Hey y’all! Welcome to my stop on the Back to School Blog Hop hosted by the amazing Bobbie of Geeky Bobbin. The following tutorial is my quick & easy pattern matching technique for quilt backings. Nine times out of ten I like to pattern match my quilt backings when there is going to be a seam.
Do you need to take this extra step? Not at all! Do what works for you. 🙂 But if you’ve ever been interested in having a nearly invisible seam on your quilt back, then this is the tutorial for you! Want a video tutorial? You can watch it on YouTube HERE.
**The following tutorial was created using smaller cuts of fabric. The same principles apply when using full sized cuts of fabric.**
Supplies Needed
- Backing fabric called for in the pattern + at least 1/2 yard more than your pattern recommends.
- Glue Sticks
- Matching Thread
- Iron
- Sewing Machine + General sewing supplies
Pattern Matching Tutorial
Cut your first piece of backing fabric the width of your quilt plus the amount of overage you need for quilting. I quilt on a domestic machine so I only add 4 inches of overage (2 on each side of the quilt). This is Piece A, the remainder of the backing fabric is Piece B.
On Piece A, press the edge with the printed selvage edge under approximately 2 inches to the wrong side of the fabric. The selvage will be trimmed off in a later step.
Place Piece B on your ironing board with the non-printed selvage closest to you and the bulk of the fabric hanging off the back of the ironing board.
Using Piece A, identify the repeat in the fabric to find where you’ll be lining up the print.
Working in 5″ – 10″ sections, run the glue stick along the underside of the pressed edge of Piece A, and then line up Piece A on Piece B matching the print adjusting as needed. Iron as you go to set and dry the glue in place.
Once the length of the two pieces have been glued together, then carefully bring the fabrics over to your sewing machine. You will stitch in the ditch of the fold on Piece A to secure everything together.
After sewing the seam, then you trim the seam allowance to 1/2″. Press as desired. I like to pull the seam apart then press open because the glue stick leaves very little residue, but you can press to the side if that works better for you.
Examples
This is the technique I use when making a quilt back that is not a solid or a wideback. The very first time I used it was when I made my Dad the Modern Buzz Saw Quilt. I chose a pretty difficult print for my first attempt at pattern matching but I think it turned out good!
When you watch the video tutorial for this technique then you’ll see me making the backing for my Best Friends QAL project using this daisy print. It was another tricky pattern to align, but it ended up being so worth it!
Follow Along with the Blog Hop
Don’t miss all the amazing tutorials and tip & tricks that have been shared throughout the blog Hop!
- Sept 15 – Geeky Bobbin – Press for Success! – https://geekybobbin.com/pressing
- Sept 16 – Katie Mae Quilts – Storage Solutions From The School Supplies Section – https://katiemaequilts.com/blog
- Sept 17 – Quilting Jetgirl – Make A Design Wall You Can Use Your Hera Marker Against – https://quiltingjetgirl.com/
- Sept 18 – Karen Bolan – How to Get Perfect Tension – https://www.karenbolan.com
- Sept 19 – Devoted Quilter – How To Trim HSTs Without A Specialty Ruler – https://www.devotedquilter.com
- Sept 20 – Sarah Ruiz – Calculating Quilt Backing and Binding Fabric Requirements – saroy.net
- Sept 21 – Andy Knowlton – How To Sew Quilt Blocks With Partial Seams – https://www.abrightcorner.com/
- Sept 22 – Lisa Ruble – Curved Piecing Doesn’t Have To Be Scary (Or Perfect!) – quiltyzest.com
- Sept 23 – Sarah Goer Quilts – Tips for Piecing Precise Points – https://www.sarahgoerquilts.com
- Sept 24 – Faith and Fabric – Spinning Intersections On Four Patch Blocks – The Easy Way! – https://faithandfabricdesign.com
- Sept 25 – Judit Hajdu – Draw String Bag – For Lunch Or Gym – quiltfox-design.com
- Sept 26 – Sugar Sand Quilt Co. – The Care And Feeding Of The Wild Longarm Quilter – https://sugarsandquilts.com/
- Sept 27 – Hilary Jordan – Quick & Easy Pattern Matching Technique for Quilt Backings – https://byhilaryjordan.com/
- Sept 28 – True Blue Quilts – Sketch Then Stitch…Better FMQ Through Doodling – www.truebluequilts.com
- Sept 29 – Sunflower Quilting – A Quilting Tip – www.sunflowerstitcheries.com
- Sept 30 – Slightly Biased Quilts – Perfect Hand Binding Tips – www.slightlybiasedquilts.com
I still feel like a kindergartener when I use glue, but I’m sure I could do a reasonable job of pattern matching after reading your tutorial. The tip to get an extra 1/2 yard really stands out to me as something to consider. Great tutorial!