A few years ago when I was catching a lot of grief for the size of my fabric inventory (stash), I started piecing the backs of my quilts. The first back I did was simple 9-inch squares but I thought that was boring. I started using smaller pieces and in particular trying to use all the leftovers of the fabric I’d used on the front of the quilt. This is also the place that I use orphan blocks and the blocks that aren’t good enough for the front of the quilt. I’ve made up my own rules or are they non-rules?
1. Seams don’t have to match.
2. It is okay to cut off points.
3. It is okay to ignore the grain line.
4. It is okay to use fabric that is too weird for the front of the quilt i.e. the pink seersucker seen on the blue/yellow and pink quilt back. In other words, pretty much anything goes.
Two funny notes about my effort to gain control of my fabric by piecing the backs of my quilts: I can’t see where I have even made a dent in the amount of fabric that I have. Also, sometimes the fabric that I piece comes out so interesting that I can’t use it on the back of a quilt; it has to become a quilt top. Here’s an example. I call this quilt Gallimaufry.
Because of my experiments with making fabric for the backs of my quilts, a couple of books that arrived recently caught my eye. The first is Free-Form Patchwork Techniques by Tina Mast. Published by Schiffer Publishing LTD, the book gives instruction for cutting fabric without a ruler for free-form strip piecing, then goes on to give 19 projects. Mast suggests using hand-dyed fabric or small prints. I find her technique intriguing and can’t wait to give it a try.
Dynamic Quilts with Easy Curves by Karla Alexander is the second book that I took home this weekend to look over. In her book published by Martingale and Company, Alexander explains cutting fabric with wavy lines (either with or without a ruler), shuffling the fabric and then sewing together for new and unusual blocks.
[Please note: this giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Nadine S, Carole S, and Mary F, our three randomly selected winners! Thanks to all who entered!]
It seems like a fun idea to give you a chance for a copy of one of the two books. If you have a new technique to try, you know you’ll need fabric to use so we’re including seven fat quarters from the Cattitudes collection by Red Rooster Fabrics with each book in our giveaway. To enter to win one of these prizes, simply leave a comment below this blog post telling us about your piecing adventures. Winners will be randomly selected from those who leave comments by 11:59 p.m on June 17, 2012. This giveaway is limited to those who have not won anything from Quilters Newsletter since March of 2012.
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I have been on a mission to us up my fabric but even without buying new fabric it seem to increase in size, must be the freebie table at the guild meeting every month . So now I have to stay away from that table or bring back what I have picked up. Maybe I need to start a 12 step program for fabric addicts.
I really do like your Gallimaufry. I piece backs, too, but I’m not that adventurous. Or maybe I’m too lazy to spend that much time piecing the back before I can get to the quilting.
I haven’t tried piecing backs — YET!!! I want to give it a try, though. Sounds like fun. So many new things I want to try and quilts I want to make.
Now why did I throw out all that seersucker! Love the idea of pieced backs using any and everything. I have draws full of that sort of fabric.
I have a bag of experimental blocks that have been begging for a home…and I LOVE block swaps, but never use all those wonderful scrappy blocks…those and the small leftovers that haven’t made it into any scrappy quilts yet will be my next back!
I KNEW that piecing the backs would be a good idea, even though my friend who is teaching me to quilt said it is silly. I like the idea of giving the backs some interest too, as I make quilts to be used and loved rather than be showpieces to be put on a wall or some other display-only type of use. This would be such a big help in my quest to learn and apply more quilting knowledge, and the fabric would be yet another godsend!
I was always a very “traditional”quilter -safe, follow the pattern-until I was introduced to paper-piecing (I know, living large!!:). That is now the extent of my piecing experience and I realize, after looking at these pictures, that it’s time to step it up another notch!
On some quilts I don’t like the colours from I will finish the rest of the materials used on the front for the quilt for the back of it, and totally piece it together. Thanks for the chance to win!
find your piece a big inspiration I am not a huge quilter, the largest I ever did was a twin size for my son and getting the fronts pieced is as much as I think I could handle… might try it on a baby size that I am planning for a new grand niece… the book and fabrics would be a new adventure ..thanks for the giveaway
Great ideas for backs, and using up (prodigious) collections (stash). I hadn’t thought of just playing with techniques and then using them for backs. I am going to check my library for these books, thanks for the recommendations.
I’ve never tried piecing backs — I’ve always thought it would make it too difficult to hand quilt. I’ve got a large box of orphan blocks – some left over from quilts, some that were simply experiments. One of these days, I’ll either piece them into a sampler – or start using them as part of my quilt backs.
I can see why it would be difficult to use some of your work as quilt backs! Thanks for the article.
I had to use extra blocks to make a border on one end of the back of a quilt to have enough fabric to finish a quilt back. It actually made the quilt reversible. Thanks for the chance to win.
That’s a great idea- Love the contrast and the fact that scraps I will never use elsewhere will be put to good use! Thanks