Quilted Joy has always carried a variety of wide backing fabrics. At last count we have over 160 different 108" wide quilt backing fabrics! That is in addition to the over 400 bolts of regular width 45" wide quilt fabric! Can you tell we love petting fabric? :) Of course, we love using 108" wide backing fabric for the back of our quilts because it makes the quilting process so much easier on our APQS long arm quilting machines. When you have seams in your backing it can change how the fabric gets loaded and in which direction.

In fact, we have a special precut version of our wide backing fabrics that is the perfect size for most any quilt. We call it a 3- yard Back pack and it contains, as I'm sure you can guess, 3 yards of a wide back fabric. Since most are 108" this 108" cut of the fabric gives you a square that is perfect for most any quilt you make! But did you know we also sell a limited quantity of Bitty Back Packs? These special cuts of our wide backing fabric have less than 3 yards and are a great cut for smaller quilts with the same great 108" fabric we all love. So, if you are making a smaller, kiddo sized quilt, one of our Bitty Back Packs would be PERFECT! And, the best part? Our Bitty Back Packs are marked down to save you a bit of money as well!

Determine the Size of Your Quilt Top To Select The Right Back

The first consideration when browsing wide backing fabric is obviously the size of your quilt. A 3-yard back pack is perfect for almost all quilt projects from baby quilts and throws, all the way up to your large king size quilts. But what if you don't want all that extra fabric? Well, then a bitty back pack is a great option. Containing less thaan 3 yards they have just enough without all the extra. Take a look at the chart below for a cheat sheet to how much backing fabric you'll need for your project.

Consider Using Wide Backing Fabric for Piecing

Another resourceful and economical use for backing fabric would be piecing! Bitty back packs in particular would be a great way to play with beautiful prints and an affordable price. When piecing with wide backing fabric there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind. I used only backing fabric in my quilt Twizzles featured on Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting. Check out the finished quilt along with all my tips on piecing with backing fabrics.