How to Use Sheets to Back Quilts
Choose Wisely and Enjoy the Benefits Sheets Have to Offer!
While some quilters have always used sheets for backing, others were taught that sheets are big no-nos. With the right sheets, you’ll have backings that wear well, you can skip piecing backs and save a good amount of money in the process (an inexpensive flat king-sized sheet can back more than one quilt!). Plus, sheets come in many lovely colors and patterns.
What constitutes the “right” sheets? Stick to those with lower thread counts (around 200 if possible), which are usually quite inexpensive. Sheets with higher thread counts can be difficult to sew through and machine needles may cut threads rather than stitch between them. That may be why sheets are often looked upon with disfavor for quilt backings.
Note: If you use a longarmer, check with them before selecting a sheet for the backing for your quilt. Many will not work with sheets.
If you’ll be doing the quilting yourself, give a sheet a try on a baby or charity quilt and see how it works for you before moving on to larger quilts.
Vintage 100% cotton sheets in good condition are soft and wear well. Newer cotton and even cotton/poly blends also work well, provided they have low thread counts and are actually woven (instead of knit, for example).
Flannel sheets make wonderfully cozy quilts when used as backing. Since flannel is typically a looser weave you generally don’t need to be concerned about thread count.
However, flannel sheets can pill (and shrink), as can inexpensive cotton and cotton/poly sheets. Therefore, wash sheets a time or two before using them for backing and discard them if pilling occurs.
Cheryl from Meadow Mist Designs has written a great article about using sheets for backings. Skim through the comments section for more great tips.
A second article on Quilty Love covers using flannel sheets for backing. The comments section offers additional insights.
A pattern for the quilt at the top of the page can be found here.
I put a backing on my quilt of fabric that looked fine. It did have a little sheen to it. It pilled badly after some washing. I used the quilt anyway. But one day I took my Dritz fuzz remover and started going over the quilt back. It took all the pills off and now the back is smooth as can be. It took about 10 minutes to go over the entire back.
Enjoyed this article I have been thinking about using a sheet but was worried about the pilling. This article cleared a lot of my questions Thanks.