Backing the Easy Way: Part One

I have decided on these older projects to back them like my Grandma Lillie did. She made at least one or two quilts a year. Always one to sell to add a little extra cash to her stash. She had her quilting frame set up in her sunroom during the winter and she always was hand quilting or piecing on her treadle Singer sewing machine.

She always used cotton sheets for her backings for a few reasons:

• They were relatively inexpensive
• She could get them the size for the quilt she was making
• She had no extra seams to quilt through
• The sheets were 100% cotton

The bonus today is that there is a wide variety of colors, sizes, prints and textures to choose from in addition to the white she mostly used for the quilts she sold. I purchased a King set because I have several quilts that will work with the color I chose.

​I cut off the elastic from the fitted sheet and opened up the corners and I will be opening up the top edge of the flat sheet. I will also be opening up the pillowcases for some of my smaller pieces or using them for sleeving on the quilts. I got the sheets on sale so I have plenty of backings for a great price.

Now I just have to decide how to lay out the quilts to maximize the backing fabric.