolt" so I have several pieces of yardage to browse before I go spend some more money.
I sometimes add some of the top colors to the back, but even with my "heavy duty" machine, it sometimes complains if it has to quilt through a bunch of seams. If it's gonna skip stitches, it will do it there.

AlvaStitcher

I have pieced backing from yardage usually with a seam up the middle. I have used extra blocks from the front to accent the back or to use as the label. My backs don’t necessarily match the tops and sometimes I just use up “uglies” to get them out of my stash! I was given boxes of fabrics from an estate a couple years ago and what is not to my taste, I use to back quilts. Win, win.

QuilterKay

I shop my stash for the backing. For several, The backing was good as was the top but I couldn't find a binding that looked good on both. That's when I learned to make two sided bindings. For example, I make a baby quilt using one of those Hoffman nature panels (Raccoon). I had a bunch of fat quarters of forest animals that I pieced for the back. The front was primarily in the teal family. The back was in bright green and brown families. Nothing worked but different bindings on the front and back. The book, "There is More Than One Way to Bind a Quilt," is my binding bible. The two sided binding has also sve me when I didn't have enough of the binding fabric.

WMUTeach

Ditto to Tartan, Coordinate colors to the front/top and the same for binding. I love, the extra wide and have been know to go to Yoder's in Shipshewana, Indiana just to get the backing for multiple quilts that is wide. I seldom piece the back. Just my personal quirk. I will manipulate the size of a baby quilt to fit on a 42" wide back. (Shhhh- don't tell any one.)

Friday1961

I do what you do -- work on one quilt at a time.....or at least one quilt TOP at a time.....and buy the backing for each as I come to it, which means when the top is done. I'm trying now to decide on backing for a Lone Star flimsy, mostly pinks and reds, made by my cousin, that I was given to finish. I occasionally piece a back but don't want to for this top.

So, yes, I agonize.

Teen

I prefer my backing to coordinate with the front...typically, I choose one color from the fabrics in the front...if I Have something in that color in stash and it fits the theme of quilt, I use that. If not, then I shop for something else. On Queen/King, I like wide fabrics. I'm not one of habit for piecing backs with different fabrics. I did it on one quilt, so far, and would be willing to do again. Just haven't had the need to do it again. Lol....

SusieQOH

I've done it all.
A couple of years ago I pieced a beautiful batik top and pieced a backing for it that didn't go with anything in the front. I regretted it and couldn't stand looking at the back. My oldest son loved it though. He doesn't care about the back! So it is now his, warts and all!
But I won't do that again. It really bugged me!

petpainter

I prefer my backings to coordinate with my quilt also- I don't make that many and usually spend a lot of time on them, so I like them to match. This week I finished a civil war quilt I spent a year making and had ordered a wide back in the fall for it. It was red, so being a washer anyway, I did wash it and used color catchers. I measured it to make sure it would fit my quilt which was 101" square, and to my shock it had shrunk from 108" down to 96"! I was so upset I couldn't see straight! I have never heard of any shrinking that much- it was a well known brand name- not a cheapie. I ended up piecing it, but I can't bring myself to put it on yet. Has anyone else had this experience? I'm afraid to use them again when the width needs to be close. I am a new longarmer and wanted to prevent the seam going down the back to avoid puckers.

sprice

Love your quilt, Boston1954. I'm about to start one of those with Thimbleberries fabric I was given. I tend to use one piece for backings since I make donation quilts at about 42 inches wide.