12 X 12 Backing Ideas

I finally finished the quilt top for our first scrap busting project! Are you with me - or getting close?

As I was mindlessly sewing these pieces together, I was thinking about backing. Here are some of my thoughts on backing:

(Get the background skinny on this quilt along here.)

To determine how much you need, you may want to try one of the many backing calculators available online - try a google search. I tend to get a bit skimpy on the backing, but you have to be willing to do a little more piecing in that case!

I'm happy to provide you with my estimates for the 3 sizes we've been working on, however you really should verify that these amounts will work for you. I'm estimating that I'll need about 3-1/2 yards of backing for the largest quilt, 2 to 2-1/2 yards for the medium size and 1-1/2 yards for the smallest (these amounts assume the fabrics are not directional).

Since we're making a scrappy quilt, we could continue using up stash by making a pieced backing. Select several large pieces from your stash and sew them together to make a piece large enough to extend beyond your quilt top 4 or 5 inches. Try to arrange the pieces so the seams fall in between the normal fold lines if you had the quilt folded up and put away.

If you don't want scrappy, here are some other ideas you might want to consider (these photos are much larger than the normal 6" square featured on websites - they're about a yard long and 21" wide):

A pretty, serene fabric like this Daiwabo would add a calm side to the quilt:

Something kind of wild with lots of color and pattern like this Flower Garden would be really fun!

Rainy Days and Mondays has yellow, whimsical print that would be perfect for a child's quilt.

This circular Porcelina would contrast nicely with the square lines on the front.

Or, maybe you want to really dress it up with these gorgeous Daiwabo flowers:

I can't wait to see what everyone chooses . . . so maybe you could share your thoughts with us now. Do you already have something in mind?