I am trying to work with my stash and stay out of the quilt shops…Sometimes I am successful other times not. Â Monday I decided it was time to get a backing put together for my Jamestown Landing quilt. Â I was excited…I was sure I have bought a piece of fabric that would work off the clearance rack so this was going to be an easy backing to put together. Â A few quick seams and I would have a backing. Â I started digging through the backing cupboard to find the piece of fabric.
Out rolled a pile of pieces that  were leftovers from other quilt backings.  There was guitar fabric from our son Karl’s graduation quilt, leftovers from a quilt that I quilted for Kelli, some from a quilt I donated, some from a Patchwork Times quilt, some from a quilt I made for my sister in law.  Part of me want to throw the pieces aside yet again and part of was thinking wait…Jamestown Landing  is a Bonnie Hunter quilt so I am going to think like Bonnie….What would Bonnie do?
UGH! Â Bonnie would piece a backing….UGH….but the strip are so small and my husband hates pieced backs…What would Bonnie do repeated in my head again and that’s when I grabbed a few pieces and started sewing them together.
Three hours later…yes three hours to piece this back..I ended up with this. Â (Sorry the back isn’t laid out flat and nice…the wind wasn’t cooperating.)
What a surprising mis-mash….but I like it!
When hubby came in from a long day in the combine, I said I know you hate pieced backs on quilts but what do you think? Â He said, “I like it!” Â WHAT…he likes it…what is that about? Â Then he went on to explain. Â He said when backs have lots of pieces, it looks intentional, like I planned it. Â When backs just have two pieces of different fabrics, it looks like I didn’t have enough of one type of fabric and had to piece in something that was good enough.
..when you understand that man’s logic, please let me know…and please explain it to me in girl language.
I really love that, a “what would Bonnie do?” voice that pops into my head now days…the voice has saved me a bundle in new fabric costs and it’s gotten all my ugly fabric cut up into 1.5″ strips for my Perkiomen Daydreams quilt.
Great back! Lots of piecing, but always interesting.
Sorry Mom, but I’m defaulting to Dad on this one. You know how I am about planning things and laying them out.. (um… I’m crazy.)
I love it. I am going to piece the back of the crumb quilt too……it is hard not to buy more fabric…but I have enough as it is to open a shop of my own!!!
There is no translating their logic…but I’m glad you’ve figured out how to make pieced backings you can both like!
Are you sure your husband and mine haven’t discussed pieced backings?
LOL! I agree with your husband. I’m not a big fan of 3 huge pieces of different fabrics for a back, but a little planning makes the scrappy back much more appealing.
I just love your blog!!! Sometimes I think you are my clone. I love the backing. Even though it takes three hours, isnt it a good feeling??
You go girl!! Oh yeah, and I want to make that Perkiomen too. How about doing that as a challenge to us after the crumbs?? after christmas and Bonnies next mystery though.
WHOOOOWHOOOO!!!! Great clear out! And there have been times when I didn’t have the energy or the time to piece a backing, or I had a piece that was already “big enough”….but I love what you did with this!!
Bonnie
I love the pieced back and thanks for sharing that it took 3 hours. So often I think I don’t want to spend that much time working on the back of the quilt but this is a great reminder that it is so worth the time!
Love your backing. I just put a wide backing on my RRCB and feel kind of guilty. :)) But maybe I can redeem myself by putting pieced backings on the next two in the pile. That’s the great thing about these stash quilts….you can use up even more fabric on the backs and it looks appropriate.
I think that the pieced back with the smaller pieces is like having two quilts in one.
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I love the back (and pieced backs) and I agree a “Bonnie” top calls out for a “Bonnie” back!!
When this one is done you must, must, must send pics to Bonnie so she can feature it on her blog on the next “Show & Tell Thursday” since she influenced this one so much.
I get your husband’s logic. When there are lots of different fabrics used on the back, it becomes a two-sided quilt. When you use only 2 fabrics, it looks like “make do” … I love how you used your mish-mash on this one!!