Colorways By Vicki Welsh
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    • Longarm Quilting Tutorials >
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      • Adding backing on the longarm
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Adding backing on the longarm

vicki welsh longarm tutorial
Ack! If you are a longarm quilter this will eventually happen to you. The first reaction is to panic, scream profanities, cry and start thinking about the hours that it's going to take to fix it. 
Don't sweat it! This is easily fixable and you don't have to take the quilt off the machine.

​I use zippers to load my quilts but you can do this by unpinning and re-pinning to the leaders or attaching and re-attaching with Red Snappers.

The first thing you need is more backing fabric. Cut a strip of fabric wider than that you need. I needed an extra 3" but cut a new piece about 8" to allow for seaming and pinning to the zippered leader.
For my quilt I had a piece of dark blue that I used as my extension. I didn't have anymore of the backing fabric so I went with something totally different.
extending longarm quilt backing
When we are quilting on the longarm the right side of the backing is facing down and we need to sew our extension on right sides together. That means that the extension needs to be pinned on the under side of the loaded quilt.
The easiest way to do this is too unzip the backing and flip the edge back over the takeup roller. Now the backing is facing right side up.
Position the extension fabric on the backing right sides together. 
​(Yes, Mine is a little short but it's plenty wide for the quilt.)
fixing longarm short backing
Let's take a closer look.
I"m aligning the edge of the extension about 1/4" away from the edge of the zipper and you can see that I'm pinning from the wrong side of the backing because that's the side that's going to be facing up when it's loaded. Pin the extension in place all across the width of the backing.
longarm tutorial
Here's another view in case that last one isn't perfectly clear. Pins are on the wrong side of the back. I also placed a few pins along the loose edge of the extension. That's to keep the fabric from getting in the way while we  seam it.
vicki welsh longarm tutorial
Now we can zip it back in place. (Or pin it back to leader if that's how you roll.) You can see the extension pinned in place on the right (under) side of the backing. If you look to the left edge of the photo you can also see one of the pins used to keep the extension from flopping down and getting in our way.
sewing backing extension on the longarm
Now, using the channel locks, stitch all the way across the backing close to the zipper edge. You can see that I have about a 1" seam allowance here. I want to get close to the edge but I don't want to catch the zipper or be short on the extension fabric. That's why I cut an extra wide extension.
short backing longarm tutorial
Use the center mark on the leader and mark a corresponding mark on the backing. This will help us to keep the backing straight when we re-pin it. (Ignore the center mark on the zipper. That zipper is about to go away.)
not enough backing tutorial longarm
Cut the backing off the zipper leaving about a 1/4" seam allowance. The take the zipper off the leader. We don't need that anymore.
longarm quilting tutorial
Extend the center mark from the original backing through the new extension and pin the new extension to the zipper edge at the mark. Then pin each side from the center out.
longarm quilt back fixed
Voila!
That wasn't so bad, was it? It's a lot better than taking the whole thing off the machine to sew the new piece on and then re-pinning and re-loading. Aside from cutting the fabric I never had to leave FloMo's side.
​I just used my fingernail to sort of press the seam allowance to one side.
vicki welsh longarm tutorials
Basted and ready for quilting.
vicki welsh
Here is the finished quilt. I don't mind the different color on this charity quilt but I use leftover backing fabric when I have it.
The next time you find yourself short of backing. Don't panic! You can fix it in about a half hour.
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  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Galleries
    • Quilt Gallery >
      • 2025 >
        • Hanover Country Life Quilt
        • Oak Moth Quilt
      • 2024 >
        • Red SunsetQuilt
        • Big Blue Quilt
      • 2023 >
        • Heirloom Bear
        • Firefighter Quilt
        • The Goldfinch
      • 2022 >
        • Summer Sunset Quilt
        • Soundwave Quilt
      • 2021 >
        • A Big Green Quilt
        • Finally! Quilt
      • 2020 >
        • Jackies Choice Quilt
        • Penguins on Ice Quilt
        • Corona Cats Quilt
        • Kim's Garden
      • 2019 >
        • Indonesian Batik Quilt
        • Lost My Marbles
        • Remaking Flora's quilt
        • I'm Not a Snowflake Quilt
        • Where In The World Is My Cat Quilt
        • Fireworks
        • The Groovy Quilts
        • The Puppy Quilt
      • 2018 >
        • The Maine Quilt
        • Stars At Sea
        • Antelope Canyon Quilt
      • 2017 >
        • The Wedding Quilt Quilt
        • Rainbow's End Quilt
      • 2016 >
        • CSQ Challenge Quilt
        • Wholecloth Quilt of Valor
        • Luras Choice Quilt
        • Black Swan Quilt
        • 2016 Quilt of Valor Quilt
        • Non Unus Pluma Quilt
      • 2015 >
        • Snaps Quilt
        • Batik Crossroads Quilt
        • Wild Goose Chase Quilt
        • Fractured Fragments Quilt
        • Tell It To the Stars Quilt
        • Cathedral Window Quilt
        • Time In Place Quilt
        • Shaken Not Stirred Quilt
        • Pleiades Quilt
      • 2014 >
        • Spinning Stars Quilt
        • Fractured Spiral Quilt
        • Autumn Leaves Quilt
        • Sea Dreams Quilt
        • Woodland Star Quilt
        • Zombie Ball Quilt
        • Innova Angles Quilt
      • 2013 >
        • Murder For a Jar of Red Rum Quilt
        • Patroitic Quilts
        • Red Sunset Bedding Quilt
        • The Infamous Fish Quilt
        • Gratitudes Quilt
      • 2012 >
        • Illuminated Blocks Quilt
        • Kims Wedding Quilt
        • Crossing The South Anna Quilt
        • Coming Home Quilt
        • See Reverse Quilt
        • Overboard Quilt
        • Floras Fans and Modern Crumbs Quilt
        • The Patriot Quilt
        • On Point Quilt
        • Grinch Quilts
      • 2011 >
        • Star Struck Quilt
        • On A Whim Quilt
        • Catena Quilt
        • Zig Zag Scraps Quilt
        • Purple Keepsakes Quilt
        • Fiberactions Challenge Quilts
        • Journal Quilts 2011
      • 2010 >
        • Maggie the Messmaker Cross Stitch
        • Fiberactions Challenge Quilts
        • Wootten Memory Quilts
        • Teal Tomorrow Quilt
      • 2009 >
        • Shereen's Peaceful Garden
        • TShirt Quilt Commission
        • Three Generation Quilt
      • 2008 >
        • Flora's Quilts
        • Monkey Baby Quilts
        • Citrus Quilt
      • 2007 >
        • Snails Trail Quilts
        • Quilts of Valor
        • Other Quilts
      • 2006 and older >
        • Scrap Bin Quilt
        • Flora's Dutchman's Breeches
        • The Gift Quilts
        • Reversible Quilts
        • Spectacular Scraps Quilts
        • Foundation Pieced Quilts
        • Art Quilts
        • Kathy's Memorial Quilt
    • Symmetry Quilt Gallery
    • Dyeing Gallery >
      • Tie Dye Gallery
      • Shibori Gallery
    • Postcard Gallery
    • Fused Glass Gallery
    • Mosaic Gallery
    • Zentangle and Spirograph
  • Tutorials
    • Save My Bleeding Quilt
    • Quilting Tutorials >
      • The Gift Quilt Pattern
      • Keepsakes Quilt Pattern
      • Blocking a Quilt
      • Facing A Quilt Tutorial
      • Veterans Quilt Tutorials >
        • Allegiance Quilt Pattern
        • Gratitudes Quilt Pattern
        • Strength Quilt Pattern
        • Blockade Quilt Pattern
        • Redoubt Quilt Pattern
        • Regiment Quilt Pattern
        • Bars and Stripes Quilt Pattern
      • Rainbow Quilt Free Pattern
      • Binding a Quilt
    • Surface Design Tutorials >
      • Ice Dyeing tutorial
      • Snow Dyeing basics tutorial
      • Snow Dyeing Mandala
      • Sun Printing Tutorial
      • Lamp Printing Tutorial
      • Dyeing extra large fabrics
      • Hold the Retayne
      • Painted Shower Curtain Tutorial
      • Metallic Paint Effects on Fabric
      • Curing Metallic Fabric Paints
      • Zentange Pens
      • Leaf Printing Tutorial
      • Printing On Fabric
      • Life of MX Dye Concentrates
      • Testing Soda Ash in fabric dyeing
    • Placemat Tutorials >
      • Fat Quarter Placemat Tutorial
    • Basic Tutorials >
      • Custom Sewing Table
      • Liquid Spray Starch Recipe
    • Crafts and Small Projects >
      • Surgery Drain Bag Tutorial
      • Drawstring Bag Sewing Tutorial
      • Large Tote Tutorial
      • Big Fabric Flower Tutorial
      • The best potholders pattern
      • Notebook Cover Tutorial
      • Pillowcase tutorial
      • Wide Brim Sun Visor
      • Trash To Treasure Holiday Ornaments
      • Pet Bed From Scraps Tutorial
      • Framed Metal Quilt
      • Shooting Shirt Tutorial
      • Making Paper
      • Making Soap
      • Favorite Soap Reicpes
      • Bowl hot pad pattern
    • Longarm Quilting Tutorials >
      • The longarm machine does matter
      • Double Wavy Crosshatch
      • Wavy Crosshatch Longarm
      • Centering a Quilt back on a longarm
      • Quilting Snowball Blocks
      • Using Channel Locks
      • Adding backing on the longarm
    • Crochet and Other Tutorials >
      • Crochet Wheelchair Shawl
  • Contact