Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Up Next

So I realized this morning as I was adding the leaders to this new quilt to go on the long arm that all of my little "marathon quilting" quilts are ones that I can't show yet.  Boo on that.   So I can't show you the top, but I can show you the back :)  I know, not much, what ya gonna do :)

And I have a question for you, Pieced Backs . . . What do you think about them???

I tend to do a pieced back if I have large leftover pieces or if I just didn't get a large chunk for backing.  I will admit, they are not my favorite thing to piece, I am always so anxious to finish the quilt once the top is done and I don't like having to slow down again for a back.  I also never really "measure" when it comes to a pieced back, I just lay out pieces and start sewing them together, which always seems to end up with one side of the top being just an inch to short.  Hence that added 4" strip on the left :)  But with all that said, I sure love the way a pieced back looks when it is all done.  They are just so fun and add one more element to the quilt ;)


And now that the back is all done it it time to load it onto the long arm.  I was trying to come up with some design ideas, I think I am going to go custom on this one rather than all over and am playing with combining these three designs.  What do ya think??  Do they play nice together??


I best get going, I have some laundry and dishes to do before I can start quilting and it is Wacky Wednesday, so I don't anticipate getting far but hopefully I can get a start ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!
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13 comments:

  1. I piece a back with matching fabric from the front if I don't have enough left of the big pieces to do a 3 piece strip or 2 big pieces and scraps down the middle. I prefer more than one fabric on the back to give it some interest. Like the quilting, guessing you have pieces, sashing, and a filler there.

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  2. I sometimes do a "giant" pattern on the back - for instance I made a plus quilt with 6" squares and on the back made three giant plus's with 12" squares. On another quilt that was made of disappearing 9 patches I made an oversized one for the back. I like whole cloth backs for some projects as well, but I am with you though, if I have nothing "creative" to do on the back, I just want to get it done so I can get to the next project.

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  3. I'm a back piecer, too. It's a great way to incorporate scraps from piecing the front and use up yardage from my stash. I'm a straight-line quilter, though, and my concern about pieced backs is that there could be enough shifting while quilting that the quilt lines look good on the front but askew on the back. So far, so good -- I've managed to keep everything lined up straight on my quilts to date!

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  4. I almost always piece my backs as 1) the fabric I have on hand is nicer quality than most quilt back fabric 2) I don't want to go out and get more fabric for backing :-) Sometimes I like the backs of my quilts better than the front!

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  5. I've been quilting for 3 years and it's a hobby after working all day at a law firm. I did not like pieced backs when I started. At the time I would find a print that I truly loved and buy enough for backing. Now as my stash has begun to build up, I've started making some pieced backs. I still prefer at least 2/3 of the back to be a single fabric with just an accent of something else but all rules are made just be fudged on just a little. Some backs end up just as pretty as the front.

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  6. I don't even have backs anymore, haven't for at least 20 + years. My quilts are reversible, with two fronts.
    Half the storage, half the quilting time and $$$. What's not to love?
    My Dear Jane was double sided and hand quilted, with gold metallic thread no less. It is lovely and I love both Janes equally. Wish we still had Webshots, I had a whole album of my double sided quilts.

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  7. I love pieced backs and use them most of the time. It's the element of surprise. Everyone always wants to see the front, the back can be just as pretty. I would go with all 3 designs to give the quilt interest.

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  8. I generally don't do pieced backs. I actually don't care for them if they are randomly pieced. I do like them if it compliments the front. Recently I put a map panel and added a border around it as my backing. It was an I Spy quilt and the map colors were perfect and it could be used in an I Spy game as well as the front.


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  9. I don't quilt my own quilts, but have somebody else do it on a long-arm; so my answer isn't about what it's like to quilt a pieced back. I love the look of a pieced back, and very, very rarely purchase yardage for a back. If I have enough leftovers from the top, I piece those together for the back - unless they're just little pieces and it would take forever. By the time I get to the back, I'm usually pretty anxious to get finished! Otherwise, I try to find larger pieces in my stash - I save 2-3 yard pieces and try to use them for backing - and do my best to piece a back from several of those pieces that looks OK with the top. Occasionally, I'll buy a bit to help out, especially if I can find something on sale.

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  10. like you when the top is done I just want to get the quilting done and backing can be a problem, the latest quilt I used a sheet for but disappointed with it, pieced backs look good especially if scraps on the quilt are used but so far have not tried that. Like the designs you are planning to use

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  11. I have never tried to piece the back of a quilt. I should give it a try!!! I learned to quilt a few years ago from old school quilters that never piece the back so I'm a bit nervous about trying it on my own!!! I think all your designs look great!!

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  12. I think pieced backs for me are best when they consist of 2 pieces, a left bit and a right bit ;o) Other people's look great, but I'm generally done when I get to the back!

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  13. I'm with you - I love pieced backs but I want to get that quilt on the frame and it always takes forever to piece the back - almost as much time as piecing the front!! All your designs play well together...how about throwing in a straight line pattern too? Can't wait to see the front of this one!!!

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Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I just love hearing from you!!
Have a Happy Quilting Day :)

Melissa