How do you choose a suitable backing fabric for your quilt? There are quite a few things to consider.
At KoolKat we use the same thread colour top and bottom. This is because the machines we use have to travel in all directions, unlike your domestic machine. There are unavoidable sections where thread tension may vary a little. This means that if a different colour thread was used on the bottom, small sections could show the different colour. The best way to avoid this is to keep the top and bottom thread the same, which we always do.
With that in mind, consider what thread colour you’d like on your quilt. If, for example you favour a cream colour, it may be best to select a warm neutral print for the back. Think warm, warm, or cool, cool. This will ensure a good blending of colour on both sides of your quilt.
Print or plain? Which is best? We favour subtle prints, and tend to avoid using directional prints. If you do have a directional backing, don’t forget to mark the top of both backing and quilt top, so there will be no confusion.
Consider the quality of your quilt backing. If you want a darker colour backing, please avoid those dark prints which are printed onto a white base. You can check this by looking at the back of the fabric. If the fabric is dark printed on light, the stitching on our machines may leave small white dots, where the base fabric is showing through. Fabrics which are dyed all the way through are excellent, as are yarn dyed fabrics. (Woven with dyed threads). Having said that, quality, soft, medium thread count fabrics usually perform well.
Please don’t use sheets to back your quilts, as the high thread count causes excess puncture holes as the needle goes through the fabrics. The only exception would be well washed, soft cotton sheets.
Now, a word about “double sided” quilts. It really is almost impossible for us to centre your quilt on the backing in two directions. This is because as the layers wind on it is impossible to accurately predict the centre. There may be looseness in the quilt top or backing, which makes one side wind up quicker than the other. It is fine to join several fabrics together to make your backing, but it is best to only make the backing 8” longer and 8” wider than your quilt top. If the pieced backing is super big, it is difficult to work with. Don’t forget to trim your backing so that it is perfectly square. That means no overhanging edges where pieces have been joined.
Failing all that, we can choose from our stash a suitable backing for your quilt, so you don’t need to think about it at all! Happy quilting, from KoolKat!
p.s. BTW, did you know that we always give a discount for two or more quilts posted at the same time! You can buddy up with a friend also to receive this discount!
Kat Adams
0412 830 175
koolkatquilting.com
PO Box 18
Harlaxton 4350