Whole Cloth Quilts Save Time & Money, and They’re Oh-So-Elegant!

As a long arm quilter, I have a confession…. I love quilts. Big quilts, little quilts, square quilts, round quilts, fat quilts, skinny quilts, baby quilts, quilts with stars, modern quilts, old fashion quilts…

We have a guest room in our home. The décor du jour is absolutely wild. I have a bright, Bohemian quilt on the bed. Neon orange, bubble fabric dominates the Euro shams, and a tropical jelly roll rug rounds out the coordinated chaos. It’s a fun room. The quilt is soft, while full of energy, color and movement. Why so active? What’s that saying about fish and house guests after three days? We love our peeps, but we rarely want them to take root. I use that room to explore my inner wild child with loud, bright colors and crazy quilt styles.

While I love quilts with different shapes, styles, and colors, not every quilt suits the rest of our home. A rustic, antique quilt looks homey and comforting in a woodsy cabin, but in a downtown, loft apartment? Nah. Quilts have personality. They speak to the season we’re in, our lifestyles, and our moods. And they should coordinate with their surroundings. I enjoy simple beauty throughout the rest of my home. I need a place where my eyes can rest without being overwhelmed. In my bedroom, I enjoy understated elegance.

Enter whole cloth quilts.

A whole cloth quilt is exactly that— one piece of fabric on the front, a quilt backing, and some batting in between. It’s then quilted, and voila! You have a lovely quilt with tons of texture and movement, but you didn’t have to spend weeks and months cutting multiple yards of fabrics into teensy, tiny, little pieces just to sew them back together again. It’s a major time saver! It’s also a big money saver.

An average queen quilt top requires 7 to 9 yards of fabric for the top, and 3 yards of backing at 108” wide. Quality fabric for a queen size quilt can run $170-$200. Factor in the batting and long arming, and you’re at $450. You can cut your total expense by at least a third by going whole cloth.

108” wide backing fabric ranges from $15-$23.00 a yard. The lower price range is generally solids, which make gorgeous whole cloth quilts. So let’s say you buy six yards of KONA solid in 108” wide. That’s your top and your quilt backing. You’ve just cut your fabric cost in half. The quilting charge will remain the same, but with the money saved in fabric, you can put it toward custom quilting, or go edge to edge and pocket the extra cash for your next project.

Whole cloth quilts are elegant. They are soothing and relaxing—the way I like my bedroom. They’re affordable, full of texture and have loads of interest. And the biggest advantage… they look terrific in just about any setting. Win, win, win. Check out some of these 108” wide fabrics for your next whole cloth quilt. And if you buy our wide backs for the top and backing, we can do it all in house and ship you the finished product. How easy is that! Have fun with your next (or first) whole cloth quilt. Cheers!

108″ Joyous Garden Cream/Neutral, KANVAS STUDIOS

Summertime Whites, 108″ Wide Fabric, P&B Textiles

Kimberbell, 108″ Wide, Doodles, Teal

https://lightningbugsquiltstudio.com/product-category/fabric/wide-backing-fabric/