backing fabric?

IMHO you can use it anywhere you want to. I expect backing has improved through the years but the only time I bought the wider fabric, I thought the quality was not so good. Maybe some of our longarmers who 'do' lots of backing will join in with fresher opinions. Polly

No reason that I know of, or can think of! . In message , Janner writes

Howdy!

I often buy wide, backing fabric when it's a good price. So far, the quality is just as good as any other fabric from the same manufacturer.

Why not use it for the top? Because it does tend to cost more to get that big wad of yardage. And because it could be a bit overwhelming to cut into such a large piece. But I do it. Esp. w/ the leftovers; use the wide stuff for backing, trim & use the scraps for something else... or for binding.

It's your fabric; use it as you please. ;-)

Cheers! R/Sandy

The 'backing' fabric I see at the fabric shop is much wider than 'normal,' so the idea is you sew don't have to sew as many pieces togethe (if any) to get a piece big enough to cover the back of your quilt.

There's no reason it can't be used for 'normal' piecing esp. if you have leftovers from a completed quilt!

-Irene

I purchased some Bernartex wide backing fabric and found it not of the same quality their regular fabric is. I bought it online but would not have bought it in person. It wasn't cheap cost wise but was not what I would consider quilt shop quality. ymmv. Taria

OK, probably a daft question, but what is the difference between "normal" quilting fabric and backing fabric?

I know that the width is larger, so why can't it be used on the top?

Janner France

No difference, really. There are some extra-wide "backing" fabrics on the market that are perhaps of lower quality than top-of-the-line quilting fabric. But lots of people make patchwork out of cheaper fabric and feel fine with it. There are also plenty of high-quality backings out there.

If you order someth>OK, probably a daft question, but what is the difference between

I take a somewhat unusual approach to backing my quilts, and it works well for me and gives me a truly reversible quilt.

First, I do all of my quilting by hand, and make it really portable by doing it in bits no larger than 2' by 2'. Naturally, I have to leave about an inch without quilting all the way around when quilting the small pieces so that I can stitch them together. Also, I cut both batting and backing a bit larger.

For the backing fabric, I use fabric either from my stash or buy fabric that coordinates with the fabrics I will use on the quilt top. Sometimes the backing is several different colors/shades and patterns, sometimes one fabric with a small print, and sometimes a plain color that is not white.

When all of the quilt pieces are quilted and ready for assembly, I trim them each carefully, stitch the top layers together, and re-trim the backing and batting so they will butt up against each other and lay flat. For this re-trimming, I use scissors to avoid any ghastly mistakes with a rotary cutter! Then I flip the pieces over and baste the batting and backing to close the seam enough so the batting and backing butt up against each other. A series of X stitches works best for me.

Then I flip it over again so the quilt top is facing me, and do the bits of quilting around and over the seam so there are no blank areas. When this is completed, the top of the quilt appears complete, and nobody can tell that the quilt was made in chunks.

Now, flip it back over again. You need to cover all those seam areas where the backing and batting are butting up against each other! You can hand-stitch sashing that is made with some fabric used in the quilt top, something entirely different, sashing made from backing fabric, fabric to match the quilt binding, or even commercially-made bias tape. The sashing can be skinny like the bias tape or a bit wider, and depending on what you use can make a striking addition to the back.

When all of the above is finished, you are ready to add the binding to the quilt.

One more thing I do when the quilt is probably be going on a bed is make a pair of pillows, one side to go with the quilt top, and the other side to go with the back.