Make a Super Easy Quilt Back
Minimal Cutting, One Quick Seam, and You’re Done (It’s Not What You’re Thinking)!
Finally! Your top is pieced and you’re ready to quilt it. But, first, you need a backing. If your quilt is larger than a baby quilt than you’re faced with needing fabric for the backing that is wide enough.
Some quilters go an extra step and piece together strips from blocks and fabric left over from making the top. Combined with the backing fabric, you can make a back that is as wide as needed, as well as giving the backing a special decorative touch.
Example of a pieced quilt back from Snippy Sisters.
Another option is to buy fabric that’s 108″ in width. That’s a great solution, provided you can find a fabric that’s just right for accenting the front of your quilt.
You won’t need to seam fabric together, but colors and fabric styles are limited. Plus, it’s likely there will be a lot of fabric left over once you cut the width you need. The same can be said for using a cotton sheet, which can be another good solution.
If the perfect fabric for your quilt back is the standard width (42″-44″), you’ll need to piece it together to fit the width of your quilt.
“Sherbet Patchwork Quilt” from Fresh Lemons.
You can do a vertical seam, or a horizontal one. In most cases, a vertical seam requires more fabric so most quilters will do a horizontal seam.
While the process isn’t hard, we love the simple method that Elaine from Beech Tree Lane Handmade uses.
“Instead of cutting two separate pieces of fabric and sewing them together, you cut one long piece, fold it together and then sew right down one side. You then cut off the little fold line and open the fabric up and you’ve got a quilt back. It’s very easy.”
The selvedges are left on until the seam is sewn, further simplifying the process. Plus, it’s easy to calculate how much yardage you need.
Give this method a try the next time you need quilt backing. You’re sure to find that it saves a lot of time and effort.
Source: The image at the top of the page is the “Rectangle Checkerboard Quilt” from Red Pepper Quilts.
