The Backside of Quilting

This is an expensive hobby we share, isn't it?  I had to go out and purchase the backings for three big quilts yesterday.  Of course the quilts were all larger than 80 inches square, so I had to purchase yards and yards of fabric.  I love it when the quilts finish around 72", and I can go with about 5 1/2 yards of backing fabric, sew one seam through the middle,  and call it a day.  Not these babies, though.  I needed about 7 1/2 yards for each backing, and the damage was over $200.  Ouch.

My fabric store is awesome though, and they save me a big hassle by cutting the fabric into thirds for me, so all I have to do is stitch up those seams and trim the backing down to size.  Does your shop do that for you?  Did you ever think to ask them to?  I bet they would do it for you.  They have those nice big cutting tables and have the fabric all spread out, so it would be easy.  I hate struggling to cut a circus tent size piece of fabric in my little sewing room at home.

I am fussy about my backing fabric, and would love to know how you feel about yours.  I like my backing fabric to be well coordinated with the front of the quilt in terms of color and quality--matching one of the fabrics in the quilt top if possible.  Sometimes if I wait long enough, by the time I finish a quilt top, the coordinating fabric is on clearance and I can scoop it up at a discount.  If not, I have been known to pay full price to get the right look for the back of my quilt.

I hear many people say they don't care what the heck is on the back of their quilts, because, after all, it is the back of the quilt.  They may even pick up something that is of lesser quality at a chain fabric store, or perhaps go with something that in no way reflects the style and color of the quilt itself.  They are looking for cheap, and isn't too hard to find.  

How do you feel?  Is the back of the quilt as important to you as the front?  Will you pay full price for backing fabric if it enhances the total style of the finished quilt?

Comments

[Mary Jane]

I like to coordinate my backings with the some of the same fabric I used on the front. Depending on the quilt I will sometimes piece the back with the leftovers, adding a few extra blocks or I may just use one fabric. On the last baby quilt I did I used a striped fabric and in the center of the backing I inserted a panel of the striped fabric running in the opposite direction. Each quilt "tells" me how to handle the back, so I am never bored and each quilt is different. Yes, it can get expensive but I think it is important to have the look I want.

[ozjane]

I have found www.thousandsofbolts
great for wide backs. I find it a bit difficult to cope with the joins now so when I can get widebacks at a good price I do.
I have certainly changed my attitude to the backings on quilts from when I began. They are now as important as the front.
I have a lovely blue fabric packed ready to take with my Christmas Blues to be quilted.

[Donna DuMouchel]

I'm to the stage in my quilting where I basically make a totally separate quilt for the backing. It will have wider borders so my quilter can get it centered more easily. I try to use a border fabric for the back that will coordinately nicely with the binding used, but other than that the fabrics don't necessarily relate to one another at all. For example, I may use Christmas colors on one side and fall colors on the other. or sometimes it's just a collection of, say, blue 10 inch squares. My kids always turn the quilts over to see what's on the back!