Quilt backs are the most important part of your quilt. They make it look like a real quilt, and they add support to the quilt front. You can sew a back for each block in your quilt, or you can use a single pattern for all of your blocks.
Sewing a quinched edge is the most popular way to sew a back, but it’s not always necessary. You’ll need to consider whether or not you want to quilt over your seam allowances so that you don’t accidentally create an edge that looks sloppy. You also need to think about whether or not you want to machine or hand baste around the edges of your block shapes before sewing them together.
- Use an overlocker or serger machine
These machines have needle-feeders that allow you to stitch multiple layers of fabric together without special attachments or attachments. They also make quick work of stitching quilt backing fabric in Australia through layers of batting and/or batting/quilting-weight fabric. The first step is to cut your quilt top properly. You want to make sure that you have enough yardage for the number of layers that you’re going to be sewing. For example, if you want a quarter-circle backing (a 2×2 or 2×3 grid) then you need 4 yards of fabric for each layer. If you want a circle backing (a 1×1 or 1×2 grid), then you need 4 yards of fabric per layer.
- Use a long-arm machine
If you have this kind of sewing machine, you can use it to sew your quilt backs without having to move your arm much at all. Just make sure that the fabric is long enough to reach the needle and presser foot. You may want to use a stabilizer strip if the fabric is slippery. Make the back and batting before you begin sewing your quilt together. This will allow you to sew layers together in the right order and avoid any mistakes along the way. Cut out your backing fabric first, then cut out your batting, and finally cut out your quilt top. This way, all of your pieces will be properly sized for each other and will fit together nicely once sewn together. You can also choose to use a machine that has a quilting option on it or even one of those fancy circular rulers (which are great for cutting out circles).
- Use a hand-sewing machine or hand sewing method
If you don’t have access to a long-arm machine and/or don’t have time for one, there are still ways for you to sew your quilt backs with ease! Many people use hand sewing machines or hand sewing methods like hand stitching and hand quilting when they are making their own quilts so they don’t have to deal with an extra step of setting up their machine for free motion quilting on top of all the other things they’re doing!
- Make sure your back is sewn on properly
Thread your needle with an even number of stitches per inch (SPI), which should be about 2 inches on your machine. If you’re not sure what SPI is, just do some math: For example, if you have 18-count fabric and want to make a 42″ x 42″ back, divide the width of the fabric by the number of stitches per inch to determine how many stitches per inch you should use. Keep in mind that if you’re sewing a smaller size fabric, like 18-count for a queen-sized quilt, use more stitches per inch than if you’re sewing a king-sized quilt because wider fabric means less room for error when stitching. Pin all layers together before starting to sew them together. Place your pins at even intervals along each side of the fabric so they will line up properly when finished
