How to Slice a Quilt Backing to Finish Your Quilt

So you've finished piecing your quilt top — woohoo! Before yous build your quilt sandwich and start quilting, you have one step to consummate: you need to brand a quilt dorsum. Read on to learn how to piece a quilt backing to finish off your quilt.

Quilt backing is the bottom layer of a quilt sandwich. They can be fabricated from large cuts of coordinating material (such as 44″-wide quilting cotton fiber ) that are stitched together to fit your quilt, or they can exist cut downwardly from 90″ or 108″ cuts of quilting cotton that are peculiarly designed for bankroll big projects. They tin can be elementary and solid, or you tin can accentuate the backing with strips and blocks — any yous experience like stitching!

How to Slice Quilt Backing

If y'all have several yards of matching (or fifty-fifty mismatched) cloth, y'all can bring together information technology to make a bones pieced quilt backing.

1. Pick Your Fabric

In that location are a few unlike fabrics y'all can use for quilt backing . Quilting cotton (whether evidently or patterned) is overwhelmingly the most pop option, though patterned can exist tricky to slice on a large-scale quilt.

Pro Tip If you desire a patterned backing on a large quilt merely don't want to have the time to align the fabric, you tin can use simple bed sheets. They're much bigger than quilting fabric and don't require actress time and effort.

Some other popular choice for quilt backing is minky, a soft, constructed fabric that feels oh-so-luxurious. These synthetic fabrics are larger than traditional quilting cotton, but they tin exist catchy to work with because they stretch. They also don't shrink, and then if you lot opt for minky, brand sure to pre-wash your quilt top first.

To determine how much backing fabric yous need, continue in mind that all sides of a quilt back should be at least 4″ longer than your quilt superlative. There are online tools (similar the complimentary Quilt Backing and Batting Calculator) that can assist you summate yardage.

2. Consider the Seam Allowance

Remember to business relationship for the seam allowance. This is specially important if you're trying to match prints. For example, in the photograph above, the blue circles will non line upward when pieced together, so you may want to cut off extra textile from i side so the design appears continuous when sewn together. A (pressed open) ½" seam allowance will make the seam more durable.

three. Sew Information technology Together

The seams used to piece quilt backing can run vertical or horizontal depending on the size and shape of your projection. Typically, to make the most of your fabric you lot desire to utilize horizontal seams for 40″-60″ quilts (pictured higher up) and vertical seams for quilts that are 61″ or larger (pictured below).

Pro Tip Always examination for the grainline of the fabric, and join the fabric along that matching grain. This means the crosswise grain will be pieced to another crosswise grain for more stretch, and the lengthwise grain will exist sewn to some other lengthwise grain for less stretch.

Ideas for Your Quilt Bankroll

Now that yous know how to piece a quilt bankroll, consider these fun options for your presently-to-be-finished quilt.

1. Patterned Background

It's much easier to add a patterned groundwork to a mini quilt , but if y'all want to get big and utilize this backing, you lot totally tin can — even if your fabric isn't quite big enough. To sew together textile together to fit the quilt, you need to consider the management of the print and have a method for piecing it to go far look cohesive.

Go a step-by-step tutorial for building this backing in our class Artistic Quilt Backs.

2. Pieced Strip

When you demand your backing fabric to be just a tiny scrap wider, consider calculation a simple strip piece. Information technology extends the fabric while adding a picayune pop to a slice that could easily be plain.

Get a stride-by-step tutorial for building this backing in our form Startup Library: Quilting.

iii. Extra Blocks

A slightly fancier version of the pieced strip, this method uses leftover blocks from your quilt meridian to piece together a strip for the backing. It's a fun manner to brand your quilt more cohesive.

Become a footstep-by-footstep tutorial for building this bankroll in our grade Creative Quilt Backs.

4. Super Scrappy

Got scraps? This method is a get-to manner to bust 'em. By using scraps to piece a quilt backing, you get this improvisational expect that's kind of random but definitely eye-communicable. Information technology'south a no-waste way to carry your quilt top motif over to your bankroll.

Get a pace-by-step tutorial for edifice this backing in our class Creative Quilt Backs.