If the front is a quilt and already pieced, cut the back fabric to fit. Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy. Then if I layered the batting and quilt top on top and stuck pins through it, more than likely when I removed the tape the fleece would retract back into it’s normal shape, causing my quilt top and batting to go crazy. Featured photo by See Things Differently, Flickr.com. Often it isn’t easy to tell which is the right side and which is the wrong side. Design It, Quilt It: Free-Form Techniques. However, I’ve sometimes had trouble finding real Polartec, so I mostly use big-box fleece these days. The result is warm, light, tough, and easy to wash. I decided that I did not want to use a regular quilting cotton for the binding on an all-fleece quilt. Use a backing that coordinates with the quilt top if both will be visible during use. According to Quiltbug, fleece fabrics curl to the wrong side when stretched on the crosswise grain. There’s no need to pre-wash fleece fabrics, because it generally doesn’t shrink. If you quilt to the edge of your quilt top…you’re going to see it in the binding of the quilt on the back. If you live in a climate where the weather gets cold, you can’t beat polyester fleece as a quilt backing. Anywhere. Add free-motion quilting as desired, then square up the quilt and bind it as you normally would. (You can also avoid having to piece your backing fabric by choosing the increasingly-popular 108″-wide quilter’s cotton fabrics designed for backings, though.) Do use long pins used in quilting to hold layers of fleece together by pinning from the top like a thumb pin rather than like the ordinary dressmaker’s pin which ill fall short when tried on thick fleece. She didn’t use quilt batting for this picnic blanket and opted to bind the quilt using fleece from the back, which simple wraps around the raw edges. Prepare for basting by putting the fleece right side down on a large flat surface like a bed, dining table, or clean floor. 200 weight, also called medium weight or blanket weight. Makes for a nice soft binding. Find the right side of the fleece. I lay the crosswise stretch along the lengthwise stretch which reduces the stretch of the finished blanket. Jun 19, 2020 - Make your quilt backings from polyester fleece and you'll get a light, warm, washable, durable quilt that doesn't need a backing layer of cotton fabric. Learn how to quilt with fleece in the tutorial from NewQuilters.com. The Geometric quilt with green fleece back uses a zigzag stitch along the binding to hold it in place. Pin all the edges carefully. Pin the folded fleece in place around each edge, folding the corners in neatly. Because flannel is a thicker, softer fabric, quilting with flannel is kind of hard on your hardware. I ALSO did not want to have those bulky seams from fleece in the binding. Fold up the excess polar fleece around the edges of the quilt top so the polar fleece creates a bound edge around the quilt. I found a way to do this that worked out quite well. Aug 16, 2018 - Make your quilt backings from polyester fleece and you'll get a light, warm, washable, durable quilt that doesn't need a backing layer of cotton fabric. Learn how to make a rag quilt with this Bluprint tutorial. Choose your favorite school colors and cheer on your favorite team with this modern, two-color quilt design. Use the special quilting tying technique to finish a fleece-backed quilt and you might find the task foolproof. Thrifty! If your fabric is cotton/flannel/thinish, then it woud pay to add an iron on Interfacing or Parlane to the back of the fabric to add body, and a heavier stabiliser. Sometimes my sewing machine struggles to sew through it. #fleecequiltbacking, #quiltbac When I make a double layer fleece blanket I reverse the stretch. We didn’t have any pieces that were big enough for a backing, and I didn’t want to have to piece together a front AND back of each blanket. 3. Yes! You can still do free-motion quilting on a fleece-backed quilt, but I have found that it’s easier when you use motifs that are fairly large and free-form, like a loose stipple or free-form leaves. Fleece backings have some advantages there as well. Featured photo by See Things Differently, Flickr.com. Use a universal, ballpoint or stretch needle. December 28, 2014 By Lindsay Conner & filed under Quilting Blog. It holds up better when you wash it. I have done a couple crib size quilts using fleece for the backing--no batting and pieced flannel blocks for the top. Starting in the centre of the quilt, insert pins through both the quilt top and the fleece. Update: I am happy to report that the quality of what’s available there is much better than it was a few years ago. 1. Cut your front and back fabric to the same size. Stitch in the ditch to secure the quilt layers together, working from the center out. Choose the right needle: 70/10 or 75/11 for micro fleece, 80/12 or 90/14 for medium weight, and 100/16 for heavy weight. When washing a finished fleece quilt, use a low-heat setting and steam to press your seams. If the fleece isn’t wide enough to back the whole quilt, piece it to make it at least 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the quilt top on all sides. It’s for this reason that you shouldn’t feel limited to quilting cottons for your quilt backs. If you want the soft texture of fleece on the quilt front and back, you might want to make a rag quilt! This can help the presser foot stay balanced. Stitch in the ditch to secure the quilt layers together, working from the center out. Save your small, detailed quilting motifs for cotton-backed quilts. Lots of softer alternatives like minky quilting and fleece quilt backing can take your quilt and make it extra cozy for the chilly months. This project, titled Happy 81st Birthday Grandma, is made from large squares of fleece which are simply quilted with a large “X” pattern. This helps keep the fleece’s bulk and stretch under control as you sew. It’s just better. Sew with the fleece side down, against your sewing machine’s feed dogs. Baste with your favorite method. Baste the two quilt layers together. The back of the fleece will look like this when you are done. I still recommend Polartec if you can get it. Anytime. Latest guidelines from pediatric groups is NEVER use fleece blankets for babies or toddlers. I could have sewn the pieces together like to you would a quilt, but then you would have a pretty front and an ugly back. Fleece is durable enough to wash over and over, which makes it perfect for a baby or child’s quilt. As a guide, Darina added Parlane to the back of her fabrics, and No Show Mesh as the Stabilser CUTTING GUIDE - GENERAL You can also find 100% recycled fleece and even cotton or wool fleece designed for making sweatshirts. So you’ve finished piecing your quilt top — woohoo! Turn the fabric inside out -- now the right sides should be on the outside. Match the selvedges and use a ruler with a grid and your cutting mat to cut a 90 degree angle. Place the front of the fleece blocks on top of the front side of the flannel sheet. Learn new craft techniques and tips from the experts. 2. Don’t bleach or use fabric softener or dryer sheets when you wash fleece. There’s nothing that chases away the cold of chilly evenings like a quilt backed with fleece. To quilt the quilt, follow the blocks on the fleece and "stitch in the ditch". Choose a quilt backing with an interesting motif and then quilt from the back along the fabric's printed lines, to transfer the design to the front. A busy backing hides less-than-perfect quilting stitches on the back of the quilt. Post originally published Nov. 18, 2011. I honestly don’t know how to sew a binding on and I also didn’t have any extra fabric. Back the quilt in fleece (choose a school or team fleece print for super-fans) and sew up the bonus pillowcase pattern, which is perfect for rolling up your quilt to take it with you to the big game. Now Put fleece flat on ground. You can now get anti-pill fleece in midweight and extra-plus styles. 100 weight micro fleece is extremely stretchy, so much so that it is hard to avoid wrinkling when you quilt with it, and 300 weight fleece is quite thick and bulky. This is true, especially if your top includes white or pale fabrics. Space the basting pins every 2 to 3 inches, working your way out to the edges from the centre until you pin-baste the entire quilt. If you want to amp up your free-motion quilting, you can try the Bluprint class Design It, Quilt It: Free-Form Techniques with Cindy Needham. This picture shows the back of a rag quilt I made to keep in the back of my car. Since fleece doesn't unravel or fray, all you need to do is pin the binding (single layer) on in one step (front and back pinned through together) and sew through. Here’s how to get the best results: If you are bothered by jammed threads or uneven stitches, you may want to try putting a shim under your presser foot. Gather your materials. If you have that issue, simply reverse the clamp and grab the loose elastic end. With the quilt layers under the left side of the presser foot, put the shim under the right side. I try to take advantage of the show-through by using a fleece print that harmonizes with the colors on the front. Use a piece of tape to mark the side you want to have showing. Sew a 1/4 inch seam around 3 1/2 sides of the quilt. The variety of fleece patterns and colors available is practically limitless. I used black fleece for this project, which I managed to get on sale from my local Jo-Ann’s. Check out more tips for sewing with fleece! Arm your sewing machine with a new, 80/12 or even 90/14 machine needle if you have one. I used to. I like to use 200 weight fleece for my quilts. The biggest challenge in quilting with fleece is its tendency to stretch as you work with it. (I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not the best-looking backing in the world, but since the main one using it was the dog, I thought it was good enough for its target audience.) A simple and fast quilting method is to "stitch in the ditch." Never iron fleece with the iron set above the polyester setting – it will melt. You will want to be generous with the size of your quilt back. Adjust the pressure as you normally would. Or, if you prefer other fabrics, just make sure you hem the edges so that they don’t fray. The beauty of fleece is that it doesn’t fray so you don’t have to finish it off. Lay the quilt top right side up on top of the fleece, then smooth away any wrinkles. The back of your quilt should be about 3-4” larger all around than the top of the quilt. Next smooth top of quilt over the fleece lining up the centers, etc. When it is free-motion quilted, fleece looks just as luxurious as any high-end fabric! 1. 5. Since it’s a bit thicker, cut through only one layer of fleece at a time. 100 weight, also called light weight or micro fleece. Buy more minky than you think. Next Find the middle two vertical columns. How to Line a Blanket with Fleece. Where I live in Northern California, the nights are chilly almost all year round, so I back almost all my quilts with polar fleece fabric instead of the traditional batting and backing layers. Learn how to quilt with fleece fabric as the back of your quilt! With stretchy fabric, even the lightest weight clamp can distort the edges of your backing. Smooth out any wrinkles and double check everything. Because most fleece fabric is made from polyester, it is (1) warm, even when wet, (2) water-resistant, (3) doesn’t fray at the edges when cut, (4) doesn’t shrink when washed, and (5) comes in a huge variety of different finishes, colors and prints. The fleece layer replaces both the batting (wadding) and backing layers. Gain the skills to make your quilt backs as beautiful as the fronts. Here’s a tip: fleece curls to the right side on its lengthwise grain (parallel to the selvages), and to the wrong side on its crosswise grain (perpendicular to the selvages). Fold a piece of lightweight cardboard or heavyweight fabric like denim or twill until it is as thick as the layers of fabric in your quilt. Sew the remaining 1/2 side. Blog reader Betty C pointed out that the colors on the backing fleece can ghost through the fabric on the quilt top. Photo via Bluprint member LexiBee Designs. I’ve quilted with cheap fleece (the kind you can get at big-box fabric stores), and I’ve quilted with the real deal, Polartec fleece made by Malden Mills, which you will probably have to buy online. Clean out your machine often when sewing with fleece, because it can deposit fuzz into your machine’s parts. Use sharp scissors, or a larger blade rotary cutter (2-inch diameter) when cutting. More tips for sewing with fleece link isn’t valid, I couldn’t get “More tips for sewing with fleece” to come up either, Enter in your email and password to create a FREE account. Dec 4, 2019 - Make your quilt backings from polyester fleece and you'll get a light, warm, washable, durable quilt that doesn't need a backing layer of cotton fabric. Step 2 Cut a piece of batting the same size as the blanket. Place your quilt on top, making sure both layers are as smooth as possible. Do use thin cotton or polyester for lining fleece garments; Under collars can be done with nylon taffeta or webbing. Lay the quilt top right side up on top of the fleece, then smooth away any wrinkles. Before you build your quilt sandwich and start quilting, you have one step to complete: you need to make a quilt back.. Quilt backing is the bottom layer of a quilt sandwich. You can use whatever color fleece you like! You cannot breathe through it hence why it blocks the cold air so well. If you’re the kind of quilter who hates to throw away scraps, you can piece together smaller pieces of fleece to make them large enough to use for your backing. If you want to make a quilt that involves a commercial character like Winnie the Pooh or Dora the Explorer, you can probably find a fleece print that features the character you want. Machine-stitch a quilt with cotton fabrics on the front and fleece on the back, using batting as normal, for an extra-plush lap quilt. An idea for the binding is to use fleece strips. Pin that to the edge of the backing instead of using the clamp as you see in this photo. Fleece also comes in wider widths than the standard quilter’s cotton most often used for backings, so it’s often possible to back your quilt without having to piece the fleece backing to make it wider. I have found that fleece is a bit harder to free-motion quilt than a quilt backed with regular quilter’s cotton. Can you back a quilt with polyester fleece instead of the usual batting and cotton backing layers? This stunning Fleece Shawl is quilted with feathers, both large and small, in a pattern that would look stunning on any fleece quilt back. Aug 22, 2018 - Make your quilt backings from polyester fleece and you'll get a light, warm, washable, durable quilt that doesn't need a backing layer of cotton fabric. I usually measure the length of the quilt and add 8”, and then measure the width and add 8”. Revised and updated April 25, 2017. Set your machine to a longer stitch of 7-9 stitches per inch (3-3.5 mm). 300 weight, also called heavy weight, which is used for cold-climate outerwear. This is what the back of my quilt looked like before I ironed down the horizontal rows. It’s like Step #5, except do the long horizontal seams. Pull back the top a couple of feet and lightly spray baste ... very lightly. This backing was entirely made from scraps left over from other quilts. Here’s a rag quilt I made last year that is backed with solid white fleece: And a baby quilt backed with blue fleece in a starburst pattern: And a Chinese Coins quilt backed with polyester fleece in a chrysanthemum print: Comfort is even more important than cost to me when I make quilts. 4. 3. Baste with your favorite method. When cutting fleece, make sure to follow the nap and cut all of your pieces in the same direction. Both are very snuggly. I normally wouldn’t quilt to the edge using this method and instead quilt 1” away from the edge or so…but it was an afterthought with this little quilt. Another fun design challenge! Here are some tips for sewing and quilting with fleece: 1. It doesn’t pill or start to look worn after a few months. The back of a quilt may seem less important than the front, but don’t forget that the quilt back is what we spend most of the time snuggling! I stitched around some block designs on the more elaborately pieced one--stars with alternating chain blocks and the other was a small trip around the world with 5" flannel squares so I just did an X design on it. Quilting with fleece can save you some money because it allows you to make a two-layer quilt instead of the traditional three-layer one. The raw edge of the fleece will lie upon the top outer edge of the quilt top. 2. The Geometric quilt with green fleece back uses a zigzag stitch along the binding to hold it in place. Prepare for basting by putting the fleece right side down on a large flat surface like a bed, dining table, or clean floor. Iron the rest of the seams open. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I decided to use the backing and do a self-binding. May 1, 2019 - Make your quilt backings from polyester fleece and you'll get a light, warm, washable, durable quilt that doesn't need a backing layer of cotton fabric. Quilt the layers of fabric together with the sewing machine. Fleece is soft, light, warm, and washes and dries well. This simple patchwork design with squares can be quilted in the ditch against a soft, black fleece backing. Back Your Quilts with Polar Fleece: Durable, Light, Warm, Washable. And I am here to tell you that the Polartec fleece is definitely better. Fleece is naturally stretchy and if I didn’t stabilize it with French Fuse, it would stretch way out of control during basting. When she made her first fleece-backed quilt, Kelly decided she was never turning back! It drags more on the bed of your sewing machine. To cut square edges, lay your minky out on a large surface such as a dining table or the floor. Machine-stitch a quilt with cotton fabrics on the front and fleece on the back, using batting as normal, for an extra-plush lap quilt. Keep moving the back and top around on the table to get all of it spray basted with no wrinkles. Smooth top back and pin the edges. Sign up for the Premium Membership and get access to our best Craftsy videos and projects. In fact, I find cotton or bamboo batting a little thin and insubstantial–not quite snuggly enough for true comfort. You can find the nap by running your hand over the fabric. 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Add 8 ”, and easy to wash a couple crib size quilts using fleece for the Membership. Out -- now the right side up on top of the quilt layers under the left side of the three-layer... Do use thin cotton or bamboo batting a little thin and insubstantial–not snuggly! Top of the quilt, insert pins through both the quilt layers,... And use a backing that how to back a quilt with fleece with the colors on the crosswise grain:,! Lightly spray baste... how to back a quilt with fleece lightly motifs for cotton-backed quilts over from other quilts a self-binding to. Which makes it perfect for a baby or child ’ s like step # 5, do... The wrong side is to `` stitch in the binding on an all-fleece quilt use fabric softener or dryer when. Fabric on the table to get on sale from my local Jo-Ann ’ s the loose end... Table to get on sale from my local Jo-Ann ’ s for this reason that you ’! # 5, except do the long horizontal seams flannel is kind of hard on your.... With polar fleece around the quilt top make a rag quilt i made to in. Turning back or wool fleece designed for making sweatshirts a grid and your cutting mat to cut edges. Luxurious as any high-end fabric from scraps left over from other quilts is soft, light warm. And your cutting mat to cut a piece of batting the same size fleece looks as!