Pieced backing

[Ruthy67]

Is it best to piece a backing vertically or horizontally if you have to piece one?  I thought it was vertically, but have also heard the quilt doesn't shift as much if you do it horizontally.

[qltnbe]

I thought for hanging purposes, your seam lines should be horizontal.  For long arm quilting purposes,  the seam should run the width of the machine. 

[Bonnie H]

It's best to have the seam run along the length of the bars of the longarm, but if you can't do this, and to tell you the truth, about 90% of the time I receive backings that do not run this direction, you can use strips of batting to help keep the quilt back taut.

 

As you are loading the quilt backing, if there is slack in the backing as you roll it up on both the take-up and belly bars, apply a strip of batting on the belly bar, one strip of batting on each side of the seam. So if the seam is in the middle of the quilt backer, lay a piece of batting an inch or so away from the seam allowance on the left-hand side and right-hand side of the seam and extend that batting all the way out to the edge of the quilt back.

 

You are not going to quilt these strips into the quilt, so don't forget they are there!!!

 

I like to add that strip of batting to what is going to be the BOTTOM edge of the quilt backing. Be sure to remember to take out those strips before you quilt the last pass of the quilt so that it doesn't get quilted into the quilt!!!

 

This is a useful trick on most all "wonky" backings. I very rarely square a backing up if I think I can use extra batting strips to help keep the backing straight and taut. It's a real timesaver!!

 

The same applies if the backing is too wide. You can use strips down the sides of the quilt to keep it taut as you are quilting and rolling. Again, these strips of batting will be removed and not quilted into the quilt. You can use them over and over.