How to Use a Blanket as a Quilt Backing

I decided to switch it up a little bit this week and talk about these inexpensive plush blankets that some of us use for quilt backing.  If you want to watch the full YouTube Video you can find it here:

How to Use a Plush Blanket as a Quilt Backing Video

It all started when I decided to make my dad a quilt (I haven't made him one in the 15 years I've been quilting 🤐).  I was about to start teaching a disappearing nine-patch quilt to some beginner quilters so I decided to make him one too.  The following photos are of the construction of that quilt. 

So there are a lot of pros to using these cost-effective blankets.  First off, if you live in a town with no fabric store you can still find one or two of these blankets floating around.  They vary in price depending on size and brand but you can usually snag a 90"x90" one for around $30 CAD.  I've actually pieced a couple together before too.  These blankets are 100% polyester so they won't shrink, are colourfast, and the texture is undeniable. 

Alas, nothing is all good and unfortunately using these blankets can be pretty tricky.  Here are my top tips for when you decide to use a plush blanket for your backing.  I am talking in context to a longarm machine but these tips are also for domestic machine quilters as well.

1. Purchase a blanket that is significantly larger than your quilt top

This is very important because none of these blankets are true to size.  I think it's because of the finished edges or some other manufacturing voodoo.  My quilt top was 78" x 66", and I bought a blanket that was labelled 90" x 90"... which ultimately measured in at 80" x 89" (voodoo for sure 🤣).  But this still gave me more than enough to quilt my top.  Quick tip, when I trim the excess off I make a tube scarf to be donated to a charity so less is wasted by buying a big piece of fabric. 

2. Match your blanket as best you can to the top (by colour or tone if colour won't work)

You can see I was using a lot of browns, golds and deep reds in my nine patches, so I chose a deep royal red that matched or blended in with most of the colours.  The reason for this is that depending on the quality and nap (how fuzzy the blanket is) there is a possibility (more likely than not) that there is going to be some pull-through. That means the needle is going to drag little bits of that fuzzy nappy back up through the batting and show a little on the front of the quilt.  If you match your backing to the top, (a white blanket for a predominantly white quilt) then this won't really be a problem.  Another way to think about it is to know what colour thread you are planning on quilting with and buy a blanket that colour so the pull-through will blend with the thread.  You can also spend a little time adjusting your top tension and changing your needle to a smaller size to help mitigate some pull-through. 

3. Be aware of the stretch of the blanket. 

These blankets are stretchy! It's important to take your time and pay close attention to how much tension you are using during mounting (or stretching out for domestic quilting).  I take my time and very gently adjust the fabric as I load.  I usually stitch my first row with no side clamps on to see how the fabric wants to work, then as I advance I use the smallest amount of tension with side clams to try and keep my sides straight.  As long as my mounting is smooth and I am not pulling overly on all four sides of the quilt I get a nice finish with no puckers or pleats.  Now that's not to say that I haven't come by this information honestly....  I have ruined 3 quilts to figure this out 😥.  It is definitely a little bit of a learning curve, so start with a donation or baby quilt. 

Here is my completed quilt top, I like the rich earthy tones, perfect for my dad!  Suppose you've never done a disappearing nine patch. In that case, it's a great beginner quilt, because you don't have to match corners perfectly. There is something a little magic about cutting a perfectly good quilt block into pieces, and watching it transform into something new when you piece it all over again.  Here is a photo of the block

Anyhow, all of my students were successful and have moved on to other projects. 

Dad didn't need a quilt that was ultra-modern with complicated custom quilting, he is a very practical person who likes a cup of tea (or a beer) with his quilt.  Luckily I was able to complete this quilt before I did this video and blog post!  Love ya Dad!

I am gearing up for another YouTube block series for this summer and back to work on the computer this week to keep polishing my Modern Quilting with Rulers course!  

Sam

Look even the unfriendliest cat in the world likes the quilt