Your backings: Plain White or Coordinated Color?
#21
Originally Posted by Eddie
It was a judged show, and the quilts were all excellent, there were no slouchy ones in it. I was wondering is a show quilt would for some reason have a white backing as opposed to a utility one that would be used everyday having a coordinating backing.
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: central California
Posts: 636
I have mostly used a cream colored back, because I have usually hand quilted my quilts and the recipients of the quilts have been people who really love to see the quilting on the back as much as the pieced front. I have just recently made two quilts that I had machine quilted for me, one was reversable, exactly the same pattern on the front as the back, just different fabrics and the other had a coordinating fabric with the front of the quilt.
#25
I'm from Alabama, 62 yo, & my grandmothers both used muslin, feed sacks, whatever in quilts, as well as the clothes they made us when I was real small. Once my Dad got a Government Job, we moved out of the Country & our economic situation got better.
Eddie there are reasons people use different fabrics, colors, prints, solids. I've found fabric has different weights & if blindfolded I bet I could tell by feel which is Quilt Store quality. I've read several other quilters on the Board talk about the "feel" of their fabric. Take the feel test for yourself. Ask Melissa to take different fabrics, blindfold you & see if you can tell the difference. My fabric also "talks" to me. I know if I've made a mistake just by the sound of the machine, or if hand quilting how my needle is positioned (when it comes out the back side).
I tried tea dying muslin last summer, before my surgery, so plan to do more of that. It gives more of a Country look. I was using unbleached muslin, which showed up impurities in streaking, so will get bleached muslin for my upcoming quilts. Now that my grandchildren are teens, maybe they won't drag them outside.
Eddie there are reasons people use different fabrics, colors, prints, solids. I've found fabric has different weights & if blindfolded I bet I could tell by feel which is Quilt Store quality. I've read several other quilters on the Board talk about the "feel" of their fabric. Take the feel test for yourself. Ask Melissa to take different fabrics, blindfold you & see if you can tell the difference. My fabric also "talks" to me. I know if I've made a mistake just by the sound of the machine, or if hand quilting how my needle is positioned (when it comes out the back side).
I tried tea dying muslin last summer, before my surgery, so plan to do more of that. It gives more of a Country look. I was using unbleached muslin, which showed up impurities in streaking, so will get bleached muslin for my upcoming quilts. Now that my grandchildren are teens, maybe they won't drag them outside.
#26
I usually use color-coordinated fabric for the backs of quilts I make. Sometimes I use up whatever fabric I have leftover from the front though, and make a reversible quilt. The only time I used a "white" backing was when I hand-pieced and quilted a Double Wedding Ring quilt for myself. I used bleached muslin in the piecing and the same in a wide backing for the back. Turned out beautiful! I used the quilt on my bed when I was a widow with kids all grown and gone. But when I got married again, it went to live on a quilt rack. I am just too nervous that it will get stained or something. With my new husband came a cat that likes to sleep on our bed... :?
#27
I have used muslin/white on some of the backs of my quilts... I, too, agree the back is as important as the front but do not feel that using muslin makes the back less important - I wanted the quilting to show - it does better on plain fabrics. I use whichever backing I feel is best for the quilt. I do not buy cheaper muslin as I do agree that quality on the front means quality on the back.
#28
I have always coordinated my backing to my top as well. This weekend my daughter asked me to make them a duvet cover and I was thinking that is something I might back with a heavier muslin, or white broadcloth, but I will decide once she picks the colours and depending upon price difference
#29
I have only made a few quilts and so far the backs have been coordinating material or a solid color that matches the front. I want the back of my quilt to look as nice, if possible, at the front.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Putz
Offline Events, Announcements, Discussions
10
06-09-2014 02:49 AM
love to sew
Pictures
8
01-20-2013 03:38 PM