You’ve finished your quilt, your quilt top that is, and you can’t wait to load it up and get it quilted. But there’s just one problem, your quilt is bigger than a width of quilting cotton! Save yourself the time and hassle of doing extra piecing and use a wide back to finish your quilt.
Using a wide back for your quilt gives your quilt back a seamless finish. Standard quilting fabric is typically 42” - 44” with 40” - 42” of usable fabric, meaning larger quilts can require one or more seams in the backing fabric. It’s hard to wrestle all that fabric to make sure seams are straight and on-grain. A wide back is a fabric that is generally 90” or 108” wide, meaning you won’t need to create those time consuming seams. In addition, fewer seams mean fewer weak points in your quilt, reducing the risk of popped seams or damage over time. This is particularly helpful for quilts that will be frequently used or washed as the wide back gives the quilt a better chance of remaining intact and beautiful for generations to come.
Efficiency is another key reason to use wide backs in your quilting projects. With a wide back, there’s less cutting, piecing, and sewing involved. It not only saves you time in construction, but it decreases the chance of mistakes being made with your quilt. No one wants to go through the hassle of laying everything out for basting or loading it up for quilting and having your back not be big enough! It’s just simpler to use a wide back, allowing you to focus more on the creative aspects of quilting like picking beautiful fabrics, creating a colorful quilt top, or quilting it on your new Handi Quilter longarm.
And if you’re worried about not having the selection of regular quilting cottons, you haven’t seen the variety of wide backs at Bits ‘n Pieces. We have modern designers, traditional prints, brights, neutrals, even wide cozy Cuddle fabric in stock. We make sure to find the best wide back options available to allow you to complete your quilt in exactly the way you’ve dreamed.
Choosing a wide back for your quilt isn’t just a practical decision, wide backs are the secret ingredient to getting your quilts done quickly, efficiently, and with construction that will last for generations to come. Come see all the wide backs we have at Bits ‘n Pieces for you to finish your quilt now!
