Welcome to Part 1 of my quilt finishing series! This series will be 3 parts covering what I call the 3Bs: backing, basting, and binding. Once you have a completed quilt top, the first step to finishing is preparing your quilt backing.
Types of Quilt Backing
Fabric: Many different types of fabric can be used for a quilt back. Most commonly, regular quilting cotton is used. Other popular fabrics include flannel, minky, and even sherpa. I would not recommend anything that is too stretchy.
Pieced: A pieced quilt back is very common. This means that two or more pieces of fabric are sewn together to create a piece large enough to back the quilt. This can be scrappy, but usually two large pieces of the same fabric are used, leaving just one seam down the center.
Non-pieced: If your quilt is small enough (one side approx. 36" or less), you can use a single length of standard 44" wide fabric for the back, as long as the length of the fabric is longer than the length of your quilt top.
Other options for a single piece backing are wideback fabrics, sheets, minky, and blankets.
- Wideback fabric is just that: it is wider than the usual 44", typically 108". This is a good option for larger quilts. Many quilt shops sell a selection of wideback fabric. The con is that the color and design options are more limited.
- A bed sheet can be used to back a quilt and can be very cost effective as well. Some people use vintage or thrifted sheets for their quilt backs. I have used flannel sheet sets from Target. I was recently able to get backings for two quilts, using both the flat and fitted sheet. The flannel also gives it a very cozy feel. Tip: The flannel sheets often go on sale after Christmas!
- Minky is one of my favorite ways to back a quilt, specifically Shannon Fabrics minky. Though on the pricier side, I like to use the extra wide 90" minky to back bigger quilts. When using minky, I prefer not to piece it, so the extra wide is really nice. Quilts with minky are so snuggly and are always the go-to quilts in my house during the colder months.
- Blankets can also be a cheap and cozy option. I have a post about backing a quilt with a blanket here.
Whatever you choose for your backing fabric, you want to make sure that it is large enough to back your quilt. If you plan to have your quilt quilted on a longarm machine, you generally need the backing to be at least 4" larger than your quilt top on all sides. If you plan to quilt your own on a domestic machine like I do, then you can get away with the backing being closer in size to your top, as long as it is still larger than your top. The reason for this is to account for any shrinkage that may occur during quilting.
Preparing a non-pieced backing
Okay, now that you have chosen the fabric to back your quilt, it's time to get it prepped. If you are using one large piece fabric, lay it out flat on the floor and lay out your quilt top on top of it. Measure to make sure there is that 4" of overage, and you can trim off the excess, if needed. Then all you have to do is iron it really well so it's nice and flat. *Note: If you're using minky DO NOT iron it! Minky will melt if you put an iron to it! Minky shouldn't be very wrinkly in the first place, so don't worry about that.
Preparing a pieced backing
If you are piecing your quilt backing, this is how I do it:
First, decide if you want your seam to be horizontal or vertical on the back of the quilt. This may depend on the print if using a directional fabric. Most of the time, my seams are horizontal, and will be for the example in the photos.
Lay out your quilt top. My seam will be horizontal across the width of my top, so I have my quilt width laid out. Then lay the backing fabric next to the edge of the quilt. (If you desire a vertical seam, then lay out the backing against the length of your quilt.) In this case, my backing is regular 44" quilting cotton still folded in half the way it came off the bolt. My quilt is 60" wide. I have 4 yards of fabric for backing. Fold the backing fabric in half, so it's about 2 yards. This is to make sure that the backing will be long enough to go past the edges of my top.
In the photo below, the fold I made is on the left side along the width. The manufacturer fold is along the length on top.
Then cut on the fold that you made (the one on the left side along the width). The fabric should still be folded as it came from the bolt. Do NOT cut that fold.
Now there are two long pieces, mine are each roughly 66" x 44". I have been quilting my own quilts on my domestic machine for long enough that I know how much overage I need. To conserve fabric, my overage is less than the standard 4".
Open up the long folds of each piece and line up one selvedge edge from one piece with one selvedge edge of the other. Make sure if you are using a directional fabric to check the orientation before moving on. Pin or clip the selvedge edges together along the length.
Next, sew along that pinned selvedge. If the fabric has a selvedge where you can see a line, sew 1/4" away from that line. (My line is where the edge of the white selvedge turns to the printed floral.) If not, sew 1/2" away from the edge. Make sure your seam allowance catches those little holes and any non printed area in the selvedge. If those holes or selvedge images go deeper into the fabric then you may have to move your seam allowance over to cover that.
*If you are sending your quilt to a longarmer, check with them for any special backing directions. I used one longarmer a few years ago who wanted the quilt back seam to be sewn twice and the seam pressed to the side.
Trim your selvedge that you just sewed, 1/4" away from the seam. Press your seam open and iron the entire thing.
If necessary, lay out your backing with the quilt top on top and trim to have the appropriate overage on all sides. You don't need or want a bunch of extra fabric hanging there while you're quilting.
This is when you decide where you want the seam to fall on the back of your finished quilt. Some people prefer to have the seam right down the center, in which case you might trim more than one edge. The seam isn't very important to me, so I'd rather conserve fabric in a larger scrap. In the photo below, I will trim the fabric at the bottom.
Now your quilt back is complete and ready to be made into a quilt sandwich! That will be covered in the basting post of this series coming up next!