Building a Back, Not a Bear

Most of the time quilters will invest a lot of time in making the front of a quilt the "showstopper." Pieced or appliquéd show quilts could take hundreds of hours (not mine!) to complete. Then, after the top is done, thoughts turn to the back of the quilt, which could be cotton, fleece or flannel. With the advent of extra wide backs (108" wide), only a couple yards will suffice and very little sewing, if any, is needed.

However, sometimes it's kind of cool to "build a back." This could be finishing up the fabric that was used on the front, or a chance to get rid of "smaller pieces," and therefore, building a back begins. While working this afternoon on a "build a back," I noticed two other quilters (Linda Boone and Misty Cole) doing the same thing - using up fabric they had on hand plus using fabrics from the front of their quilt top. I know some quilters who have gone to great lengths in making both sides a great quilt (two-sided quilt), which is really quite cool too (I have designs to make a fall/winter quilt in a two-sided quilt...some day.)

BSoleille!

Terri
Photo below is Misty Cole "building her back."

Misty with her pieced back that will go with the quilt on the floor

My "build a back" really to use up the middle fabric that's on the front of the quilt (BOM from 2008)

Linda Boone's "build a back" as she auditions just the right fabrics (flannels) to go with...