Since my quilt had a lot of white throughout, I chose a white on white 108" wide for the back. I'm hoping that soiling won't be an issue as it will be on a bed in the extra bedroom. It's at the longarm quilter now and won't be back home until September. It was hard saying goodbye for that length of time

Hi all, I put the last stitch into the quilt this afternoon, and it is washed and drying. Yippee! I never thought this day would come! It's quilted with bamboo/cotton batting, turned out very nice, beyond any expectations I had back in January 2009. Now to find a way to take a photo of it to post- it's pretty large and heavy.

Congratulations to all of you who have finished already, and encouragement to the ones who are still working on theirs. It's worth every hour of work, keep at it!

Kathy

Nancy, one more thing that you might want to keep in mind. I also remember how nice and soft the Madras shirts were to wear, but they really didn't hold up very well. The fact that unless the quilt will hang on the wall, the BACK of the quilt is where most of the friction will occur, whether it is on top of a bed or next to a body. That probably means that we need to pay attention to the quality of the backing fabric and consider how well it will hold up to its intended use. That is why I really check to see how loosely woven the extra wide fabrics are before I purchase them, because my quilts are mostly made to be used up and loved to death, and I want the fabric to last!

Margo wrote:
You're right, Margot! I remember that Madras shrinks and fades, but softens and feels so wonderful next to your skin. Also, it breathes because it is more loosely woven than most quilter's cottons. The shrinkage and fading doesn't concern me, because I would prewash thoroughly beforehand. My concern is wear longevity. I remember that my madras shirts would rarely last more than a few years, but they certainly got laundered a lot more than a quilt would. Now, I'm convincing myself that Madras wouldn't be the best fabric choice for a quilt back.

Thanks for your feedback!

I used a wide backing purchased over the internet, maybe at keepsake quilting? It's just a light cream with faint pink roses, the fabric is kind of loosely woven but it worked perfectly as a backing. I just finished the quilting yesterday! and am working my way around the binding now. Woohoo! Can't wait for it to be finished so I can wash all that blue marker out

Kathy

I used a wide backing like Carole's- the Sew Batik fabric comes in a large variety of colorways and designs. The fabric is softer then many other batiks. I love working with it on the longarm and no seams is great.

I used a wide backing for no piecing. It is a gray multitone which goes well with the front! I just need to handsew the binding down, it is done!

Maggie in E. Central Illinois

Nancy, I think the Madras plaid may work just fine for the backing, but you will probably want to pre-wash and dry it several times to make sure it's not going to shrink a lot more than the top will. It's been a long time since I've sewn with Madras, and I'm not sure how different the fabrics may be now, but they used to fade awfully badly. I would test for that, also.

After using the green print backing I had purchased to enlarge to king sized, I had to find anotherbacking. Found one very much like Margot's, a yellow background with red, coral, pink larger flowers, gold medium, and light blue small. The qullting shows up very well, and I love the way the back blends with the colors form the quilt top. BTW, I found it on Ebay. Bought 9 yards but she sent all she had--13 or so, so now I have extra for pillowcases. I've been sleeping under it for a week. The wool was fine until a few nights ago. I wake up very warm about 4 am. Love the wool, and will use it from now on. It really makes the qulting pop. Sally

Margo wrote:
Recently, I purchased a beautiful like-new 100% cotton Liz Claiborne queen-size floral sheet from the Salvation Army. So, one day, I will make a quilt starting with it as the backing fabric.

When I started the 2009 BOM, my original intent was just to make the feathered star to practice paper-piecing. I got caught up in the forum support and "Show & Tell" of all of the TQS members also working on this BOM--I was hooked. Never would I ever have attempted such a challenging quilt otherwise. I'm very pleased with my quilt top and want to make the right choice for the backing.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my question. I'd still like to hear opinions about whether or not Madras plaid would make a good quilt backing.

I used a 108" wide batik to back mine. (I had lots of help from my QI!) I just chose the fabric because I liked it, I didn't have to piece it, and it had the right colors.

I chose Moda Marbles in a beige color for the king size and a small leaf print in a beige color for the lap size. These will be custom longarm quilted and I wanted the quilting to show on the back. I'm hoping to get them finished this summer.

Nancy, I actually started with my backing fabric! Here is the photo I posted on my Webshots tutorial at the beginning of our 2009 BOM with the backing and about half of the fabrics I wound up using. It is an extra wide backing, so there are no seams, and I'm using Hobb's 80/20 Heirloom Cotton batting. It's on the frame as we speak, and I'll show photos when I get it all done!

I finished my top in December and it is the most ambitious quilt that I've attempted to date, but I'm in a quandry about the backing. My quilt will be sent to a longarm quilting friend, so I'm thinking about using a solid cotton sateen on the back to show off her beautiful quilting. However, I've not yet found the right color sateen and do not want to use white. Also, I love madras plaid and found one with just the right colors, but I'm not sure if madras would make a good quilt backing. With all of the seaming on the quilt top, I think it's best to have as few seams on the backing as possible. Lastly, a small print isn't out of question, but I'm concerned that a print wouldn't show off the quilting as much.

I'm curious what others chose for their backings and "why?". I wish others would post photos of their quilt backs.