Thursday, November 17, 2016

5 Tips for Easy Quilt Backings and Giveaway

As you probably know, making backs for a quilt is not high on my favorite parts of quilting.  I would love to share some tips with you today on how I make the easiest, most stress free quilt backing possible.

(Hint hint...at the bottom of the post, there is a chance to win some wonderful wide fabric to back your own quilt!)


1. Use 108" Wide Fabrics

Wide back fabrics are wonderful as there is no piecing involved, they are hands down the easiest backings there are!  They save time (no piecing) and money (wide back fabrics are typically cheaper per square yard than the usual 40-44" wide fabrics).  You also use a sheet (you can read my experiences and tips for using sheets here), but over the past few years, there have been more and more options for great quality and beautiful wide quilting fabrics for use as backings.  Another benefit is that you know that the fabric is quality and will last for years to come.

2. Over-sized Your Backings

When basting a quilt, it is typically recommended to size the backing such that the backing is about 4" larger on all sides of the quilt top.  I can get away with a smaller overhang for smaller baby quilts, but for large bed quilts having a 4" overhang or even more can make basting easier and less error prone.

By skimping on the backing size, there is a greater likelihood to accidentally have the corner or side of the quilt top hanging off the edge of the backing.  Having to totally unbaste and rebaste a large quilt is no fun (ask me how I know).

Note: This is for basting for a domestic machine, if you are giving your quilt to a longarmer to quilt, check with them to see how much overhang you need for your backing and make to provide at least that amount.

3. Print Fabrics

If you want to make your quilting a little less noticeable and hide any bobbles and oopsies, then pick a print for your quilt backing.  A solid backing fabric can give you a really cool whole-cloth look to the back of your quilt but they tend to me more stress inducing (at least for me) because every stitch of your quilting shows up.

4. Random Print Fabrics

For a stress free basting experience, I highly recommend going for a more random print design for your backing.  If you use a very directional print (like lines, oriented dots, etc) and have the quilt top skewed even a little relative to the backing, the pattern on the back of the quilt may be noticeably slanted.

5. Color Matched Fabric to Quilting Thread

I always use the same color thread on the top and bottom when quilting so if you want your thread to blend in on the back (again hiding any bobbles and imperfections), pick a backing that is similar to the thread color.  Quilting with white thread on a black backing would be stressful to me as every stitch is going to stand out.



Backside Fabrics was kind enough to give Paige (Quilted Blooms) and myself two quilt backings for use in some secret sewing projects.  I had such a great time going through all of her huge amount of fabric selections, it was like heaven for those that hate to piece backs. Here are some of my favorite wide backing fabrics from Backside Fabrics that I think would be excellent backing choices:





Giveaway

Backside Fabric has been generous to offer a $40 gift certificate to one lucky reader (the giveaway is being hosted on my and Paige's blog so you only have to enter through one post).

To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below (if you are reading this via e-mail, you will have to open the post on the internet.)

The giveaway ends Sunday, November 20th, at 10pm eastern time and a random number generator will select the winner. Giveaway open to participants 18 years or older and international participants are welcome.



53 comments:

  1. These are great tips. I've used wide backings only once but plan to use them in the future.

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    1. I agree with all the tips and use most of them. I couldn't comment of the site for what ever reason.

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  2. This is so helpful. I feel like I think these things but never put them into words. I'll be sharing with my newsletter in December!

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  3. Thank you Cheryl! I am using two different widebacks on a quilt right now...I couldn't decide which color to use, so I chose two, and am still piecing the back, lol!

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  4. These are great tips! Thank you for taking the time to post.

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  5. I agree... Using a wideback fabric makes life so much easier! But finding something that works with the front can be difficult. Thanks so much for posting these tips and for providing a link to BackSide Fabrics. I am going to go check them out in detail now!

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  6. Thanks for sharing this links for wide backing.

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  7. Finally I can comment. I loved the tips and use most of them. I'm guilty of not having enough overhang.

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  8. Thanks for the tips and the link to Backside Fabrics, I am always looking for ideas for backings.

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  9. I am using wide backing for the first time this afternoon. I'm looking forward to it being a quick and easy sandwich to put together. Thanks for sharing Backside Fabrics and the giveaway

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  10. Nothing worse than having to piece backing fabrics!
    Mburnette912@bellsouth.net

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  11. Thanks for leading us to such an awesome website. I love using wide backs.

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  12. never heard of Backside fabrics before. I went there and I really like what I saw. I will mention them on my blog. Love the tips you gave. I have mentioned a few of these to my customers.

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  13. Great ideas. I love the large backings the best.
    These examples are wonderful choices.
    Thank you Cheryl for offering a great giveaway and most certainly thanks to backside fabrics. I will look at their webpage right now

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  14. 108" fabric is my friend :) Thanks for sharing all these great tips on choosing backing fabrics. I will definitely check out Backside Fabric's selections the next time I need fabric.

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  15. I have used wide fabrics most of the time, but have enjoyed piecing free style backs over the last 5 years, too. I love using up so much of the fabric from the quilt flimsy and just being spontaneous! Plus I have begun sewing my quilt label into the backs.

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  16. I have never used a wide backing before!! The past couple of years the options have increased so much! I really need to give them a try!! Thank you for sharing your tips!!

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  17. thanks for the great tips
    quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net

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  18. Thank you for all of the great tips! I currently have 5 tops waiting for quilting!

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  19. I'm with you. By the time I get to that point, I want the backing to be easy! I love the 108" wide ones, and you're right -- the selection has gotten so much better over the last few years.

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  20. i love backside fabrics! they are my go to for any backing. They have just about any color or pattern that you want and the ease of the extra wide is really great. You can also buy the wide backing for background on the front of the quilt as an economical way to get yardage.

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  21. Those are some great tips - want to link up to Tips and Tutorials Tuesday? And I am so glad to hear you worked with Christine, she is lovely!

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  22. Thanks. Love widebacks although locally the choice is not great. I'm glad there are online retailers to improve selection.

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  23. I use wife backing. Great tips .I have seven tops waiting to be quilted.

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  24. Great tips. Thanks for the introduction to Backside Fabrics, just placed an order

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  25. Back Side Fabrics is terrific, and their quality is great too. They are an NC business I like to promote as well. I wholeheartedly agree with using wide backings so you don't have to piece, and using a print too! Makes the other side so much more interesting. Longarmers tend to prefer them as they are easier to load and tension than pieced backings.

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  26. I use wide backing but find they are not that easy to find. Will check out Back Side Fabrics' site.

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  27. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  28. THANKS FOR YOUR NEAT BLOGS+THE HINTS!
    GREAT GIVEAWAY>THANKS! msstitcher1214@gmail.com

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  29. Great post! Thank you so much for the tips & the Giveaway!

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  30. I love wide backings, and I especially love shopping at Backside Fabrics. They have the best selection.

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  31. Thanks for very helpful tips! And for the Giveaway! annelichromatobal@gmail.com

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  32. Great suggestions. I love wide backings, but I feel that I have to use up scraps from some of the fronts I make on the backs, so I use both. I used a directional fabric for a backing once, and knew about that if it wasn't basted perfectly, it might come out slanted. So I had a longarmer baste it, and I hand quilted it. Yes - Once in a while for a special project I hand quilt.

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  33. Backside Fabrics has such a wonderful selection.

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  34. Thanks for the tips and also for the giveaway.

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  35. I have 12 quilt tops waiting to be quilted because I hate to piece backings. Wide backing fabric would definitely be a way to motivate myself to finish them. Backside Fabrics has a wonderful selection. I didn't realize what a bargain wide backings could be.

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  36. Great suggestions and I love your selections for the wide backings. A tactic I often use for backings is to piece them from several prints. I HAVE gotten them a bit out of whack so they are kinda skewed, but I do like the mixed prints on the back. Thanks again for the great ideas.

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  37. Love wide back fabrics but wasn't aware of Backside Fabrics so thanks for the introduction. I'll definitely check them the next time I need to stock up!

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  38. I loved all of your advice, and I follow some of these ideas. Thanks for the giveaway

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  39. All great tips. I prefer to use wide backings for my quilts.

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  40. The wide backing is a great idea! Thanks for the chance to win!

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  41. Thanks for the tips! I've always been an advocate of or using sheets as backing. I've been teaching a few friends how to quilt and just this week one of them followed my advice and used a cheap, low thread count sheet for her backing. She's started straight line quilting and has ended up with a couple huge puckers in the backing and some spots where the extensive spray basting she did hasn't held the fabric down. I wonder of it is because she must have bought a cotton/poly blend sheet and it stretched? Or the poly didn't work well with the spray baste?
    Either way, next time I think I'll recommend pin basting to anyone who wants to use a sheet for backing.

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  42. I love using wide fabric for backing.

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  43. I don't mind piecing backs but using the extra wide backs is a luxury. I like that they are doing more than plain, especially for the reasons you stated above. sometimes I'm ok with my quilting showing but I don't quilt to have the back showcased, I'd rather have the front looking good and not worry so much about what is going on on the underside of my quilt. Thanks.

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  44. Thanks for sharing these tips Cheryl.

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  45. What great tips, and wide is as good as it gets for backings.

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  46. Thanks for all your wonderful tips.

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  47. I love that Chartreuse fabric! Thanks for the tips. They are great reminders.

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  48. Great tips. I've used wide back fabric a couple of times. Haven't tried a sheet yet. I love the look of pieced backs but don't enjoy making them.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!