What This Fabric Is
The Multi Wabi Sabi Wideback Cotton Fabric, sold by the yard at Linda's Electric Quilters, is a 108-inch cotton wideback made by Windham Fabrics. It is cotton, in a multi-colour design tagged for its abstract, geometric circles. Wabi sabi is the Japanese idea that imperfect, organic shapes have their own beauty — and that is exactly what makes this kind of print so useful on a quilt back. Instead of a perfectly repeating, rigid pattern that has to be matched, the abstract circles give you movement and colour without demanding precision.
Because it is a true 108-inch wideback, it covers most quilt tops in a single piece. That saves you from piecing standard-width fabric together and gives your quilt a seamless finish — no centre seam to line up, no extra bulk in the quilt sandwich, and no seam ridge showing through under the quilting. A multi-colour back also has a practical advantage: it can pick up several colours from a varied quilt top at once, so a scrappy top, a sampler, or a top built from mixed collections can still look intentional from the back.
How Much Backing Do You Really Need? Top Plus 8 Inches
Start with the standard rule: 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 as the layers shift slightly during quilting.
Now run the numbers against a 108-inch width. Tops up to 100 inches wide fit across a single width with no piecing. A 60 by 72 inch throw needs a 68 by 80 inch backing — one width covers the 68-inch side easily, and 80 inches of length is just over 2-1/4 yards, so order 2-1/2. A 72 by 90 inch twin needs an 80 by 98 inch backing, just over 2-3/4 yards, so order 3. A 90 by 100 inch queen needs 98 by 108 inches, which fits the width at exactly 3 yards. For any size, take the longer backing dimension, divide by 36, and round up. If your top is wider than 100 inches, rotate it if the design allows, or plan a pieced backing instead.
Cotton, Minky, or Flannel? Choosing the Right Feel
A 108-inch cotton wideback like this one is the stable, breathable default: it presses crisply, does not stretch, quilts cleanly, and stays seamless for almost any quilt size. Flannel is brushed cotton — warmer and cosier, with more shrinkage to plan for and a softer, matte look. Minky is plush polyester — soft and drapy, but stretchier, sensitive to high heat, and often in a narrower extra-wide width than a full 108 inches. Choose this cotton Wabi Sabi wideback when you want a smooth, dependable back with colour and pattern that forgives: it hides quilting starts and stops well, everyday wear shows less on a busy abstract print, and its circles work with modern, traditional, and scrappy tops alike.
Working Tips: Pressing the Fold, Prewashing, and Longarm Loading
Pressing the fold: Widebacks arrive folded, and that centre crease can be stubborn. Press with steam from the wrong side, working along the fold rather than across it, and let the fabric cool flat before you move it. Avoid dragging a hot iron sideways, which can distort the grain on a piece this large. With an abstract print, you do not need to chase pattern matching — just get it flat and square.
Prewashing: Cotton can shrink slightly and may release excess dye, especially in a multi-colour print. If your quilt top fabrics were prewashed, prewash the backing the same way; if they were not, keep the whole quilt consistent and wash the finished quilt gently instead. Either way, a first wash in cold water is a sensible precaution for strong, varied colours.
Longarm loading: Centre the backing on the frame, keep the selvages running parallel to the rollers, and check that the 4-inch overhang is even on all sides before you float or pin the top. A printed cotton like this is forgiving to load because it has no stretch and no strict directional repeat to keep straight — just keep tension even so the fabric stays square.
Care
Once the quilt is finished, care follows the cotton in the rest of the quilt: wash gently in cool water and dry on a low to medium setting, or line dry for the longest life. The breathable cotton construction makes this a comfortable backing for everyday quilts that will be used, washed, and loved rather than stored away — a fitting finish for a print that celebrates beauty in everyday imperfection.
Shop the Multi Wabi Sabi Wideback Cotton Fabric per yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
