What This Fabric Is
The White Muslin Cotton Wideback Fabric, sold by the yard at Linda's Electric Quilters, is a 120-inch cotton muslin made by Moda Fabrics with a 200 thread count. Muslin is one of the oldest workhorses in a quilter's stash: a simple, unprinted cotton with a smooth, even surface and no pattern to compete with your quilt top. In crisp white, it gives a finished quilt a clean, bright back — and at a full 120 inches wide, it is one of the widest backings you can buy, covering even most king-size tops in a single seamless piece with no piecing and no center seam.
That 200 thread count matters. A higher count gives muslin a tighter, smoother hand than the loose, gauzy muslin sold for mock-ups and crafts. This is backing-grade muslin: substantial enough to support dense quilting, soft against the skin, and plain enough to show off your quilting stitches — a favorite when the quilting itself is the design feature.
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 120-inch width. Tops up to 112 inches wide fit in a single width with no piecing — wider coverage than a standard 108-inch wideback. A 60 by 72 inch throw needs a 68 by 80 inch backing, just over 2-1/4 yards. A 90 by 100 inch queen needs a 98 by 108 inch backing, which fits comfortably at 3 yards. Even a 100 by 108 inch king needs only a 108 by 116 inch backing — still one width, at about 3-1/4 yards. To order, take the longer backing dimension, divide by 36, and round up.
Cotton vs. Minky vs. Flannel
Cotton wideback — and muslin in particular — is the stable, breathable, all-purpose choice: it presses crisply, does not stretch, and feeds evenly under the needle, which is why it remains the default backing for most quilts. Flannel is brushed cotton: warmer and cozier, with a grippier surface and more shrinkage to plan for. Minky is plush polyester: soft and drapy, but stretchier to handle and usually narrower than cotton widebacks. Choose this white muslin when you want maximum width, a smooth neutral back that lets your quilting shine, and a backing that behaves predictably from basting to binding.
Working Tips: Folds, Washing, and Loading
Pressing the fold: Wide 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: Muslin is the backing most quilters choose to prewash. Cotton can shrink slightly, and prewashing an unprinted white muslin is simple and risk-free — there are no dyes to run. If you prewash the backing, wash your top fabrics the same way so everything shrinks together. If you skip it, 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 smooth it with even — not tight — tension. Muslin has no print direction, so there is no motif to orient.
Care
For the finished quilt, wash in cool to warm water on a gentle cycle and tumble dry low or line dry. White cotton muslin keeps its bright, clean look washed with like colors, softens with use, and holds up well to the regular washing a well-loved quilt gets.
Shop the White Muslin Cotton Wideback Fabric Per Yard 120" - 200 Thread Count at Linda's Electric Quilters.
