Putting a Fabric Backing on your Crocheted Piece

Tutorial courtesy of Chris Bailey

When you have completed your crocheted portrait you will be left with a piece with a messy back and will need to cover it.

There are a couple of common choices for backing your piece and I will attempt to give you an overview and detailed explanation of how I backed my piece.

 You can crochet a solid piece with the same number of stitches and rows and then single crochet the edges together and add a border. Be sure to tack in a few places within the body of the blanket to secure. It will be heavy, but oh so warm!!!

 You could also use a lighter yarn and just adjust the size with an increased amount of stitches and rows to accommodate the size.  This is certainly not the easiest method, because crocheting a back for your blanket is basically making another blanket without the image…..   but also the most expensive and time consuming way to go YIKES!
You can also use fabric and back your piece.  This will not weigh it down as much will be a faster and less expensive way to cover the ends and messy back.  Please let me preface the rest of this tutorial with the fact that I am NOT a seamstress.  I am good with a hook and yarn.  Needles, thread, and sewing were never something I felt I excelled at, so I have never done much with it. That said, this was my second attempt at backing a blanket with fabric.  I did it once, and it worked well for me. Had searched for a method, and was not successful, So I took a chance, and decided I would just use common sense and make it happen.  I am not saying that this is the best way to do this, or the easiest way, but it IS a successful way! 
I will try to explain what I did with pictures and what I learned as I went.  There were times that I believe if I did it a different way it would have been easier….I will share those tidbits with you too.  The whole process was fairly easy once I got going and was a real learning experience.  
First you will need your completed blanket.   I suggest that you have a border on the blanket already.  I suggest, at the minimum, 2 rows of single crochet as a border but the possibilities are endless. The only other tools that I would say are required would be scissors, and lots and lots of long pins.You will want to have a long, sharp sewing needle large enough to use with whatever fabric chosen for the backing.  I suggest one with a very sharp tip for easier sewing. This is entirely your preference

I used crochet cotton thread #3   because I had it on hand and it worked wonderfully.  You could also attach the back on with yarn.  If you prefer to secure it with yarn, I suggest considering to precut the holes on the fabric backing and crocheting the fabric onto your piece. I discuss that later.   Yarn does not lend to sewing very well.  I have not used this method although I can say that the majority of the tutorials I did find online demonstrated this method.  I chose to sew it on
The Fabric that you choose to use is also totally your own preference.  Due to the nature of the item and the fact that crocheted items have some stretch to it by nature, the fabric that is chosen should also have a bit of stretch to it.  It should also be a fabric that does not fray on the edges.  Again, this is where my knowledge of fabric is very limited.   I have heard of others using a jersey material, and also cotton material like that used for t-shirts.   Personally I like the feel of fleece and I chose to use that.   Fleece is commonly used for blankets, often on it’s own with a crocheted edging.  I do not suggest the kind that sheds a lot.  When I went to purchase the fabric I found this fleece that was oh so soft and when I brought it to be cut so I could purchase, I noticed that when she cut it, there was remnants all over the place.  All I could think was “What a mess!!”   I quickly switched gears and went to another kind that was also quite soft, less expensive and made for clean edges.  This was very easy to work with and I highly recommend it going forward.   
Another crafter suggested to me that given the size of the blanket you are working with, sometimes you can find small fleece blankets for sale in discount stores, sometimes for very little money.  If the size of these blankets is the same as your blanket then I would say that using one of those blankets and connecting it to the back of your crocheted piece would offer a great short cut in the process. Often these premade blankets have a crocheted edging that you could use to simply use to crochet the fleece blanket to the back of your crocheted blanket.  But if you are not that lucky to find an inexpensive, premade blanket the same size as your piece, then you will need to take a trip to your local fabric store and make your selection.
I highly suggest that you block your blanket first.  In doing so you are afforded a simple, and stable work area in which to affix your fabric to the blanket.   While the blanket is pinned and drying, you can get a very accurate measurement of the size of the fabric piece you will need.  I found that this was the best and most efficient time to measure and pin the backing to the blanket itself.  You will want to measure the body of the blanket.   I chose to only back my piece up to but not including the border, therefore my measurement did not include the border.  If you are purchasing your
fabric I would suggest that you do not purchase the EXACT amount that you need but at least a few inches more as you can always trim it down as you pin it to the blanket which will result in a more custom fabric fit to your piece. 
PREPARING YOUR FABRIC 

I chose to back my piece with a soft fleece.  Given all the factors, I thought it was the best choice offering the most comfort.  When you purchase fabric off the roll in the store you will want to either fold over or cut off the salvage part on the sides of the fabric. I started to fold mine and then decided to cut it because dealing with the fold was too cumbersome.  Unless your piece is wider than the fabric, you should only need to do this on 1 side because you will be cutting the other side to fit the blanket anyway.
Keeping the blanket pinned, I placed the corner of the fabric into the corner of the crocheted piece and lined it up near the bottom edge of the border. Using my thumb to be a spacer in-between pins, I pinned the fabric to the crocheted blanket and was careful to keep the fabric smooth and centered at all times. Afterwards, I had the blanket pinned to the blocking station AND the backing pinned to the blanket.

   
As I pinned the fabric to the crocheted piece, I trimmed the edges, custom fitting it to the shape of the blanket.  I continually ensured that the fabric was smooth, not bunched and keeping it even throughout the entire back.Once the blanket is completely pinned around you will then need to secure it evenly throughout the body of the blanket so that the fabric will not pull away from the crocheted piece when being used or washed. I pinned the blanket together in the places where I will secure it.  Since It’s dark fabric I placed star stickers on the places where I secured the blanket.

When I say secure, I mean I am just tacking the two pieces together.  When doing so I am careful to note the color of the yarn on the other side.  If I am tacking with black yarn and it is a white section on the front side, I am careful not to put my needle all the way to the other side.  I would then just capture a couple of strands from the inside of the stitch so that the black is not seen from the front of the piece.
Another options is to use the invisible thread they offer out there. 
Now you are ready to sew …..but are you??
I would be amiss if I did not tell you about some options that could make the backing process easier.  Sewing fabric with yarn can be difficult at best and if you make premade holes it goes a lot easier.  Not only is it easier to sew through the fabric but it also affords you nice clean, even, uniform stitches because the holes are placed in that way.  Of course you cannot use this on the fabric while it is pinned to the crocheted piece.  So at this point, if you wish to precut the holes, I would recommend unpinning 1 side, separate slightly, prepare the holes and then re-pin that side, and then unpin the next side, prepare holes, re-pin, etc, etc, around.

 With the Crochet Sharp Hook, you would use a ruler and mark the hole placement, then use the sharp hook and pre-punch the holes.   With the Rotary Cutter, you would use the ruler, lining it up about ¾ inch away from the edge, place the preferred hole placement blade in the wheel, and then run it along the ruler, over the FABRIC ONLY, to put evenly spaced cuts in the fabric allowing for easy sewing or crocheting into the fabric.  Another option which is the method I found in other tutorials, would be to measure your fabric, prepare the holes in the fabric and then simply crochet the fabric to the crocheted item.  If you don’t have these tools, then read on, and continue the process with your sharp needle and crochet thread.   I’ll show you how I attempted to ensure that my stitches remained even and uniform even without those fancy tools.    Like I said in the beginning, I am NOT a seamstress and have always struggled with getting nice and even and uniform stitches.   It’s for this reason that I chose black thread on a black fabric.  First let me say that because I know my sewing limitations, I used black crochet thread on black fabric so it makes it really hard to photograph easily so you can (or rather can’t) see the stitches.  I’ll do my best to explain each step for my stitches.  You could be creative with your stitches to affix your blanket. The choices are endless and some stitches are very decorative.   If you use a contrasting color to sew your back with (ie.white crochet thread or yarn onto black fabric) you may want to seriously consider getting one of the tools mentioned above.  When the stitches are so visible, uneven stitches will be unsightly. In this case, you will want to take every measure to have your stitches uniform.  Whatever your stitch, you will want to ensure that the spacing is even.      
This is how I did it.

 I kept the blanket pinned while I worked around it to attach.  My reasoning was that the longer the blanket remained pinned the more ensured that the blocking process would be successful for it to keep it’s shape and not cause the fabric to adjust.  I was blessed with having a good setup to work with.  If you don’t have something similar to use, then just ensure that your back is securely pinned around the entire perimeter and also that it is tacked securely in the body of the piece to help sure the fabric from not moving out of place while working around the edge.
As I worked around the blanket to sew I removed all the pins.

  
I tied my crochet thread onto a post of my first corner crochet stitch and stuffed all ends under the fleece.  Whenever the crochet thread got short and needed to be replaced I did so in the same manner always stuffing the ends between the fleece and the blanket. 
The first stitch should be at an angle under the fabric to the top of the next stitch.  This is the key stitch to in regards to keeping the visible stitches appearing neat and even.  One suggestion is to keep the pins used to pin the fabric always at an even distance.  I tried to keep about ½ inch spacing.  My theory the closer the stitches the more secure it will be. 
The next stitch should be directly below and horizontal under the post of the crocheted stitch of the border.  I used the bottom of the border as a guide to keep the backing close and even.

 I continued in this manner all around the blanket.                                                                                      When I needed to attach more crochet thread, I would knot the thread and stuff the ends inside the blanket.    I would then just re-attach new thread and continue on.

I hope that you found this pictorial tutorial helpful. If you have any questions regarding this tutorial, please feel free to contact me                         
Happy Hooking!!!      
Chris Bailey