How to Make a Quilt Back

One of the aspects of a quilt which is often forgotten is the simple process of making the quilt back. While most attention is rightfully paid to the front of the quilt, without a backing the quilt would go unfinished. Though there are 108-inch wide "backing" fabrics sold in quilt shops these days with limited color schemes and patterns, the art of making the backing allows for a perfect match to the fabrics of the quilt top. These directions are tailored to suite a 74-by-94 inch quilt top. That's a full-size quilt with a 10-inch drop on three sides and a 10-inch tuck.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 6 yards of cotton fabric, standard 44 to 45 inches wide
• Laundry or quilt detergent
• Iron
• Scissors
• Sewing machine

1. Cut fabric into two sections, each 3 yds. long.

2. Wash the fabric with appropriate mild detergent and dry it. Pre-washing will allow any shrinkage to occur before you sew.

3. Iron the fabric to eliminate wrinkles. Use steam if necessary to create as smooth a finish as possible.

4. Leave one fabric open and flat, but fold over the second section lengthwise (the way it comes on the bolt) and iron the fold to create a creased line. After the fabric cools, cut along the folded line to create two narrow sections.

5. Pin the selvage edge of one narrow section to the edge of the wide section with right sides together. Sew 1-inch away from the edge (or further in if the edges are particularly wide). Do the same for the second narrow piece and the other edge of the wide section.

6. Trim the selvage edge away leaving at least a ¼-inch seam.

7. Iron the seams open to create a flat backing without excess thicknesses to be quilted.

Tips & Warnings

• Scale down your backing size if your quilt is smaller, but be sure to keep a method of two vertical seams on the backing. A single seam down the center of a quilt will see more wear and tear because it will inevitably be folded on directly compared to the two side seams.
• Do not sew on the selvage edge or you may cause unevenness and bumping in the backing.