Extra Wide Quilt Backing Fabrics & Extra Wide Batik Fabrics

We now have one of the largest selections of extra wide quilt backs in the UK.  It happened by accident really, it was never planned.  When we got our longarm and started offering a quilting service, customers often turned up with all kinds of things to use as backing - most of which were less than suitable.

We set about researching extra wide backing fabrics to find out why there appeared to be a problem with supply.

We learnt that not many manufacturers make extra wide and those that do only make a very limited range.  The extra wide backing fabrics are often made for the orders placed and are never repeated again.

So to get a  great range of extra wide backing fabrics you have to deal with & order with many different companies, sometime placing orders six or nine months in advance.

Extra Wide Batik backing fabrics are more complex still.  Batik is generally a tighter weave than normal patchwork fabric. If we standard batik fabric for backing our quilts there is a possibility that instead of our quilting needles passing next to the fibres, instead we may damage the fibres with the millions of stitches we put into our quilts when quilting. The result of this could be bearding. This is when the wadding pokes out of the holes we have made in the backing fabric. Generally standard width batik is made from what is called a 50's fabric and the extra wide batiks are made from 40's fabric which is slightly less dense a weave.

Making Batik fabric is a long and time consuming process and it is usually made in Asia especially Indonesia.

Here is a link to a really interesting video of the process.

Making Batik Fabric

We currently stock around 30 different extra wide Batik fabrics from Timeless Treasure Xtonga range  and also some of the Moda Extra wide Batik fabrics too.

Why do we want extra Wide fabrics when we could just join some patchwork fabrics.  Yes you can do that, but you need to use a wider seam and take off the selvedges.  This still causes a join down the back of the quilt and firstly does not look as good, secondly when on the longarm quilting frame, the seam is often tight yet the fabric to either side can be slack, so a less than perfect result is obtained. Thirdly you need twice as much fabric then you have to join it and this generally works out most costly than buying an extra wide backing fabric.  When you have your quilt longarm quilted here at Quilt Sandwich, if you ask for it cutting down, all the spare pieces of wadding and backing will be returned to you  so you can use for another project or even the binding.

So lets have a look at what extra wide backing fabrics we currently have in stock.

The first range of extra wide backing fabrics I want to talk about is Vineyard.  This is a great all purpose range and it comes in lots of different colours.

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 These are extra wide backing fabrics from the Moda range. 

Here are some of my other Extra Wide Backing Fabrics and these include Blank, Riley Blake Windham, Richard Kaufman & Marcus Fabrics

and these are just a few of our range.  To visit our shop click the link - http://www.quiltsandwich.co.uk

The Biggest selection of Quilt Backing Fabrics in the UK!

How did I get to have the largest amount of extra wide Quilt backings in the UK?

When I started longarm quilting I was amazed by how many people brought me quilts with make do & substandard fabrics for backing their quilts. After all the time and effort that goes into making a beautiful quilt top, surely we should not spoil our quilt by using something less than perfect.  When I started to look deeper into this issue I found the reason why.

Extra Wide backing are difficult to get hold of because not all fabric manufactures make them, so to get a range you have to deal with a lot of different companies. Most of them need to come in to the UK from USA, some go via Holland too and the delivery times of these can be several months.

I decided that it would be a good idea to stock a few for my customers, little did I know that this would soon grow to being the largest collection of extra wide quilt backing in the UK!

Why is it important to use an extra wide backing fabric on your quilt? When you load a quilt for longarming you attach the backing fabric first and attach this to two cloth leaders which in turn are attached to two rollers. This is then wound tight and bungee cords are attached at the sides for side tension.  If you are joining fabric to make a backing this puts extra stress on your joining seam and can cause puckering or bearding through the join.

These are some other questions I regularly get asked -

How wide are extra wide fabrics?
Most are 108 inches wide, the batiks are generally 106 wide.

Batik? - I was told never to use batik for backing because it is too closely woven.
Yes that is correct regarding standard width batik. the extra wide ones are a slightly different weave and are specially designed for backing fabrics.

If I buy some extra wide fabric, can I use the remaining fabric for standard patchwork/binding?
Yes of course.

Why do longarmers need at least four inches extra of backing & wadding all round my quilt top?
The first reason is for loading. The backing needs to be attached to the rollers - so there is some fabric that cannot be quilted. We need to attach bungee type cords to the side to create some tension - so we need fabric to attach our clamps to and some spare which will be distorted by this.  The other reason is that when we are doing a pantograph - an all over pattern, we actually need to quilt right across and OFF the quilt top at all edges.  When the quilting is done the quilt can be cut down and any spare fabric is returned for reuse.

Why can't I just use a bed sheet?
Sheeting is a much higher thread count than patchwork fabrics. When you quilt it the needle makes a hole rather than going between the fibres. This can cause bearding (ie the fibres from the wadding can poke through the holes).

Extra Wide fabrics are too expensive.
First of all you need to consider that an extra wide fabric is two and a half times the width of the fabric normally used for patchwork.
I stock fabrics ranging from just £10 per metre to £25 per metre.  So in reality the £10 per metre fabric would equate to just £4 of normal width and the £25 batik range would be around £10 per metre if normal width, so really they are better value than standard fabrics and it saves you having to join and have a seam down the back of your quilt.

What fabric do you stock?
I have extra wide fabric from Moda, Whistler Studios, Studio E, Windham, John Loudon, Timeless Treasures, Kaufman etc.

How many different fabrics do you have?
Currently I have 123 but I have more arriving all the time.

Where can I see your fabrics?
They are in my secure on line shop which can be found here -www.quiltsandwich.co.uk
If you are local or want to come & see in person - that's fine. My fabrics are at in our hotel - The Royal Bridlington, Shaftesbury Road, Bridlington. YO15 3NP    I just ask that you telephone me or email me in advance so that I can make arrangements to be around.  Telephone number is 01262 672433 email is fiona@royalhotelbrid.co.uk

What else do you sell?
I have a full range of wadding - poly, 80/20, black, cotton & wool plus Moda Scrap Bags, & some fantastic Colour Me Quilt Kits plus some other bits which are handy on our workshops and retreats.

This year I decided to take a stand at Harrogate Quilt Show for the first time. Here is my overloaded stall.

I had a great time and met so many lovely quilters that I already knew and many new ones of course too.

So when you need some backing fabric, have a browse at my selection.

New Extra Wide Quilt Back Fabric has Arrived!

When I bought my ABM Innova Longarm and stared to quilt for customers, I found many of my customers struggled to find extra wide backing fabrics and instead turned up with all sorts of backing - from old sheets, to joined fabric etc  for me to put on their beautiful quilt tops.

As a consequence of this I started to look into extra wide fabric and I discovered that it is very hard to find a good selection in one place in the UK.

The reason for this is firstly all the fabrics need to come from the USA and few manufacturers provide the extra wide 106 /108 inch fabric and if they do they only offer a very small range. This has to be ordered and can take several months to arrive. As the fabric is two and a half times the width of standard patchwork fabric and still comes on a bolt, the cost of stocking a large range is also high. Nevertheless, I decided that we needed to get a good range available in the UK.

By dealing with many different manufactures I have now collected a superb range of extra wide quilt backing fabric - one of the very best selections in the UK.

Today's delivery from Timeless Treasures, as usual turned up with no warning. It was ordered well over three months ago!

I have now listed all 32 bolts of X-Tonga and some tone on tone fabrics from this delivery on to the shop on my website here -

Quilt Sandwich Shop

The now brings my total bolts to just under 100!  (don't tell Tim !)

Fabric & waddings can be purchased from my website and I ship by carrier. If you are local or coming to Bridlington and want to have a look, just give me a call in advance on 01262 672433 so I can make sure I am here to assist.

Waddings....How do I choose? & what about Quilt Backings?

How do I choose which wadding to use?  this is a question I ofter hear.

Ok, its down to personal choice. You need to consider -
a) the desired effect - do you want your quilt to be flat or do you want more loft?
b)What is it going to be used for? - is it going on a wall or is it going to be used on a bed or is it a cuddly blanket?
c) the budget
d) how are you going to quilt it

You then need to know a bit about each main type of wadding available -
Almost all the modern waddings are made in just a couple of factories in Texas.

Polyester Wadding - eg Hobbs Polydown, Sew Simple Polyester, Dream Poly, legacy by pellon etc
Usually the cheaper option, great for charity quilts too.
Poly does not breath - it sweats, so if its for your bed, this may not be the best option. Virtually no shrinkage. Produces a slightly more 'stiff' result.
Hobbs Thermore is very thin, orgionally designed for clothing, but is great for hand quilting.

80/20 -eg Hobbs 80/20, Sew Simple 80/20
Probably the most popular type.  Great for tops which are not pieced very precisely.

If put in a commercial dryer, the poly can dissolve, so turn the temp down.
Good loft - which can help disguise problem areas.

Cotton - eg Sew Simple, Warm & natural, Hobbs 100% Cotton etc
Cotton creases and may not keep its shape as well as some others - therefore its not great for wall hangings. It also has the most shrinkage, but it is very cuddly. When quilting it may beard. If so try a polyester thread rather than cotton.
For machine or longarm quilting the  smoothside goes towards the back, but for hand quilting its the other way. See Scrim below

Wool eg Hobbs Wool, Sew Simple Wool etc
More expensive, but does not crease. Wool breathes, it does not sweat. Gives warmth but disperses excess heat well. Good loft.

Silk 
Luxury feel, more expensive. Light and warm.

Soy
Does not crease.

Bamboo
Often sold as being 'green', but the process involves breaking down the bamboo canes with caustic soda.  My personal experience of bamboo so far is not good - the quilt turned out very stiff and hard. Other quilters have reported that the bamboo fibres break down after several washes.

Plastic recycled Bottles - eg Dream Green
Nice and soft and cuddly, although feels a bit plastic. Little or no shrinkage.

What is Scrim?
Scrim is like an interfacing, it holds the layers together and helps keep its shape. You often find cotton wadding with or without Scrim. - my personal advise is not to buy cotton wadding without scrim.

Very Light Coloured tops
Look for a beached or pale coloured wadding.

Double layers of waddings
Many quilters use double layers of waddings - often mixing them for different effect. Very common when more loft and dense quilting are going to be required.

Joining Wadding Together
Several companies has brought out joing tape which enables you to stick two pieces of wadding together.
Personally, if I need to join wadding I use a large zig zag stitch and butt both edges of the wadding against each other and join together this way.

Quilt Backings
Can I use a sheet instead of backing fabric? Another very common question.
I would recommend that you don't do this.  Sheets have a very high thread count and it is more difficult to quilt. its too tight and it may also cause bearding.
Patchwork fabrics and quilt backing fabrics have a less dense thread count to enable quilting and to work well with todays modern waddings.

What about Batik?
In general batik fabrics are quite densly woven and these would not be a great choice for backing.
SewBatik and a couple of other companies do a great range of extra Wide Batik Backings, and these are specially manufactured so are of the correct thread density for backing your quilts.

Can I use patchwork Fabric?
Yes of course, but you may find that you need to join this on larger quilts. If you do it is important that you remove the selvedges for the joining seam as this will contract inside the quilt. The joining seam needs to be wide - generally recommend around half inch and press open.

Extra Wide Backing Fabrics
These are generally 108 inches wide and are fantastic as they save the need to have a join in your quilt backing.  They can be 100% cotton or brushed cotton /flannel.

Minky Fleece
This can also be used as a backing fabric and produces a cuddly soft back and a quilt which is light but warm.
Double sided minky is also great and both can be used with or without wadding.

I have a range of wadding and extra wide quilt backings in my shop....here is the link  http://www.quiltsandwich.co.uk/#!shop/c50p