How much Fabric to buy for your Quilt Backing

By admin | Jun 1, 2009

bright-quilt Here is the general rule for buying your quilt backing by quilt size. Keep in mind your quilt may not fall into the official size and you may need adjusted a bit.

The sizes below are the average sizes of finished quilt tops but they can vary. Always measure your finished quilt top first. If you want to buy the backing while buying the fabric for your top. I do suggest getting at the least a 1/2 of a yard more then what your pattern will call for when pre-buying the fabric before finishing the quilt.

Always keep in mind that you should add at least 3″ on all sides of the backing because as you quilt your top the backing will shrink with your quilting.

Another tip to keep in mind is if you are using a long arm quilter to do your quilt and not quilting the top yourself always ask them how many inches around the backing they prefer. Most prefer at least 4″ of extra fabric all around the quilt. Example: finished quilt top is 40″ x 60″ then you would want your backing to be 48″ x 68″.

Here is the chart we used at our shop and it worked out very well. This chart is based on 44/45″ fabrics and piecing them by the length(I will give the horizontal piecing too)

Crib average is 36″ x 45″ and yardage for vertical piecing is 1 3/4 yards by the length, and I do not recommend horizontal piecing. You would want finished backing to be 44″ x 54″

Twin average is 68″ x 86″ and yardage for vertical piecing 5 1/8 yards with the pieces cut in two 2 yard 20.5 inch lengths(if you like your seem down the middle). Piecing the twin horizontally you would need 4 1/4 yards with two pieces being cut at 2 1/8 yard lengths. You would want finished backing to be around 76′ x 94″.

Full size(Double) average is 80″ x 88″ and yardage for verticle piecing is 5 1/3 yards with 2 pieces being cut in 2 2/3 yard increments. Horizontal would be 7.5 yards with three pieces cut in 2.5 yard increments. Piecing horizontal there will be a lot of waste so I only suggest doing it if you are using the backing in the quilt top and can use the extra fabric. Finished backing size should be 88″ x 96″

Queen size average is 86″ x 93″ and yardage for verticle piecing would be 8 yards 15″(I just would get 8 1/2 yards) You would need three pieces cut at 2 yards 29″. For horizontal you would need 7 7/8 yards with three pieces being cut in 2 yard 22″ pieces. You would want finished backing to be 94″ x 101″

King Size average is 104″ x 96″ and yardage for verticle piecing would be 8 yards 24″ with three pieces being cut in 2 yard 32″ lengths. Horizontal piecing you would need 9 yards 12″ with three pieces being cut in 3 yard 4″ pieces. You would want finished backing to be 112″ x 104″

Hope you find this guide helpful!

Happy Quilting,

Jen