What This Fabric Is
The Red Scarlet Thatched Cotton Wideback Fabric, sold by the yard at Linda's Electric Quilters, is a 108-inch-wide cotton backing made by Moda. It comes in a rich scarlet red with the textured, woven-look Thatched pattern — a subtle crosshatch effect that reads as a solid from a distance but rewards a closer look. That makes it a strong choice when you want a backing with real presence: bold enough to hold its own against a busy quilt top, yet textured rather than flat, so small quilting stitches and all-over designs show up beautifully across the back.
That width is the practical reason to choose it. At 108 inches, this cotton backs most quilts in one seamless piece — no piecing, no seam allowance math, and no seam line running down the middle of your finished work for a longarm needle to thump over.
How to Choose a Backing: Start With the Size Math
Use the standard rule before you order: your backing should measure your quilt top plus 8 inches in both directions — 4 extra inches on every side. That overhang gives a longarm quilter room to load, clamp, and advance the quilt, and gives a home quilter room to baste securely and quilt right out to the edges without running short.
Now run the numbers against a 108-inch width. Tops up to 100 inches wide fit in a single width with no piecing. A 60 by 72 inch throw needs a 68 by 80 inch backing: one width easily covers the 68-inch side, and 80 inches of length is just over 2-1/4 yards. A 90 by 100 inch quilt needs 98 by 108 inches of backing — still inside one width, at exactly 3 yards. To order, take the longer backing dimension, divide by 36, and round up to the next yard or quarter-yard your shop allows. Because the Thatched texture is an all-over, non-directional design, you do not need extra yardage to match a motif.
Color matters, too. A scarlet backing suits patriotic quilts, holiday projects, and modern tops with red accents. If your top uses a lot of white, test a swatch first, as strong reds can shadow through thin, light fabrics.
Cotton vs. Minky vs. Flannel
Cotton wideback, usually 108 inches like this one, is the stable, breathable, all-purpose choice: it presses crisply, does not stretch, and feeds evenly. Flannel is brushed cotton — warmer and cozier, but with more shrinkage and a grippier surface. Minky is plush polyester, warm and drapier, but typically narrower and stretchier. Choose this scarlet cotton when you want a dependable back that adds saturated color without bulk or stretch.
Working Tips: Folds, Washing, and Loading
Pressing the fold: Wideback yardage arrives folded, and cotton remembers that crease. Unfold it fully, then press with a warm iron from the center outward. For a stubborn center fold, a light spritz of water or steam and a second pass usually settles it — a crease left in the backing can quilt in permanently.
Prewashing: Cotton can shrink slightly, so many quilters prewash a backing, especially in a saturated color like scarlet. Washing first also lets any excess dye release before the fabric meets a light-colored top. If you prewash the backing, wash the top fabrics the same way so everything shrinks together. If you skip prewashing, expect a soft, slightly crinkled texture after the first wash of the finished quilt — a look many quilters love.
Longarm loading: Check that the backing is square before loading, keep the selvages even, and load it so the 108-inch width runs across the frame. Smooth, even tension matters more than tight tension — over-stretching can bow the textured weave.
Care
For the finished quilt, wash in cool to warm water on a gentle cycle and tumble dry low or line dry. Cotton softens with washing while keeping its structure, and scarlet stays truest away from prolonged harsh sunlight.
Shop the Red Scarlet Thatched Cotton Wideback Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
