108 inch quilt backing fabric, also sold as wide back or wideback fabric, is quilting cotton woven at 108 inches wide instead of the usual 42 to 45 inches. It exists for one reason: so that the back of a large quilt can be a single piece of cloth.
The problem it solves
Standard quilting cotton is around 44 inches wide. Once you take off the selvedge you have roughly 42 usable inches. A queen quilt needs a backing close to 100 inches across, so with standard fabric you cut two or three lengths, trim the selvedges, sew them together, and press the seams open. That is an hour of work, several extra yards of fabric, and a seam running down the middle of the finished quilt.
At 108 inches wide, none of that is necessary. You buy a length, you square it up, and you baste.
The arithmetic
Two and a half yards of 108 inch fabric covers about the same area as six yards of 45 inch fabric. That is where the saving comes from: not only fewer yards, but no waste at the joins and no time spent piecing. A 3-yard package of our fabric measures 108 by 108 inches, which backs a quilt top of up to about 100 by 100 inches with a four inch margin all round.
What a wide back does for the finished quilt
- No centre seam. A pieced backing seam creates a ridge. On a longarm the foot has to travel over it, and on a domestic machine it can drag.
- Even drape. One continuous piece hangs and washes more evenly than a pieced one.
- A back worth looking at. Watercolour and floral wide backs are printed to run across the whole width, so many quilters treat the reverse as a second front.
- Less pressing. No seams to press open before basting.
Is it different fabric?
No. Our wide backs are 100% cotton, the same fibre and comparable weight to standard quilting cotton, just woven wider. Flannel wide backs are brushed cotton and behave slightly differently: more stretch, more shrinkage, and worth a prewash and a light starch before basting.
How it is sold
We sell in 3-yard packages, which finish at 108 by 108 inches. Buy three or more packages and shipping is free. If you need a length we do not list, email sharon@108quiltbackings.com and we will cut it.
Where to start
Browse all 108 inch quilt backing fabric, or choose by finish: digitally printed for watercolours and florals, 108 inch flannel for warmth, Dream Solids for plain colour, or Marble Tonal and Grunge if you want a blender that hides quilting lines.
Not sure how much to buy? See how much quilt backing you need.