Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Piecied Quilt Backings

While there is no wrong way to make a quilt, I have some tips to help making piece quilt backings easier. I pieced this backing using several lengths and widths of fabrics. The green floral was yardage, the grayish green was yardage, the turquoise was a leftover piece of wide backing, and the dark blue was also leftover wide backing fabric. The grayish green and the dark blue were not long enough so I had to piece them. When I do this, tear the fabric so I get nice straight pieces of fabric. I use a wide (5/8") seam allowance. All of those long seams are along the length of the fabrics. Meaning it has the least amount of stretch in that direction. 
How do you know if you have enough backing for your quilt top? You could lay it out and layer the top and backing, but I find it easier to fold the backing into quarters. First fold in half length-wise, then in half again width-wise. 
Do the same with your quilt top and put the top over the backing with the centers matching (that's the top right corner of this photo). As long as you have enough extra on the top and side, you should be good. I like about 6" extra on the sides and 3" for the top and bottom. This one is just right. Time to get it loaded onto the long arm frame and quilted. 

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