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what to use for backing on a quilt

by Pamela Lebsack Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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While quilting cotton is the most popular option for quilt backing, there are other great options you can choose from. Depending on your style and intended use for your quilt, fabrics like flannel, voile, and quilters linen also make great backs.Dec 20, 2021

How do you put a backing on a quilt?

Step by Step Instructions

  • Lay the backing fabric on your work surface, right side down, then center the batting on top of the backing and smooth away any wrinkles.
  • Center the quilt top on top of the batting with its right side up and smooth away wrinkles. ...
  • Sew the layers together. ...

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How to Baste a quilt?

Supplies for Spray Basting a quilt

  • A nicely pressed quilt top
  • Batting cut to size (See options at the bottom of this post) – The batting should be at least 3 inches larger than the quilt top on each side
  • Quilt Backing cut to size – Use a wide back fabric or piece your quilt top and then cut to size if it’s really oversized. ...
  • A can of Spray Baste – This is my favorite brand

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How to piece together a quilt back?

Steps To Piece Backing For A Quilt

  • Measure the length of the quilt top to help determine how large your quilt backing should be. ...
  • Select fabrics to piece together to make the quilt backing. You can choose similar or different fabrics depending on what you want to achieve. ...
  • Remove the selvages. ...
  • Sew the pieces together to make your best quilt backing.

What fabrics to use for quilting?

  • Always purchase 100 percent cotton fabric for your quilts. ...
  • Select fabrics that compliment each other rather than clash. ...
  • Be adventurous. ...
  • Try something out of the ordinary now and then. ...
  • When in doubt, choose fabrics from the same collection. ...
  • Pop your fabric into the washing machine as soon as you get home, then dry and press it before storing. ...

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What kind of sheets do you use for quilt backing?

Aim for sheets with a thread count around 200 (less is preferred). The higher the thread count, the tighter the weave in the fabric, which is harder for your sewing machine to punch through. This is why a lot of longarm quilters discourage bedsheets.

What can be used instead of batting?

What Can I Use Instead of Quilt Batting?Fleece Sheet or Blanket. A fleece sheet or fleece blanket are great alternatives to traditional quilt batting. ... Cotton Sheet. A 100% cotton sheet is one of the most affordable and widely available alternatives to quilt batting. ... Cotton Yardage. ... An Old Quilt or Blanket. ... Pieced Batting.

What kind of batting do you use for quilting?

The three most common types of quilt batting are Polyester, 100% Cotton, and Cotton/Poly Blend and each has its own pros and cons. Wool, Bamboo and Silk have become more available in recent years. These other natural batting options have wonderful qualities, but are usually more expensive.

How do I make a simple quilt backing?

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.

Can I use old towels as quilt batting?

They can also be used for quilt backing and even batting, but it can be thick and difficult to work with. It also may not hold up well down the line. Lightweight Towels – Can be used as a substitute for batting, but it will definitely give a different thickness and feel to a quilt.

Can you quilt without backing?

Step 1: Quilt Blocks You can transform any quilt block into quilt-as-you-go by simply quilting the finished block to a matching square of batting. Do not attach backing at this time. Simply quilt to one layer of batting - that's it! An individual quilt block is easy to navigate underneath your standard sewing machine.

What's the best filling for a quilt?

Feather & Down The classic quilt filling, feather and down provides plenty of warmth. Down provides the most insulation, while the feather provides weight. The most opulent quilts have a higher percentage of down to feather and are some of the warmest on the market.

Can I use an old blanket as quilt batting?

An old wool blanket that still has plenty of warmth to offer but is truly showing its age can be used as batting if you wash it first. Exposing it to hot water in a modern, agitating washer is the best way to be sure that the blanket won't shrink later.

Can I use fleece instead of batting in a quilt?

Quilting with fleece can save you some money because it allows you to make a two-layer quilt instead of the traditional three-layer one. The fleece layer replaces both the batting (wadding) and backing layers.

What material can be used as backing?

The most common types of backings on the market are paper, cloth and film, though there are also mesh and sponge backed products, which are becoming more and more popular. Within each material, there will also be different thicknesses or weights that will work best depending on the application.

What is a backing material?

The backing (or carrier) material of an adhesive tape is a relatively thin, flexible web-based material coated with an adhesive. Among the endless possibilities, the most common backing materials are paper, fabric, non-woven, laminates, foil, foam and plastic film such as PVC or polypropylene.

Is fleece a good backing for a quilt?

So fleece would be a great choice for your backing fabric if you're still struggling to maintain a consistent stitch length for free motion quilting. It's nice to be able to hide the stitches, but not the texture of the design you've stitched.

Can I use a blanket as batting?

An old wool blanket that still has plenty of warmth to offer but is truly showing its age can be used as batting if you wash it first. Exposing it to hot water in a modern, agitating washer is the best way to be sure that the blanket won't shrink later.

Can I substitute felt for batting?

Absolutely. It's your quilt. But again, if it's made from polyester, it won't shrink, while your 100% cotton quilting fabrics will.

Can I substitute fleece for batting?

Fleece — a Less Expensive Choice The fleece layer replaces both the batting (wadding) and backing layers. Fleece also comes in wider widths than the standard quilter's cotton most often used for backings, so it's often possible to back your quilt without having to piece the fleece backing to make it wider.

Can I use fleece instead of batting?

Fleece has always been a common fabric for blankets. It makes sense that using fleece for batting could work well for a quilt, too. Just keep in mind that fleece retains heat better than most cotton quilt batting, so it will make a very WARM blanket.

How Much Is Needed?

Quilt backing and quilt batting (the middle layer of the sandwich) are cut slightly larger than the quilt top to allow for the distortions and "shrinkage" that take place during the quilting process and to give a bit of extra leeway for squaring up the entire quilt sandwich when quilting is complete.

How wide is a quilt backing?

Cut a single panel backing: Regular quilting fabric is suitable for quilts up to about 35" wide. Not all fabrics are the same width—remember the 4" excess guideline. There's usually no need to remove selvages when a single panel of fabric is used since they will likely be trimmed away after the quilting is finished.

How to make quilt backing from fabric?

How to Make Quilt Backing from Typical Fabrics. Remove the selvages: Fabric selvages can often create little puckers along their length and should be removed before using fabric as backing. Determine how much width will remain after removing selvages.

What is the backing layer on a quilt called?

You might also hear quilt backing referred to as the quilt lining or simply the quilt back.

Why do quilters avoid using two equally sized pieces of fabric to make quilt backing?

Most quilters avoid using two equally-sized pieces of fabric to make quilt backing because that technique puts the seam that links the panels together along the quilt's midpoint, where quilts are often folded. Constant folding might weaken the seam over time.

What is quilt backing?

Quilt backing is the bottom layer of the quilt sandwich, a three-layer packet made up of the quilt top, batting, and backing. The backing is the layer we see when we flip a quilt over to take a peek at its reverse side. It's easy to make quilt backing, and the backing layer can be created from either regular quilting cotton or wide panels ...

How to calculate yardage for quilt panels?

Calculate yardage for a single panel: Measure the height of the quilt and add 4" to 6" (or chosen excess). Divide the figure by 36" to calculate required yardage. Add a bit extra to allow for shrinkage.

How to make a 3 1/4 yard backing?

Cut the 3 1/4 yard length in half to get two 1 5/8 yard lengths. Sew the two 1 5/8 yard lengths together lengthwise and you’ll have a pieced backing that measures 58.5″ x 83″. Now trim your backing fabric evenly on all sides until you get a final measurement of 58″ x 73″.

How to make a horizontal quilt back?

If we want a horizontal seam in our quilt back, we need to piece together two widths of fabric. One piece of fabric will lay above the other piece of fabric. This is the same layout as the vertical seam only turned 90 degrees. Piecing two widths of fabric together will give us 83” (42” + 42” -1” seam allowance = 83”). 83” is enough fabric to cover our desired quilt backing length of 78”.

How many yards of backing fabric for a quilt?

Because we need to place two lengths of fabric side by side, we need to double this 2 ¼ yard measurement for the length. In total, we need 4 ½ yards of backing fabric if we want a vertical seam down the back of our quilt.

How big should a quilt back be?

Each side of your quilt back should be at least 4” larger than your quilt top . Which means you should add 8” to the width and length of your finished quilt size to determine the size of quilt backing that you need.

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How many yards of fabric is 72"?

Now let’s figure out how many yards of fabric we need for our length. Two yards of fabric is 72” (36 + 36 = 72”). That isn’t quite enough to get us to our desired length of 78”. Let’s add another quarter yard of fabric and we’ll have a length of 81” (72” + 9” = 81”). This will be enough to cover 78″.

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1.Videos of What to Use For Backing On a Quilt

Url:/videos/search?q=what+to+use+for+backing+on+a+quilt&qpvt=what+to+use+for+backing+on+a+quilt&FORM=VDRE

16 hours ago 7 rows ·  · The primary purpose of your quilt determines the type of backing fabric to use. If your ...

2.How to Make Quilt Backing From Any Fabric - The Spruce …

Url:https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/make-quilt-backing-from-any-fabric-2821322

18 hours ago  · Scrappy Strip Quilt Back Extension – Pros & Cons. Pros: A great way to use up orphan blocks or leftover scraps created when sewing your quilt top; You can add a scrappy …

3.How to Piece Quilt Backing (Plus a Backing Size Guide)

Url:https://haileystitches.com/how-to-piece-quilt-backing-plus-a-backing-size-guide/

12 hours ago  · Essex Linen. Essex Linen is a natural fiber fabric made up of 55% linen and 45% cotton by Robert Kaufmann. It’s perfect for quilting backs. Essex Linen is a natural fiber …

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