Quilt Backing Calculator
Required Quilt Backing Size:
inches
Understanding Quilt Backing Requirements
Creating a quilt is a labor of love, and ensuring you have the correct amount of backing fabric is crucial for a successful project. The backing fabric is the layer on the underside of your quilt, and it needs to be larger than the quilt top to allow for the quilting process and to secure it to the batting and quilt top.
Why You Need Extra Fabric
The primary reason for needing extra fabric for your quilt backing is the quilting process itself. Whether you are hand quilting, machine quilting on a domestic machine, or using a longarm quilting machine, the fabric needs to be held taut. This tension, along with the stitches made during quilting, can consume a small amount of fabric. Additionally, the backing needs to extend beyond the edges of your quilt top to:
- Secure the layers: The backing is used to baste the quilt sandwich (quilt top, batting, and backing) together. This often involves pinning or using spray adhesive, and extra fabric helps in securely attaching the layers.
- Allow for shrinkage: Some fabrics and threads may shrink slightly during the washing and finishing process. Having extra fabric helps accommodate this.
- Trimming and squaring up: After quilting, you'll need to trim the excess backing and batting to create clean, straight edges that are perfectly aligned with your quilt top.
How the Calculator Works
Our Quilt Backing Calculator simplifies this process by calculating the minimum recommended size for your quilt backing. It takes into account:
- Quilt Width: The width of your finished quilt top.
- Quilt Length: The length of your finished quilt top.
- Extra Border for Quilting: This is the most important factor. A standard recommendation is to add at least 4 inches to each dimension of your quilt top (2 inches on each side for width, and 2 inches on each side for length). This ensures enough fabric for basting, quilting tension, and trimming. Some quilters prefer to add more, especially for larger quilts or if they are new to quilting, to provide a greater margin for error.
The calculation is straightforward:
Required Backing Width = Quilt Width + (Extra Border for Quilting * 2)
Required Backing Length = Quilt Length + (Extra Border for Quilting * 2)
Example Calculation
Let's say you have a quilt top that measures 70 inches wide by 90 inches long. You decide to add the standard 4 inches for your quilting border (which means 2 inches on each side of the width and 2 inches on each side of the length).
- Required Backing Width = 70 inches + (4 inches * 2) = 70 + 8 = 78 inches
- Required Backing Length = 90 inches + (4 inches * 2) = 90 + 8 = 98 inches
Therefore, you would need a piece of backing fabric that is at least 78 inches by 98 inches. When purchasing fabric, you'll need to consider the width of the fabric available (e.g., standard quilting cotton is 42-44 inches wide, while wider backing fabrics can be 90, 108, or 120 inches wide). You might need to piece together fabric if your required size exceeds the available bolt width.
Tips for Purchasing Backing Fabric
- Always measure twice and cut once.
- Consider the grain of the fabric when piecing.
- If using a standard width fabric (e.g., 44 inches), for a quilt that is 70 inches wide, you would need two widths of fabric (44 + 44 = 88 inches), plus seam allowances for joining them.
- Wider backing fabrics (108″ or 120″) are often a convenient option for larger quilts as they can cover the entire width without piecing.
Using this calculator will help you purchase the correct amount of fabric, saving you time and frustration on your quilting journey.