Piecing a Back

Last year I started piecing the backs for quilt tops, based on the RSC colour of the month at SoScrappy.  I think that this might be the first one for this year, and yes I know, it's October!  Light neutral is the declared colour for October, and as I just started on it, I remembered in time to take photos to share some of my processes.

I first fold the quilt top in quarters (in half, and half again).  This top is a square one, and although I normally fold in both directions, this time I folded twice length-ways, because there was another top also pinned up!

The fabric choices generally start from left-over fabrics from the front, or I look critically at my stash and choose less favoured fabrics (you know, those ones you wonder why you ever bought them, or have been in the drawer forever and never been/never will be used.)  Then I fold each of them twice (into quarters) and pin over the folded top, overlapping slightly, until the whole top is covered, plus a bit extra to allow for seams, trimming and to be a bit bigger than the top.  

This is the covered top, minus a few pieces I've removed to start the next step.

Then I select one of the smaller pieces, press it well and then trim off any selvedge and trim it with square corners.  Put up open on the design walls  (these are 4 loose 1m x 1.8m x 38mm polystyrene boards covered with brushed cotton).  This continues with each piece, placed like a jigsaw/tetris game, sometimes moving some to make all roughly fit.   The brown strata surrounded by green will be sort of centred on this back - trying to use up as many scraps as possible!

 

 

This is the idea for the back, sketched out about four months ago, and the piece of paper kept with the top and fabric waiting for this moment. 

 

 

Now all the fabrics pressed and trimmed, ready to start joining together.  The piece at the bottom left is folded once so may not all be needed.  The quilt top is folded in quarter and temporarily pinned up so you may see some of it.

 

 

I try to join similar length pieces together.  Each seam gets pressed and any extra trimmed, and the now larger section put back up to see what will be suitable to add next.

 

Here is the back all stitched up.  Except for the edge that will be loaded first onto the frame, the sides are about three inches wider and the bottom about six inches wider than the top which is enough for the quilt frame.  The late afternoon light makes it look pinkish!

 Happy to have this ready for when I have the desire and time to quilt.  The binding will be scrappy brown.