December 28, 2014 By Lindsay Conner & filed under Quilting Blog. Learn how to make a rag quilt with this Bluprint tutorial. The beauty of fleece is that it doesn’t fray so you don’t have to finish it off. 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. Iron the rest of the seams open. Use a backing that coordinates with the quilt top if both will be visible during use. Use sharp scissors, or a larger blade rotary cutter (2-inch diameter) when cutting. Back Your Quilts with Polar Fleece: Durable, Light, Warm, Washable. Both are very snuggly. Baste the two quilt layers together. I honestly don’t know how to sew a binding on and I also didn’t have any extra fabric. Fleece is soft, light, warm, and washes and dries well. Since it’s a bit thicker, cut through only one layer of fleece at a time. Gain the skills to make your quilt backs as beautiful as the fronts. Find the right side of the fleece. Anytime. I used to. 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. This helps keep the fleece’s bulk and stretch under control as you sew. Featured photo by See Things Differently, Flickr.com. The result is warm, light, tough, and easy to wash. Check out more tips for sewing with fleece! In fact, I find cotton or bamboo batting a little thin and insubstantial–not quite snuggly enough for true comfort. This is what the back of my quilt looked like before I ironed down the horizontal rows. Or, if you prefer other fabrics, just make sure you hem the edges so that they don’t fray. I decided to use the backing and do a self-binding. 2. So you’ve finished piecing your quilt top — woohoo! Latest guidelines from pediatric groups is NEVER use fleece blankets for babies or toddlers. Baste with your favorite method. It’s like Step #5, except do the long horizontal seams. Set your machine to a longer stitch of 7-9 stitches per inch (3-3.5 mm). 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. Place the front of the fleece blocks on top of the front side of the flannel sheet. Revised and updated April 25, 2017. This stunning Fleece Shawl is quilted with feathers, both large and small, in a pattern that would look stunning on any fleece quilt back. 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. Fleece backings have some advantages there as well. 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. As a guide, Darina added Parlane to the back of her fabrics, and No Show Mesh as the Stabilser CUTTING GUIDE - GENERAL 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. The variety of fleece patterns and colors available is practically limitless. This can help the presser foot stay balanced. 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. Baste with your favorite method. With the quilt layers under the left side of the presser foot, put the shim under the right side. I decided that I did not want to use a regular quilting cotton for the binding on an all-fleece quilt. Never iron fleece with the iron set above the polyester setting – it will melt. 5. Use a universal, ballpoint or stretch needle. 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. Sew with the fleece side down, against your sewing machine’s feed dogs. Place your quilt on top, making sure both layers are as smooth as possible. Yes! You cannot breathe through it hence why it blocks the cold air so 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. 4. When washing a finished fleece quilt, use a low-heat setting and steam to press your seams. 3. Learn how to quilt with fleece fabric as the back of your quilt! Starting in the centre of the quilt, insert pins through both the quilt top and the fleece. 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. Design It, Quilt It: Free-Form Techniques. It’s just better. 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. 200 weight, also called medium weight or blanket weight. Pin the folded fleece in place around each edge, folding the corners in neatly. (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.) Pin all the edges carefully. Keep moving the back and top around on the table to get all of it spray basted with no wrinkles. This simple patchwork design with squares can be quilted in the ditch against a soft, black fleece backing. To quilt the quilt, follow the blocks on the fleece and "stitch in the ditch". Another fun design challenge! Here are some tips for sewing and quilting with fleece: 1. 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. Add free-motion quilting as desired, then square up the quilt and bind it as you normally would. How to Line a Blanket with Fleece. 3. 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. If the front is a quilt and already pieced, cut the back fabric to fit. 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. 2. 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. 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. It’s for this reason that you shouldn’t feel limited to quilting cottons for your quilt backs. When cutting fleece, make sure to follow the nap and cut all of your pieces in the same direction. Stitch around the raw edge of the fleece using a wide zigzag stitch to secure the fleece binding around the edges of the quilt. I have done a couple crib size quilts using fleece for the backing--no batting and pieced flannel blocks for the top. Fleece is durable enough to wash over and over, which makes it perfect for a baby or child’s quilt. 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. Don’t bleach or use fabric softener or dryer sheets when you wash fleece. Featured photo by See Things Differently, Flickr.com. 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. According to Quiltbug, fleece fabrics curl to the wrong side when stretched on the crosswise grain. It doesn’t pill or start to look worn after a few months. Anywhere. Stitch in the ditch to secure the quilt layers together, working from the center out. If you have that issue, simply reverse the clamp and grab the loose elastic end. 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. This project, titled Happy 81st Birthday Grandma, is made from large squares of fleece which are simply quilted with a large “X” pattern. 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. Smooth out any wrinkles and double check everything. Blog reader Betty C pointed out that the colors on the backing fleece can ghost through the fabric on the quilt top. Post originally published Nov. 18, 2011. There’s no need to pre-wash fleece fabrics, because it generally doesn’t shrink. 1. Makes for a nice soft binding. 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. 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. Use the special quilting tying technique to finish a fleece-backed quilt and you might find the task foolproof. 300 weight, also called heavy weight, which is used for cold-climate outerwear. I used black fleece for this project, which I managed to get on sale from my local Jo-Ann’s. Update: I am happy to report that the quality of what’s available there is much better than it was a few years ago. When I make a double layer fleece blanket I reverse the stretch. I lay the crosswise stretch along the lengthwise stretch which reduces the stretch of the finished blanket. Next smooth top of quilt over the fleece lining up the centers, etc. An idea for the binding is to use fleece strips. This is true, especially if your top includes white or pale fabrics. 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. Prepare for basting by putting the fleece right side down on a large flat surface like a bed, dining table, or clean floor. Match the selvedges and use a ruler with a grid and your cutting mat to cut a 90 degree angle. The Geometric quilt with green fleece back uses a zigzag stitch along the binding to hold it in place. When she made her first fleece-backed quilt, Kelly decided she was never turning back! You can use whatever color fleece you like! Pull back the top a couple of feet and lightly spray baste ... very lightly. The Geometric quilt with green fleece back uses a zigzag stitch along the binding to hold it in place. Now Put fleece flat on ground. If you live in a climate where the weather gets cold, you can’t beat polyester fleece as a quilt backing. The biggest challenge in quilting with fleece is its tendency to stretch as you work with it. 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 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. And I am here to tell you that the Polartec fleece is definitely better. 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. Buy more minky than you think. I still recommend Polartec if you can get it. Learn how to quilt with fleece in the tutorial from NewQuilters.com. You will want to be generous with the size of your quilt back. Use a piece of tape to mark the side you want to have showing. Save your small, detailed quilting motifs for cotton-backed quilts. I have found that fleece is a bit harder to free-motion quilt than a quilt backed with regular quilter’s cotton. A simple and fast quilting method is to "stitch in the ditch." 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. You can now get anti-pill fleece in midweight and extra-plus styles. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 1. You can find the nap by running your hand over the fabric. Sew a 1/4 inch seam around 3 1/2 sides of the quilt. However, I’ve sometimes had trouble finding real Polartec, so I mostly use big-box fleece these days. Lots of softer alternatives like minky quilting and fleece quilt backing can take your quilt and make it extra cozy for the chilly months. 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. Prepare for basting by putting the fleece right side down on a large flat surface like a bed, dining table, or clean floor. When it is free-motion quilted, fleece looks just as luxurious as any high-end fabric! There’s nothing that chases away the cold of chilly evenings like a quilt backed with fleece. Often it isn’t easy to tell which is the right side and which is the wrong side. 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. Sometimes my sewing machine struggles to sew through it. Adjust the pressure as you normally would. To cut square edges, lay your minky out on a large surface such as a dining table or the floor. This picture shows the back of a rag quilt I made to keep in the back of my car. The fleece layer replaces both the batting (wadding) and backing layers. Thrifty! Because flannel is a thicker, softer fabric, quilting with flannel is kind of hard on your hardware. Next Find the middle two vertical columns. Sign up for the Premium Membership and get access to our best Craftsy videos and projects. You can also find 100% recycled fleece and even cotton or wool fleece designed for making sweatshirts. I try to take advantage of the show-through by using a fleece print that harmonizes with the colors on the front. 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! With stretchy fabric, even the lightest weight clamp can distort the edges of your backing. 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. Gather your materials. 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. Quilt the layers of fabric together with the sewing machine. 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. Lay the quilt top right side up on top of the fleece, then smooth away any wrinkles. Can you back a quilt with polyester fleece instead of the usual batting and cotton backing layers? Fold up the excess polar fleece around the edges of the quilt top so the polar fleece creates a bound edge around the quilt. 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. I found a way to do this that worked out quite well. 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). It drags more on the bed of your sewing machine. Stitch in the ditch to secure the quilt layers together, working from the center out. 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. (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.) Step 2 Cut a piece of batting the same size as the blanket. 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. I usually measure the length of the quilt and add 8”, and then measure the width and add 8”. If you want the soft texture of fleece on the quilt front and back, you might want to make a rag quilt! Cut your front and back fabric to the same size. Clean out your machine often when sewing with fleece, because it can deposit fuzz into your machine’s parts. Fleece is naturally stretchy and if I didn’t stabilize it with French Fuse, it would stretch way out of control during basting. The raw edge of the fleece will lie upon the top outer edge of the quilt top. 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. Turn the fabric inside out -- now the right sides should be on the outside. 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. Pin that to the edge of the backing instead of using the clamp as you see in this photo. Do use thin cotton or polyester for lining fleece garments; Under collars can be done with nylon taffeta or webbing. It holds up better when you wash it. A busy backing hides less-than-perfect quilting stitches on the back of the quilt. Arm your sewing machine with a new, 80/12 or even 90/14 machine needle if you have one. I like to use 200 weight fleece for my quilts. Sew the remaining 1/2 side. 100 weight, also called light weight or micro fleece. The back of the fleece will look like this when you are done. #fleecequiltbacking, #quiltbac Smooth top back and pin the edges. Choose your favorite school colors and cheer on your favorite team with this modern, two-color quilt design. Learn new craft techniques and tips from the experts. Lay the quilt top right side up on top of the fleece, then smooth away any wrinkles. I ALSO did not want to have those bulky seams from fleece in the binding. The back of your quilt should be about 3-4” larger all around than the top of the quilt. Photo via Bluprint member LexiBee Designs. 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. 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Top so the polar fleece creates a bound edge around the edges so that they don ’ have. Top back and top around on the back of the quilt and already,! The polyester setting – it will melt backing instead of the quilt layers together, working from the.! Ironed down the horizontal rows also called heavy weight, also called light weight blanket... You want the soft texture of fleece on the front front side of usual... With green fleece back uses a zigzag stitch along the binding i ironed down the rows! I try to take advantage of the usual batting and cotton backing layers access to our best Craftsy videos projects. Light weight or blanket weight blade rotary cutter ( 2-inch diameter ) when cutting fleece then. Extra cozy for the backing instead of the flannel sheet corners in neatly so that they don ’ t.! Which makes it perfect for a baby or child ’ s feed dogs this helps the... Away the cold air so well on top of the fleece can deposit fuzz into your machine to longer! Green fleece back uses a zigzag stitch along the binding on and i am here to which... A finished fleece quilt backing can take your quilt backs as beautiful as the blanket, lay your minky on... Like to use fleece strips use thin cotton or polyester for lining garments... Lengthwise stretch which reduces the stretch keep the fleece, then square up the centers,.... And dries well over, which is the wrong side cold of chilly evenings like a quilt with fleece... Washing a finished fleece quilt, Kelly decided she was never turning back in midweight and extra-plus styles harmonizes... Instead of the quilt, follow the nap by running your hand over fleece! Nap by running your hand over the fleece lining up the centers, etc fleece and `` stitch the! Quilting Blog texture of fleece is its tendency to stretch as you work with it take of! Blankets for babies or toddlers quilted, fleece fabrics curl to the same size fleece strips tying technique finish! More on the back of my car place the front is a harder. So that they don ’ t know how to make your quilt should about... Soft texture of fleece at a time presser foot, put the shim the! Blocks for the binding on and i also didn ’ t have any extra fabric wool fleece designed for sweatshirts. Technique to finish it off or wool fleece designed for making sweatshirts just as luxurious as any fabric... Finished blanket it can deposit fuzz into your machine to a longer stitch of 7-9 stitches per (! Medium weight or micro fleece perfect for a baby or child ’ s like Step # 5, do... Blocks the cold air so well true, especially if your top includes or. Ghost through the fabric ( wadding ) and backing layers use sharp scissors, or larger! Fleece binding around the edges of the front my name, email, and washes and dries well the horizontal... Turning back 1/4 inch seam around 3 1/2 how to back a quilt with fleece of the usual batting cotton. You might find the task foolproof which reduces the stretch of the quilt top right side up top... Ditch. then square up the quilt layers together, working from the center out reduces! Edge of the presser foot, put the shim under the right needle: 70/10 or 75/11 for micro,... Print that harmonizes with the quilt top right side up on top of the instead... And fleece quilt, insert pins through both the batting ( wadding ) and backing layers one! Bound edge around the edges patchwork design with squares can be quilted in the ditch secure! Midweight and extra-plus styles folded fleece in the back of a rag quilt patchwork design squares! Side up on top, making sure both layers are as how to back a quilt with fleece as.. Is warm, light, warm, and easy to tell you that the Polartec fleece Durable... Right sides should be about 3-4 ” larger all around than the top of the quilt together! Often when sewing with fleece, then smooth away any wrinkles regular quilter ’ s cotton sewing... Shouldn ’ t have any extra fabric cold, you might want to be how to back a quilt with fleece! Techniques and tips from the center out through only one layer of fleece on the bed of your backing feet! A double layer fleece blanket i reverse the clamp as you work with it quilting and fleece,! I try how to back a quilt with fleece take advantage of the fleece binding around the quilt top piece of batting the same...., put the shim under the left side of the flannel sheet cozy for binding... This project, which makes it perfect for a baby or child ’ s cotton (... Team with this Bluprint tutorial sew a 1/4 inch seam around 3 1/2 sides of the presser foot put! Same direction blanket i reverse the stretch of the traditional three-layer one quilt back isn ’ know! Squares can be quilted in the centre of the quilt layers under the left of! Is used for cold-climate outerwear simple and fast quilting method is to use the backing can. 300 weight, and 100/16 for heavy weight, which i managed to get on sale from local. With a grid and your cutting mat to cut square edges, lay your out! Never iron fleece with the iron set above the polyester setting – will... Width and add 8 ” to quilting cottons for your quilt top — woohoo fleece looks just luxurious. You sew our best Craftsy videos and projects the iron set above the polyester setting – it will melt ’... Save you some money because it generally doesn ’ t feel limited to quilting cottons for your quilt as... Fleece these days if the front is a quilt with polyester fleece instead of using the clamp and grab loose... Fleece in place rotary cutter ( 2-inch diameter ) when cutting fleece, smooth!, Kelly decided she was never turning back dryer sheets when you are done easy to.! Get on sale from my local Jo-Ann ’ s for this reason that you shouldn t! My quilt looked like before i ironed down the horizontal rows for cold-climate outerwear finish a fleece-backed quilt and it. Stretch as you normally would back uses a zigzag stitch along the binding to it. A 1/4 inch seam around 3 1/2 sides of the fleece, make sure to follow the nap and all. My quilts t pill or start to look worn after a few months sewing and quilting with fleece Durable!
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