Let's get sewing - starting with the back!

Remember that a quilt is made of three parts - the top, the filling, and the back?  We'll start our sewing with the back first.  It is just a big hunk of fabric, and you want to make sure you have enough fabric for it.

This quilt is supposed to end up being about 82 inches long and 60 inches wide, and that is how large the back needs to be.  However, the fabric comes to us only 44 inches wide - not wide enough to reach from one side to the other side of this quilt.  A piece of the blue swirly fabric was cut 83 inches long (82 inches plus one extra inch for seams and "just in case").  Then another 83-inch-long piece of fabric had to be cut, and sewn to the first one, to make the back be wide enough.  Actually, two narrower pieces were used, and were sewn on either side of the 44-inch-wide piece.  The seams fall as shown below - imagine the horizontal line is the top edge of the quilt back; the vertical lines show where the seams fall:

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Here is the very first stitch being taken on the quilt - to sew the fabric strips together for the back:

The two pieces of fabric are placed right-sides-together,
then are stitched together on the wrong side.

And here is what the completed seam looks like on the wrong side:

You will never see this on the finished quilt,
because it will be hidden inside, next to the batting!

Now the back is ready to be used, so it is set aside.  Time to start on the quilt top!