So what fabric is best for the backing (?) fabric on a large quilt?

[overmydeadbody]

I ma making a huge quilt for my bed out of all my fabric scraps (have cut them into 4' squares) but I have never made a quilt before, what fabric is best for the bottom layer?

Cotton?

Polycotton?

Would this work?

What are the benefits to it being cotton over polycotton? Or vice versa?

Thanks in advance

I'm making my first quilt at the moment and using a fleece blanket as the filling and backing all in one. Not quite as authentic perhaps but it's much easier and is making a snug quilt! HTH

Normal rolls of fabric aren't really wide enough so you have to join them if you wanted a very wide piece but you can get specially made backing fabric like these. It isn't cheap (or very nice) as you can see (the price is for 0.25m) but it would save a bit of trouble and would probably lead to less waste. I would shop around for something you like!

Assuming that you used cotton for your top, I would use cotton for the backing because it will wash in the same way and get the same amount of shrinkage.

Alternatively you could get a flat sheet and use that - it is possibly the cheapest option and probably a lot nicer than backing fabric I linked to!

What are your thoughts on wadding and quilting?

Thanks for the advice.

O, so the top of my quilt will be made up of 750 squares of fabric from my scraps, so a big mix of both cotton and polycotton, (mostly) washed already so hopefully minimal shrinkage should I wash it again.

I have bought wadding already, planning on machine quilting it in the ditch only, I cannot face hand quilting something that is so huge.

I thought of using a flat sheet, I have seem very side sheeting cotton sold as well which might work? I don't mind sewing two pieces together though.

The link was to some polycotton sheeting.

I should really get on with sewing the squares together before worrying about the bottom.

You need to think about how much the fabric above will move... ideally you will want to use a fabric which contains the largest proportion of the fabric above and I am guessing that it will be cotton.

If you backing fabric is not wide enough for your quilt then seam it down the middle and make sure this seam runs down the centre of your work and tri once you have sewn your sandwich together.

oops... you should your in the second para

No sheeting probably wouldn't be my first choice but it can work. I have been using an old sheet with some ordinary cotton patchwork fabric when making up some samples for the course I am doing and it works OK but as LadyoftheLift said, it depends on the quality of the sheet and the thread count.

Sewing lengths together is fine too but it can be quite wasteful. If you have a 44" fabric and your quilt is a big one you could end up needing 3 lengths for a massive quilt that hangs over the edge of a 5ft bed say, but use very little of the 3rd length iyswim - it all depends on the width of your quilt. Don't forget that the backing fabric has to be bigger than the quilt top by a couple of inches all the way round.

I liked the website you linked to OMDB - they do all sorts there don't they? They even do velvet which I have looked for in the past and failed to find except for the stretchy kind which is not what I want for my projects that are still in my head.

Thanks everyone, lots to think about.

BigBoobiedBertha yep, that website is fab for the sheer variety of fabrics they have. I have ordered a lot of their cotton fabric over the years and it always arrives really quickly.

So, I will be on the hunt for cotton fabric for the backing.

The big difference between cotton and polycotton is that polycotton will slide as you so it. Therefore on a large quilt it is easier to get ripples on the underneath. Even if you have got it basted together tightly. If you choose polycotton I would overdo the basting.

Personally I would choose a patterned fabric for the back such as a batik and these can be bought on line at 120" wide which foregoes the need to make a seam. The reason for the pattern is that a plain fabric is very unforgiving on any stitiching; not being a very skilled quilter, I like to hide my mistakes.

Most books would recommend not putting a seam down the middle of the quilt but to cut 2 lengths and to have one of these lengths and sew a piece either side of the first length.

Another thing that I have done, is buy some really wide calico/sheeting from Cotton patch and dye it myself in a colour to complement the top. Lots of elastic bands in a random fashion will give a batik effect.

sorry that should read 'halve one of the lengths'

I seem to remember I used down-proof cambric. Either that or curtain lining.

Can I recommend that you get some quilting gloves. It is very hard on your hands to push all that quilt through a machine and the gloves do the gripping for you.
Other than that, I recommend a cotton sheet, or some sellers on Ebay do extra-wide cotton by the metre.
As for the type of fabric, polycotton is fine, but if you are looking to hang onto your quilt for years, then definitely use 100% cotton (and cotton wadding for the inner). CottonPatch website sells wadding at all different bed sizes. I have never found a fleece blanket big enough plus most fleece fabric as a rule is very flammable, important to bear in mind should anyone be giving quilts as gifts, esp for little ones. Also it is sweaty . Natural fabrics stand up to long-term battering so much better than man made and quilts made with natural fabrics just get better with age