I know this sounds weird but....why cut quilt backing into squares?

Question

When you are just going to sew them back together again? I've never done any quilting but I recently received a bunch of jeans and thought I might try making a denim quilt. But all the instructions say to cut the backing apart first. Wouldn't it be easier just to sew the squares to the backing? Most of the patterns I saw said not to use batting, so that wouldn't be in the way...

Answer 1

The reason for cutting the backing on a denim quilt into squares is that many denim quilts use a frayed edge technique for piecing.

Here is an example:

http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpatternsprojects/ss/denim_quilts.htm

I like this one because of the step-by-step instructions with photos. It helps you better understand the process:

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_qlt/article/0,,HGTV_3876_1729220,00.html

No batting is used because of the weight of the denim. I like these with a flannel backing, which also becomes a part of the frayed seam.

I had a friend who made one she titled, "Son, I cleaned your room", a title I loved because it made us think the quilt was made with all of her son's clothes from off the floor!

Another quilt of the frayed edge family is a baby blanket made using baby flannels on the backing and squares of baby print cottons for the top. It is more lightweight than the denim version, but incredibly soft and fun to make.

This being said, we found that it's best not to do the initial washings in your home machine. You need to go to a laundromat where the filter system is better capable of handling the excess lint that comes off the quilt during the fraying process.

Answer 2

Different fabrics, different instructions - as one of the other posters said - denim quilts usually have frayed edges as part of the "interesting techniques" in preparing them. Being able to back each square seperately simplifies preparing it.

If you wanted to make the quilt reversible, you could "back" it with chambray, bandana fabric, or something else that coordinates well with the denim, then ALTERNATE which fabric shows - denim would be half the squares on each side, with the other fabric(s) showing on the other half..........

Using two lines of stitching but NOT stitching and turning the seams and leaving a section of seam allowance unsewn between the cut edge of the denim and the stitching allows it to fray when washed & dried. This process is called "blooming" when it is what you want to happen.

I've also seen a sample denim quilt that had pockets sewn to some of the squares (just cut them off the back of the jeans) and the flat felled seams running down the middle of some of the other squares. The maker's son used the pockets to hide small treasures (arrowhead, sea shell, coins, and movie tickets) in..............

And the quilt ended up going off to his college dorm - so it isn't like a kid will outgrow a "denim" quilt - just don't embroider it with yellow duckies! (Bandana fabric, lightweight chambray, or even the front of outgrown t-shirts might make interesting backings alternating with denim - stabilize the t-shirt fabric with iron on interfacing, though!)

For a more traditional quilt of printed muslin, cutting the backing into squares is used in the "quilt as you go" technique that Georgia Bonesteel wrote several books about. A "block" of patchwork is assembled, sandwiched with batting and backing, then most of the hand quilting is done. After several blocks are ready - they are assembled on the sewing machine (as much as possible) and then the hand quilting is finished where the blocks are sewn together (and more blocks added as they are ready until the quilt is the finished size). The idea is to quilt in your lap instead of needing a large quilting frame of a size that would handle the whole quilt, but take up a space the size of a dining table......

Answer 3

On a stiff material like denim, you get a little more flex if you use smaller squares. Also, since many people use jeans for this project, you have to cut the jeans apart anyway. You could make long strips out of jeans, but maybe your pattern maker thought squares were prettier.
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Answer 4

Yes, it would only be to do with the thickness of the denim. Someone I know recycled all her children's denims by cutting largish squares and making sashing (strips say about 2" wide) to join to each square, of a slightly lighter fabric, so that she could lay her batting and backing whole, if you see what I mean.

Answer 5

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