citruscountyquilter

I shop the sale fabrics at a quilt shop. You can usually get them 50% off with 1 yard min purchase. Good quality fabric for a reasonable price. I use these fabrics for backs. As long as they don't clash with the front I'm fine with it. I often find beautiful prints on sale that I would hate to cut up and can showcase them on the back. I piece them with one seam that you can hardly notice.

paoberle

if I have enough leftovers from piecing the top, I use those pieces. I really love to make the back a surprise by using something totally uncoordinating.

Snooze2978

Sometimes I'll buy a backing to go with the quilt I'm making if I find one that pops out at me at the time. Other times I'll use all the scraps and/or extra blocks to the back. A good quality muslin works for me too. My local fabric store has a sateen backing that comes in a few colors that's either 108 or 118 wide. It has such a nice feel to it too.

fayeberry

If I have enough fabric I like the backing to match the binding. But right now I am trying hard to use what I have, so will be putting together a back for the current project with coordinating fabrics.

AZ Jane

Sometimes I find fabric I love and use that for the back, and coordinate the front. Such as these two baby quilts I made.
Back[ATTACH=CONFIG]525533[/ATTACH]
Front[ATTACH=CONFIG]525534[/ATTACH]
Back[ATTACH=CONFIG]525535[/ATTACH]
Front[ATTACH=CONFIG]525536[/ATTACH]

quiltingbuddy

Thanks for this...I laughed so hard I almost spit out my drink...I read it wrong and it struck me funny. I initially read that a gallon of milk can cost $75 a yard. Now my husband thinks I'm nuts. Oh well. Laughing is good medicine they say.

But as for my answer: I always use a patterned fabric that coordinates somewhat with the front to hide quilting flaws. Recently though I have been using some from my stash and adding to them from the local craft store that sells flat folds (end of bolts) marked down to $6 per yard. I've been putting 4 interesting fabrics together joined in the middle going down and across so that each quadrant has a different fabric. I figure if I have to make seams anyway I might as well have it look unexpected and plan for it. I have a way of marking the exact center on the backing and knowing where that is to position the front perfectly centered. I love the look on someone's face when they realize the back is interesting as well as the front.

Latrinka

I don't usually start thinking about the back until I'm at least halfway through with the top, and I prefer it to match or compliment the top.

captlynhall

I do the same. I want the back to be as pretty as the front. It isn't unusual to spend more for that fabric. I haven't tried the wide backing fabrics, so I with the fabric of my choice, I sew two vertical seams, with the middle panel being wider than the two on either side. Just like the way it looks.

117becca

I hand quilt, so my backings are usually a solid color fabric to show off the quilting. I made the "mistake" one time of putting a great print fabric on the back, but couldn't see any of the quilting

I do coordinate it w/ the front and binding.

MargeD

I tend to coordinate the backing fabric with the quilt top. I keep telling myself that I should be adventuresome and use some of the quilt top blocks on the back or do patches of fabric, however, my when I go to do something like that my brain says "no way". One of these days though, I just might let out my wilder side.