So a quilt is basically a sandwich. The top is the patchwork, in the middle is the batting, which is a thin layer of cotton. Batting is what makes a quilt thick and cozy. Then there's the back layer of fabric. Here's a picture of a quilt sandwich:
A lot of traditional quilters use one solid fabric for the back, but I've recently been inspired by Elizabeth Hartman's book The Practical Guide to Patchwork. Elizabeth sees the back of the quilt as another opportunity to be creative. Why have a solid back when you can make a coordinating back? I'm currently sketching out ideas for the back of my quilt, but I do know that I won't be buying any more fabric. None. Absolutely no more money goes into this project. As of this week, I have everything I need to complete it. The white fabric with black butterflies & various designs is the main fabric I bought for the back of my quilt. However, I'm playing around with designs that would include more solid black strips as well as my leftover green fabric. More on that when I settle on a design!
I decided on a black fabric with tiny polka dots to be the binding for my quilt. Binding is basically fabric that closes up the raw edges of the quilt sandwich, as you can see here:
The binding is the last chance quilters have to add another fabric or another color to the finished quilt. I think my small printed polka dots will coordinate quite nicely with the white butterfly fabric of the back as well as the green fabric bordering the top. I can't wait to get going on the next steps! My outlook on this project has become increasingly more positive with the introduction of more fabrics that I like and more opportunity for creativity. Knowing that I won't have to spend any more money makes me happy too!
Looking good! almost done with it!
ReplyDeletepretty fabrics! love the butterflies!
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