Thank you to the Chattanooga
Creative Arms machine quilters group and
Bernina Sew-N-Quilt Studio for allowing me to co-host a fabric party featuring 108" wide backing fabrics.
The
Creative Arms group is comprised of machine quilters in the Chattanooga area. They are quite diverse in their quilting methods as a show of hands indicated those attending the fabric party quilted using long-arms, mid-arms, sit-down quilting machines, as well as domestic sewing machines—for both free-motion work and with a walking foot.
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Fabric samples of wide backings and quilted samples were available
for attendees to see, touch and feel. |
Before we got to the "fabric caressing" part of the program, I opened the floor to a discussion about the beauty and advantages of using wide backings for quilts. In addition to:
- don't have to piece,
- easy to baste and load, and
- more economical than 44/45 fabrics,
here's what this group of seasoned quilters had to say:
- grain direction is more stable (than pieced backs),
- don't need to worry about keeping horizontal seams on the back straight/parallel while quilting and advancing the quilt,
- vertical seams create an increasingly bigger "mountain" in the quilt as it is rolled, making quilting difficult,
- wide backings are square, so are easier to load and quilt,
- makes the machine quilter's job easier and more productive,
- a good solution for the [admitted] "lazy" quilter who doesn't like to piece or wrestle with the backing.
Don't you just love having these kinds of discussions with experienced quilters? As someone who machine quilts by "pushing" the quilt sandwich beneath the needle (yep, I'm a pusher), it was interesting to hear how the other half (the "drivers" that drive the needle over the quilt sandwich) works. It was a great exchange of ideas! And, I'll share other
ideas for using wide backings in a future post.
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| TQS BOM appliquéd and machine quilted by Margo Clabo. |
The backdrop for the meeting was just as appealing as the lively discussion. Check out these exquisite quilts that currently hang in Bernina Sew-N-Quilt. These pieced and appliqué beauties were made and machine quilted by
Margo Clabo. Look familiar? If you are a member of
The Quilt Show (TQS), you may remember these as previous BOM programs. Margo's work is absolutely fabulous!
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| TQS Block of the Month quilt by Margo Clabo. |
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| Star quilt done in neutrals by Margo Clabo. |
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| Margo's redwork star quilt. |
And, of course the
Show and Tell by the Creative Arms members is always enjoyable and inspiring.
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An appliqué quilt in progress.
Attendees offered suggestions for machine quilting background patterns. |
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| A star quilt made with Jinny Beyer fabrics. |
Are you convinced on the benefits of using wide backings? If not, here is the math for an average queen size quilt:
44"/45" fabric: 8 yards x $11.50 = $92
108" fabric: 3.25 yards x $18 = $58.90
Savings of $33.50
(or an extra 2.91 yards of 45" fabric!)
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| A savings of $33.50 or nearly 3 yards of extra 45" fabric! |
The numbers do tell!
