Quilt backing

I like my quilt backs to coordinate with the tops, even if they hang on the wall and won't be seen.  That's just me.  I went thru my huge stash and I didn't have anything suitable or big enough for the back of the the quilt I showed in my last post.  That was the first quilt I made in a very long time that did not feature my hand-dyed fabrics.

 So I decided to ice-dye a fabric for the back. I started with white PFD cotton and soaked it in a soda ash/water solution.  I squished it lengthwise and put it in the bottom of a large bucket.  Then I covered the fabric with several layers of ice cubes.  Procion MX dye powders were sprinkled on top.  I used Olive Green, Lemon/Lime and Wine.  I was trying to emulate the colors in the top. I left it overnight until the ice cubes had melted and proceed to wash the fabric in hot water with Synthropol.

It's not a perfect match.  I didn't get those bright orangey reds or blacks, but I did get the soft greens and the pinks. I still think it's very interesting and the colors are close enough and I will use it.