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Question of the Week

Question for the week of July 8, 2002:

Our question this week comes Vicky R.

I am new to quilting and have finished the top to a quilt for my son's bed. The fabric I bought for the backing is not as wide as the top. What is the best way to piece the backing together so the seams are not so noticeable?

JoanS :
My suggestion would be not to try to hide the fact that the back is narrower. Add a strip down the middle of the backing that might accent the front. Maybe a strip of the blocks or just a border strip. If your middle strip is too wide, cut the excess from the sides to make it fit. Makes an interesting backing.

Corinne Steffke :
This is what I would do, i would put the main piece of fabric down thw middle and split the difference and ad that size strip on each side of your backing.
Paula :
I 1. Split the fabric and add enough width (something cool) to the middle to make the total width correct or 2. Lately I have been using up my "extra" front fabric on the back. Sometime this is enough sometimes not, but at least it's "out with the old...". Of course what you do depends on the effect you want. Hope I helped.
NancyS :
I agree that's it's a good idea to avoid a seam down the center. The backing can be pieced together in thirds, either vertically or horizontally, so you don't have a center seam. Using a print fabric hides the seams much better than a solid fabric. The quilting you do will also help disguise the seams.
Pat :
I like to make my quilt backs interesteing. I use leftover blocks and neat-o fabrics. If the quilt is for a specific person, I'll use a fabric that has a significant meaning. You could use fabric from your sons' favorite sports team, or a special hobby. You could use photo tranfers of friends and family. How about having everyone in your son's life sign a plain piece of fabric and use that for the back. Most importantly have fun. The back doesn't have to be a plain piece of fabric:)
Kathy in WA :
There are several ways to tackle this problem and they depend on the size of the quilt and the size of the fabric you have for the back. Here are some suggestions.
A lot of people just make a seam across the middle of the quilt.
If you do the seam from top to bottom, it might be wise to put a full panel down the center and have two seams closer to the sides. The center of the quilt gets more wear, which can put stress on a seam going down the center.
Piece the back so that the seams are highlighted. Use other pieces of fabric that are leftover from the front with the piece you have. Or use any leftover blocks and add to that.
Save that fabric for something else and find some wider fabric made especially for backings. It comes as wide as 108 inches.

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