I made a Backing for that BIG quilt - the one using 30s fabrics

I looked all around for a backing in my stash appropriate for this quilt.

Then, I realized that I should just make one. That way I could get it to the size I wanted AND I could make a dent in my boxes of these fabrics.

These are older fabrics - either actual feedsacks, vintage prints or just look “old” to me. So I wanted to use them up. Of course, one backing didn’t use them up at all, but it did help me use up some. I mean, a backing for a quilt that is 96”x108” needs to be about 108”x118” or so, so that’s a fair bit of fabric.

I cut 12.5” squares because I have this nice big ruler that I could plop down on the pieces of fabric and just go around. It was reasonably fast to cut out 90 squares of these fabrics.

I then just pieced them together, more or less randomly. I had about 18 different fabrics, so I tried to spread them out sort of evenly. However, it ended up being more random than that. I wasn’t devoted enough to this backing to actually lay out the blocks on this floor in the living room and then carefully put it together that way.

Instead, I just piled the blocks by the sewing room and tried to choose different ones. I made it a 9x10 layout, figuring that would be about 108”x120”, which is plenty big.

I ended up sewing 9 rows of 10 blocks. I sewed three of the rows together, then took all the rows to the main floor and used the living room to make an effort at not having the same colors touch side by side. It’s huge - 108”x120” so bigger than I need for this 90”x108” quilt.

I placed the top on top of the backing and yep, it goes super nicely! I mean, one of the fabrics is the same one, so why wouldn’t it?

I am getting a bit eager to get this one quilted now.

As I get the long arm room back into shape from all the charity quilting earlier in the year and the dumping of all the tops I had down there - matching them with their backings and getting them on the shelves—I am finding myself wanting to get down there and get some of MY tops done - you know, the ones I made for the sheer joy of sewing/creating!

This one of those.

Thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey.

Have a great day wherever you are reading this!

Becky PetersenComment