Backing Color for 2010 Star Crazy

[Beverly C.]

I wonder what color backing Sue used for the 2010 Star Crazy quilt? What color did others use or do you plan to use? I don't recall reading about this in the forum.

[Margo C.]

I'm pretty sure that Sue used white on the back. I don't know if it was the same as the background, or maybe another fabric.

[Margo C.]

In answer to the question of what color of backing I used on Star Crazy... I was going to say "I wish I could remember!"... and then I remembered that I have the quilt in the other room! So I went and dug down through the pile and checked. I used a tan/cream/taupe wide-back fabric for the backing. But here is the more important question: How do I choose what to put on the back of the quilt? I choose the fabric based on a series of questions I ask myself:
1) what color of thread am I going to quilt the top with? If I'm going to use white or off-white, then in general, I am going to use a white or off-white backing. If I used a contrasting color, my quilting would have to be "perfect" on the top of the quilt so that it would look good on the back of the quilt. It's too hard to be a perfect quilter!
2) if I am going to use multiple colors of thread on the quilt top, I generally choose a backing fabric that will best hide the quilting thread on the back.
3) how much leftover fabric do I have from the top of the quilt and do I want to use it up? If I have a lot that I want to use up, I often piece my back from the leftovers -- big rectangles and/or squares and/or strips - and then I add whatever other fabric will "fit" with those leftover fabrics. My thought is that "if the fabric was planned for use on the front of the quilt, it will 'match' when used on the back of it." If I have any leftover blocks, I will add those to the pieced back, too. Waste not, want not!
4) would this quilt be better off if I used a wide-back fabric (90+ inches wide fabric)? I think that sometimes it may be important to have a nice, smooth backing on a quilt -- one where you don't want seams on the back that you have to push through when quilting.
5) is this quilt going to hang somewhere? If it is, I will often choose to use fabric where the straight of grain runs top to bottom -- so that the quilt won't "sag" when it hangs. I've seen large quilts that really do sag when hung on walls for any length of time.
6) what do I have in my stash that is usable for the backing? Sometimes, even after asking myself all the other questions, it comes down to one question: do I need to go buy more fabric or is there something I can use that I already have?

Happy sewing!
Sue

[Beverly C.]

Thank you for your information! I'm about three months behind on finishing my quilt, but retire in two weeks. I'm so looking forward to completing the top and enjoying the quilting process. Sue and Margo both, I marvel at your creativity in designing quilts and then choosing quilting designs to finish them. . . .I've learned so much at this site. Happy sewing!

[Eileen K.]

Another thing to consider is this: if you are machine quilting it or sending it out to a longarmer, we like busy backings; at least I do.