How to Quilt>Backing for your Quilt

Quilt Backings

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With so much emphasis on the quilt top, don’t forget the importance of the quilt backing.

A beautiful quilt top is only as beautiful as its backing. After all, the backing helps secure the stitches that quilt your project. You must select a fabric backing that is appropriate for the quilt top.

The quilt backing should be a light or medium weight fabric made of the same fiber as the quilt top.

For instance, if the front is made of medium weight 100 percent cotton, the quilt backing needs to be 100 percent cotton in medium or light weight. If the quilt top is made of a light weight cotton blend, the back should be made of similar fabric.

If you will be hand quilting your project, pick a backing fabric that your needle can easily penetrate. A lot of people choose to use bedding sheets for backings. Since bed sheets are tightly woven, most of them make hand quilting tough. It’s too hard for the needle to easily slip through. (You might want to check out this article about thread count.)

People tend to choose bed sheets for backing because they make sizing easier. For example, it seems like it would be very easy to make a queen size quilt using a queen size sheet as backing.

But, since piercing the sheet with the needle is difficult (due to the high thread count of the sheet), using the sheet actually makes the project more difficult.

So, how do you get fabric large enough for a large quilt backing when most fabric is only about 45 inches wide?

It is simple to create a backing the correct width. The easiest way is to use one length of fabric. Cut another length of fabric as long as the first one. Cut it down the center, lengthwise. Add one of the new long sections of fabric to each side of the original full-width length. Piece them together, press the seams and trim any excess as needed. You may also piece the backing together widthwise rather than lengthwise. Choose whichever backing looks best with your particular quilt project.

Another way to make your backing fabric larger is to actually piece your backing. Many quilters take large rectangles of fabric and sew them together. Other quilters use blocks sewn together as backing fabric.

If you are piecing your backing, you may want to keep in mind whether the fabric you are using for your backing will show through to the front of your quilt.

Several years ago I made an Irish Chain quilt using white fabric and green fabric. I decided to piece the backing using a light fabric in addition to a brown fabric. i didn't realize until after the quilt was finished, that the brown cast a shadow onto the front of the quilt.

What made it especially bad was that the brown was in two strips on the top and bottom of the quilt back, with the light fabric in between. This showed through onto the front and made two darker strips on the top and bottom of the quilt. Very disappointing!

In short, here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you piece the backing:

* Use fabric that won’t show through to the front of your quilt, creating a kind of shadow

* The seams in your quilt backing may make it difficult to quilt, especially if you are hand quilting. Keep the number of seams on your backing to a minimum

* You may sew two lengths of fabric together creating a seam through the center of your quilt. Often it is better to run the seam in the backing from side to side instead of from top to bottom.

Quilting daughter Stephanie made this baby quilt using bright and fun fabrics.

Since she didn't have enough of any one fabric, she pieced the backing, using a center pinwheel, and large squares and rectangles.

Another consideration when deciding on your backing is how you will bind the finished quilt. If you will add a separate binding, you may trim the backing to be even with the quilt top.

However, if you plan to fold the edges of your quilt backing over to create the binding, you will need to leave the backing longer. Usually two inches will give you plenty of fabric to work with.

If you are not going to use a binding at all, cut the backing (and batting) to match the size of the quilt top. Turn the edges under for the seam allowance and stitch the edges closed with a slip stitch or whip stitch.

The most important thing to remember with your quilt backing is not to cut any of your backing fabric until you have completed quilting your project. The quilting process often takes up extra fabric, so cutting the back or batting before quilting might lead to a disastrous mistake.

When it is time to cut the backing from your quilt project, put the quilt on your cutting mat and slice through using a ruler and rotary cutter.

Cut small areas at a time, only cutting as long as your ruler is. This will ensure a straight cut. If adding an additional binding you might be able to hide a slightly crooked cut, but if you are eliminating binding or planning to fold the backing over to create a border, a small bad cut might prove to be a large error.

Take your time to select an appropriate backing, get the correct size and plan for your finished edges, and you will create a beautiful quilt project

Another way to back your quilt is to piece strips of fabric together.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
Master Quilter

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©2009-10, Penny Halgren
Penny is a quilter of more than 29 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

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