Reply. Another reason the extra fabric is needed is so that the tension can be tested before your quilt is quilted. Longarming: How Much Backing Fabric Do You Really Need? Put Together the Quilt Top, Batting and Quilt Backing into a ⦠In short, the literal obstacles required for longarm quilting (roller bars, clips, machine head) require a larger backing. How Small Can You Make a Log Cabin Block? May 7, 2016 - Explore Alisa Ferguson Maskus's board "Backing A Quilt", followed by 328 people on Pinterest. At the end, your edge strips will definitely get trimmed away! Iâve done quilt backing that way. Now fold your edge strip in half to find center. Your backing should be at least 10â³ larger than your quilt top (5â³ per side) if you are planning on giving it to a longarm quilter to finish. Be sure to add fabric on all four sides of the quilt so that the real quilt backing remains centered. Trim excess edge strip fabric. 3" gives you a little extra width to work with. You prepared a backing for your quilt top, with plans to quilt it at home. Because it is such an easy fix by the customer I thought I would share with you what I’m talking about, and why it is important to provide your longarm quilter backing fabric that is a workable size. To keep the edges neat I wrap the excess backing fabric around to the front and safety pin it in place to protect the edges. Attach remaining edge strips, again sewing each long seam from the center out. As soon as you see the size, you should tell them either make the backing bigger, or pay so much more. When you send a quilt to be longarm quilted, you don't have to baste the quilt. This ensures even stitch quality all the way to the edges of your quilt. By now I’ve quilted quite a few tops and have a few tricks up my sleeve to be able to handle most of the issues that come my way. Many patterns have to be stitched off the edge of the quilt, onto the batting. If your backing needs to grow by just 4" in each direction, you can enlarge your backing with scrap yardage. Poor quilt! That gives you plenty of area at the bottom for the backing fabric to roll around the take-up roller. (Same thing for avoiding wavy border syndrome!). If your table runner is 16" x 39" you'd cut the backing 20" x 43". Should I piece it at the sides and make it larger, if so how A quilt back should be larger than the top by several inches. As a longarm quilter for hire I sometimes have to work through quilting challenges, such as tops that aren’t square or borders that are too big. A quilt backing is the bottom layer of a quilt. Here's the thing - your backing IS large enough as far as the finished quilt is concerned. You can sew those strips to the top/bottom/sides of your backing fabric. (red lines) Next, trim the excess batting and backing from around your Quilt. Layering and Basting the Quilt Sandwich What Is The Best Width For Quilt Binding? You don't want to add fabric in a way that will look awkward. Remember - your quilt back should be 2-4â larger than the quilt top in all four directions. The issue I’m talking about is backing that is not the appropriate size. Always add 8" to both the length and width measurements so you have an extra 4" of fabric all around. Cannot get other user media. It is a scrap quilt with many small squares being used as a quilt back. We ask for 8" larger, which is outlined at Quilting Services Process. Thanks for sharing. It would have cost her much less to simply provide a backing that was large enough to begin with. *IMPORTANT*: If the quilt WIDTH is over 72" WIDE you must use the Backing for Large Quilts Chart at the Cut strips 3" wide. The extra backing is needed because of the loading process, for the quilter to perform thread tension testing, and also to insure the machine doesnât bump into the side clamps that are supporting your quilt. You specify the width of the fabric on the bolt along with the quilt's width and length. I wanted to share this information with you so you can understand why your longarm quilter asks for extra fabric. Also, I want to bind the quilt in a different material than the backing. This provides a nice flat surface with even tension on which to quilt. I always enjoy reading posts that broaden my understanding of how things work. This allowance gives you room to properly align your quilt top, batting and backing. Reply. I think you should charge even more for the too small backing. So now I have to have clearance on the sides for the ruler base that fits on my machine. And there are ways you can provide the correct size backing without spending a lot of money. Most longarmers ask for a backing that is 8-10" larger than the quilt top in each direction, which provides 4-5" of excess backing all the way around the quilt. How to Piece a Quilt Backing to Finish Your Quilt | Craftsy 1 Thing Your Batting Determines About Quilt Top Backing and ⦠The backing should be 8" larger in each direction for longarm machine quilting. If I had used a cotton batting, this would also keep the fibers from shedding the sandwich is moved back and forth under the needle. It gives you something to hold onto! What you need is more edge-grabbing fabric - fabric that will be trimmed away when quilting is complete. This means there was 1-1/2″ of extra fabric on each side. A machine quilter will require a minimum of ⦠The point is, the quilt backing should be as pretty as the quilt itself, so ... After squaring up your backing, measure it again to make sure that it is a total of 6-8 inches larger than the top, if you are going to have it long arm quilted. Quilt Size and Backing Yardage Chart Backing Fabric should be 3â all around larger than quilt top. I charge $5 per seam for this service, plus the cost of the muslin. Most longarmers ask for a backing that is 8-10" larger than the quilt top in each direction, which provides 4-5" of excess backing all the way around the quilt. Letha Gunter says: November 18, 2017 at 4:29 pm I have always done it this wayâ¦saves so much timeâ¦I can even make the repeats match by shifting it to match. The cream fabric is the backing, and it was about 3″ wider than the quilt top. Bigger is OK but it should not be smaller. This calculator determines how much yardage from a bolt of fabric is needed to make a backing for a quilt. What to do? Your backing and batting should be at least 3" larger on each side than your quilt top. The quilt backing needs to be larger than the quilt top to allow extra for fabric that is taken up during quilting and for stabilization when using a quilting frame. And then the quilt you spent hours creating, wanting the recipient to enjoy it for decades- perhaps itâs meant to be an heirloom quilt- will not live the life you had intended it to. That means if your quilt top is 60" x 70" then the backing is 68" x 78". Display only your media. Sorry. This is why it’s so important to provide the extra fabric when having your quilt longarmed. Cut your quilt backing 2 inches larger on each side. That gives us 2" of excess backing all the way around the quilt, providing helpful wiggle room when centering the quilt during basting. What You Need To Know About Quilt Backing â Sew Quilt Ability If there is no extra backing then there is no room to test tension. If you're not sure, check with your longarmer first. Let's talk this through. A longarm machine needs about 4" to hold onto when quilting those edges! At the bottom and top of the quilt, the sewing machine can't reach very close to the roller bars, so we must have excess backing to allow us to space the quilt away from those obstacles. This is often the last layer of the quilt sandwich that a quilter makes. I had to do some backing prep to even be able to load the back. Now tension needs to be added to the sides as well. Strips of muslin or scraps can be basted to the sides to enlarge backing if needed. Quilt Backing Tips and Techniques - Learn How to back your quilts Quilt Size Dimensions Backing 2 1/2â Binding Assembly Diagram TWIN 63â x 87â 5 1/4 yds. It may also be used to determine how much batting you need for your quilt. Why so big, you ask? When your quilt is being quilted, heavy duty clips grasp the excess backing and batting to hold the edges of the quilt taut. For Quilts wider than 40" but narrower than 72" wide Note: Take the LENGTH of your quilt and double it + 18 inches . , Well said, and illustrated, Beth! Notice the red basting stitch line. He or she will start by attaching the backing to the longarm rollers. Size: you want your batting to be slightly larger than your quilt top (front) and slightly smaller than your quilt back. Because I use so many different thread brands and weights, both on top and in the bobbin, I am always testing and adjusting the tension. There are legitimate reasons why we need it. We ask for 8" larger, which is outlined at Quilting Services Process. Eeek - stop! *BACK SIZE QUEEN or larger: Cut your backing and batting at least 4â wider and longer than your quilt top on EACH SIDE. I'm wondering now if that is too short and it will bunch up too much when I do the "quilting" process. That's the longarmer's job! Thank you for sharing. Piece them together until they are longer than necessary for all four quilt edges. Let me show you. Then, press seams. It is not something you should be fighting as your quilting time (and machine) are valuable. Great information. But if my client has asked for custom quilting then it can still be an issue. Everything I have read says to cut the backing of my quilt at least 3" bigger all around. It must be 98" to be longarm quilted. This costs the customer extra money because they are paying for my time. We are not doing it just to have you spend more money. Backstitch when you join strips so that these seams won't pull open when the quilt is suspended for longarm quilting. You're also happy to have that extra 2" all the way around when you're quilting at the edges of the quilt. When I tell my guild I have to have that much extra fabric to longarm, they say no thanks and find someone else. When we prepare a backing for home quilting, most of us make the backing about 4" wider than the quilt top in each direction. First, why does longarm quilting require a bigger backing? In your humble opinions, which I always respectfully condsider...How much bigger should your backing be than the quilted top before putting it together. Cut your cotton batting the same. Attach opposite edge strips in this manner. See more ideas about backing a quilt, quilting techniques, quilting crafts. (black lines) We also stitch around the outside of the entire quilt, within the seam allowance, so that you wonât see it once it is bound. When loading a quilt back onto a quilting frame, it is rolled onto two rollers – one at the top of the fabric and one at the bottom. The pieces I use are about 7″ square. If you are doing the quilting yourself, you should be safe with 4â³ extra per quilt side. If you have a walking foot, use it when attaching your edge strips to the quilt back. Your Quilt should look something like this. It is much easier especially with a queen size quilt top. To do that, I sewed a 5″ strip of muslin to all four sides of the back. Side tension is achieved by adding clamps to each side. I keep muslin strips in my stash just for this purpose. Fold the quilt back in half to find center along one raw edge. So, for a top that is 60″ x 80″ the backing should be at minimum 68″ x 88″ (60″ + 4″ + 4″ = 68″ and 80″ + 4″ + 4″ = 88″) and ideally 72″ x 92″. If you've looked into longarm quilting services, you'll notice that backings must be bigger than you usually make them. This backing did not need an equal amount added on each side. When a customer asks me what size backing they need, I always ask for the back to be 4-6″ inches larger than the top on all sides. When the quilt top is centered on the backing fabric, you will have a 3-inch allowance on all sides. Custom quilting usually involves some or mostly ruler work. If you've pre-washed your quilt top fabrics, then pre-wash your backing. Backing Yardage Charts - Qltville.docx 12/12/2013 5:00 PM Pg 1 of 5 Backing Yardage Charts! Match the edge strip center to the quilt back center. You have stitched in the ditch between all of the blocks. In other words the backing should be the biggest. Add 2" to each side of the quilt back to bring it up to size! For this project you will need 1 ¼ yards of fabric for the back. The fix I use most often is to pin fabric to the sides of the backing and then clamp onto those fabric pieces. For example, you have a 90" square quilt and a 94" square backing. I hope this gives you some insight into the ‘why’ of the extra backing request. This is so helpful, Beth. 3/4 yd. How much larger should my backing and batting be than the quilt top? It's a pretty common scenario. DOUBLE 78â x 87â 5 1/4 yds. This should be roughly 42â³ square. Now letâs talk backs. Your backing fabric should be 6 inches longer and wider than your finished queen quilt top. Some longarmers may not appreciate this solution as it requires them to be thoughtful about centering the quilt during the basting process. So if your quilt top measures 50â³ x 50â³, your backing must be at least 58â³ x 58â³. There is about 4" of excess backing/batting to the left of the red basting stitch line. (8â total. I can understand this for machine quilting, but I don't understand how this is important for hand quilting, especially if you are you just going to cut it off later. This four-way tension ensures that puckers and tucks won’t be quilted into the back. Pin pieces right sides together at center. This will help these extra-long seams feed evenly. This size is okay when I’m free motion quilting, or using a computerized edge-to-edge design. If you haven't prewashed your fabric you may want to do a bleed test. Your backing was all ready to go for home quilting. It is also known as the quilt lining or quilt back. Unfortunately this scenario is something that happens quite often in my studio. Now you've decided to send it out for longarm quilting, but the backing is slightly too small. No matter what, your backing MUST BE 4-6â³ larger than your quilt top, on ALL sides. Then the backing and quilt top are added, with the layers basted while suspended taut between roller bars. Example â 60â x 80â quilt top needs a back and batting that is 68â x 88.â) That is the edge of the actual quilt top. See how far that base extends on each side of the machine’s needle? Here at Stitched in Color Quilting Services, we're happy to help you use the backing you intended if at all possible. When you turn the quilt around, this is the layer that you see. Now, go make more quilt tops so I can quilt them! API shut down by Instagram. I have an top 81" wide and I cut my material last night 84" for the backing. You can adjust your strip size as necessary, of course. But wait! Hitting those clamps can cause all kinds of problems, from ripped tops, to broken needles, and worse! We're working with a large machine head that may be computerized and must be sure to have enough room for the pattern to stitch out without hitting those clips. Trim down the quilt top? A human needs about 2" to hold onto when quilting at the edges of a quilt. Your backing was all ready to go for home quilting. - ⦠Some time ago I received this top to quilt. That testing is done using the extra backing fabric and the batting that is in your quilt to best mimic the actual quilt conditions. This is a real problem to try to quilt, because to get the machine needle to the edge of the quilt top, the machine casing will bump against that clamp. p.s. To avoid this, you can buy extra-wide backing fabric in 60in, 90 inch, 108in and 116in widths, but itâs worth noting that the colour and print choices for these are usually more limited. Now you can see how the clamps attach to the back, and how the quilt top butts up against the clamp. I did a similar post with my machine, it helps to get the word out why we need that extra backing. - ⦠If your not using or sending it to a longarmer & your quilt top is nice & squared, I don't think you need more than an inch or 2 extra for the backing. They need the extra wiggle room. They will be trimmed off after your top is quilted and you can reuse them for the next quilt. Place a pin to mark center. - CraftTribeOnline.com This is my first time making a quilt. When I pick out fabric for a quilt top I usually wait to buy backing fabric. Buy some inexpensive muslin, or use fabric in your stash that you aren’t in love with anymore and cut it into 5 or 6 inch strips and sew them together to make them the length and width of your backing. The chore of creating a quilt backing fabric is often not nearly as enticing as starting a new project. How To Figure Yardage For Quilt Backing â Missouri Star Blog Why do I need my backing and batting larger than quilt top? You don't want to add fabric in a way that will look awkward. This Baptist fan extends a good 2" beyond the edge of the quilt top, for example. But there is one issue that I find myself faced with quite often that takes me a fair amount of time to correct. Backstitch at the end to secure stitch line. Attach the edge stitch with a normal 1/4" seam, sewing from the center out. When I’m trying to use a ruler, if that base hits the side clamps then it messes up the ruler work. Finishing that quilt is going to be soooo rewarding. I don’t quilt for money, just comfort quilts and my own. I recently quilted a top for someone and the backing they provided was barely 1/2″ larger on all four sides. Trim off the selvage of all backing fabrics. Then, return to center and sew from the center out in the opposite direction. The backing is visible on the top roller bar. I read on an Instagram account once, “I’m a longarm quilter, and my love language is a lot of extra backing”!!!”. by Beth | Jun 3, 2020 | Tips & Tutorials | 5 comments. Here are some ideas to help you push on to make that quilt backing. Example, your quilt top measures 60" x 80" therefore your backing and batting should each measure 66" x 86". So how do I work with this? 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