Hi everyone...... hope you have a wonderful Monday and .... well, um..... I have a question.
Do you purchase extra wide fabric for your quilt backs ... if not... what do you use most often.
Thanks as always
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Hi everyone...... hope you have a wonderful Monday and .... well, um..... I have a question.
Do you purchase extra wide fabric for your quilt backs ... if not... what do you use most often.
Thanks as always
Hi Mia. I have never once bought extra wide fabric for backing. Don't really know why! I always just buy regular width fabric and piece it together. If it's a quilt I am using for a table top or bed I use a coordinating fabric but if it's just a wall hanging (for me) I sometimes just use muslin.
I have never bought the wide material either. Just because I am in a location that did not carry it until recently. I have not done the math to compare the wide vs the regular width as to cost per meter! I will have to sit down and do that, because I have 3 quilts waiting for backing!!!
The one quilt I actually finished I just used muslin (off white). Then I was thinking to myself....aw you cheaped out, should have gotten the wide print fabric. But then after I did the long arm quilting, the muslin looked really nice because it showed off the quilting. So depending on what I'm doing for quilting will determine which I use for a backing.
Thank you Martha, JVO and Nancy for your help. I haven't bought the wide fabric either.... because all I can find locally is muslin. I have not one or two or three, but FOUR quilts that need backing. I'm seeing dollar signs lol. I did find a pretty red tonal print here on MSQC for the back of my black and white star quilt but they are out of stock. Thanks again..........
i do buy it occasionally for my bigger quilts. If I plan well, I can get two backs for baby quilts out of one piece. I use my joanns coupons to get the best deal.
I have bought the wide muslin for backing, but I haven't found a wide print in my price range that I like the quality of. Some of the pricier stuff of better quality, I don't like the print on. I have thought about hand dying my own backing fabrics from the wide muslin, buuuut, I really don't need one more messy hobby.
I have just finished a backing pieced of the leftovers from the border material of the front. It's kind of it's own simple quilt. I think I'll end up doing something similar with Em's zebra quilt too. I need about 4" more to make the backing fit width wise. I am thinking of a strip of 6.5" squares of fabrics left from the front set in to the backing to give it the extra width. Since I know she'll be dragging the thing all over the house, it might as well have some interest on the back too.
Some folks use flat sheets as backing. Not sure the good sheets are any less expensive than piecing together coordinating fabrics.
I have found that our J's carries the Kona Cotton Muslin in the brighter white in the wide width. Lovin' using the coupon on THAT! That is great for piecing the fronts too.
Good luck on your quest for the perfect back for your quilts!
Good luck!
My mom used to used a king size flat sheet. And she hand quilted everything!!! I haven't tried it.
When I do buy the wide backing it is the wide muslin from JA. I have seen some pretty prints at some shops around here but it is usually out of my price range. i have used sheets, too. Not always cheaper but sometimes they do make a pretty back.
Lots of great suggestions..... thanks again. I like the idea of using leftovers from the quilt top to add some interest to the back. I priced some extra wide fabric online today and it's pretty expensive...... so maybe the muslin and the scraps are the best bet. Thanks all
I used a 50% off coupon to buy an entire bolt of 108" natural muslin from JA. I only use muslin on quilts that I know are going to be used more often (my kids' quilts!) otherwise I'll piece together a backing that is from the same fabric line as the material I use on the quilt top.
My next 50% off coupon is going towards a bolt of extra wide bleached muslin.
Good idea Mary....... I just got a 50% off coupon this past weekend.
I purchased the wide backing for a large quilt. It just seemed easier at the time. I usually just piece the back. I finished a quilt last week that has a center of 3/12 " blocks in the backing. Turned out nice. I will post a picture once I get the binding done.
I saw a really pretty back at a quilt show this past weekend. It was four pieces of fabric, two of one pattern and two of another and they were like a checkerboard. Easy and looked classy.
I do buy wide back when possible, I hate piecing and it's cheaper by far. 19.99 - 23.99 per meter canadian, it's 108- 110 inches wide I usually only have to buy 2.2 meters depending on the quilt so it's roughly 22.00 dollars where that same size you would have to buy 5 meters of regular fabric 42 inches wide. 70.00 dollars canadian roughly.
price based on 14.99-16.99 per meter canadian for regular width fabricQuote:
Originally Posted by Sunnyok
I use the wide quilt backing or wide muslin on a lot of my quilts, unless I am using flannel on the back. I hand quilt. It's much easier not to have extra seams to deal with on the backing.
Sunny is right, the wide fabric ends up being a lot less expensive. Even more so in the states I think. I don't pay quite as much as she has to in Canada.
I have never purchased the wide backing. The backs are usually pieced together and when I feel creative for the back I add some extra blocks.
I went to JoAnns today and purchased Kona Premium cotton. It was $11.99 and I had a fifty percent off coupon ..... so I bought several yards and backed 3 of my FIVE quilt tops ... then hauled them off to the LQS for long arm stitching. The main reason I hadn't tried it before is I was concerned about the quality of muslin.... and when I saw the Kona brand, I felt better. Now all I have to do is wait for the finished product so I can sew on all the bindings. I can barely wait.... lol. I will post pictures when they are complete. Thanks again everyone for helping me decide what to do..... you are all awesome!
Hi Mia, For my "heirloom" quilts I normally buy coordinating fabric from the top of my quilt. On large quilts this can be very pricey, but how many heirloom quilts does a person make in a lifetime. As far as the 108 inch backing fabric is concerned, I've seen nice quality but also some pretty poor quality at high prices. A 108" backing fabric if it is priced right and the quality is good can save you money for a king or oversized queen. Muslin is always an option, but I like the back of my quilts to look pretty when turned back on the bed. There is no right or wrong, it's a personal decision. I personally wait until my quilt is pieced to make a decision on borders and backing fabrics, which means sometimes I have to search for what I really want and often have to improvise. Best wishes, Bubby
I buy both. Whichever matches the color of the quilt top. It's so easy to use the wide stuff, no piecing. But sometimes I want the same fabric line for the bottom as the top so I use regular width and piece it.
Heather
It depends on the quilt I am making if I use the wide backing material or the regular 45 in fabric. Last fall I made a King sized quilt for our bed and it has a one piece backing. I love it. I recently made a queen sized quilt that will be auctioned and it has a one piece backing. When I work on smaller quilts, like the baby quilt I just finished this week, I actually used the rest of 5 inch squares not used in the quilt top and pieced them into the back. I only had 10 squares left and would not have used them for anything else.
The thing I really like about the one piece backing is the look of it. So beautiful and I think much more professional looking.
Hi everyone, I usually get my fabrics for backing in the wider version - 54" if I can, from Ebay....there are great sellers there and are always helpful....I hate joining pieces up, so i guess Im just lazy :) but it saves time and since I have 20 - YES, 20 projects waiting to start on my guest bed......I need all the help I can......just a quilt addict!!!!!
I just love all of these suggestions! Sheets sound like the way to go, at least the cheapest way with the most variety to choose from! Some quilts I suppose are small enough the get away with using a small piece of fabric. I am so excited to get going on so many different quilts! I don't know which to do first or how big for which backing to use! Just reading everyone's suggestions and tips are so helpful. Great ideas!!
I had a situation this year where I was having backing issues. I was doing a queen size and I came across a site that sold backing that fit a queen size perfectly, no seams. If you search "fatback" you will see what I mean. And their fabrics are quality from all the great manufacturers . I loved it! They will send you samples of the fabrics before you actually buy.