You can determine whether fabric will be a good choice for quilt backing by evaluating its selvedge edges in addition to its color and pattern.
Study the fabric at the store to avoid disappointment later. Look at the selvedge edges of the fabric, specifically where the mounting pins held the yardage in place for dyeing (you'll see small holes along the selvedge edge.) Check the right side of the fabric along this strip. If you see small white or light areas surrounding those pin holes, it means that the fabric dye did not completely penetrate each warp or weft yarn. When the pins holding the fabric for processing penetrated the selvedge, they exposed the lighter side of each fiber, making the fabric's "wrong side" visible through the pin holes.
Why is this important to a longarm quilter? Since your needle is very large and will also penetrate the backing fabric from "wrong side" to "right side" your needle could also expose the lighter side of the backing fabric around every needle hole. This phenomenon is often confused with batting bearding or a dull needle. In fact, the fabric itself is the culprit!
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