New to Flannel

[Rose92]

I am starting a flannel baby quilt soon. I have never sewn with flannel before. Any hints, suggestions before I make any big mistakes would be appreciated.

Linda

[Evie]

You might want to wash all the fabric first so it will shrink some before you work with it.

You will need to take breaks and clean out the bobbin area. I buy the cheap paintbrushes in the kids craft areas. You can get a package with several in it for less than a dollar. Nice long handles. You can really get in there with them. You will be surprised at how much lint the flannel will create!

It makes a nice snugly quilt. But it does stretch easily so you might want to pin a lot. You might want to use your walking foot/quilting foot for the piecing.

[Joannequilts]

I agree with Evie! CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!!! As you go!!!

Also, I've made mostly Rag quilts--large seams, but the baby quilts I made were "regular" and I believe I lengthened the stitch length. Flannel does make a really nice soft quilt!

I also agree about washing the fabric first (which I don't always do!). Different flannels shrink differently.

Instead of the regular quarter inch seam, I used a larger seam, too, now that I think about it...

Let us know how it turns out!
Keep stitchin'
Joanne

[Flystitch]

I love flannel. I back all my baby quilts with flannel but you do need to wash it first although I have found the better quality holds up well in the laundry with much less shrinking.
I made a nice airplane quilt for my husband and he asked for a flannel backing - obviously, as we already know, men are still kids at heart!!

[Georgiapeach]

I love flannel quilts, they just wreak COMFORT! I have a good book on piecing flannel quilts and it suggests using simpler patterns with flannel. Everyone's suggestions here will help a lot. I was nervous piecing my first one and forgot to use a wider seam than the usual 1/4" and it turned out just fine in spite of me! LOL! I used the Churn Dash pattern for blocks with sashing and cornerstones. A walking foot, like Evie said, really is nice with flannel. Good luck and be sure to show us pics! Most of all, have fun and don't stress, you'll get the hang of how the flannel handles and I'll bet you'll love working with it!

[Rose92]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am making it easy to start, using a pre-printed panel with just several borders added. The backing will be flannel too. Should I use batting, more flannel or nothing in the middle to keep it soft and drapey?

[morgans4]

You can use batting in it, or if it's going to a warm place... Hawaii or southern Florida, just the flannel would be warm enough. Also depends on what time of year the quilt would be used.
I like to tie baby things since they are used so much. I use 6 strands of embroidery floss and a curved needle... sometimes I use my decorative stitches that are in my machine and make a little flower instead of tying. I love that thicker batting. So soft and cuddly for little ones, and for tying.

[Joannequilts]

Linda, I have done all three. Just depends on how heavy you want it to be--and what quality the flannel is. The more expensive flannel is pretty heavy weight.
One lap quilt I made I used a really thin flannel (any kind will do - maybe some ugly stuff you don't like, or go to the thrift shop and find a thin flannel sheet) for the batting.
My preferrance (sp?) is a thin flannel. The quilt seems to drape nicely and is more snuggler (Is that a word?? LOL)
Cotton batting is nice if you want a warm quilt, but it seems a little stiff, to me, but it did help with the quilting--the layers didn't seem to shift at all--kinda grabbed the flannel and held it in place.
I LOVE the flannels and homespuns together, too!
Keep stitchin' and have fun with your flannel!
Joanne

[Eajosian]

I love to back my baby quilts with flannel...makes them so soft...

[xteacher]

The guy at our quilt shop told me that there is an ultra lightweight flannel available. I'm not sure where to get it. Maybe do a goggle.