what do I need to know before I cut into this flannel??

[Brenda H.]

I am starting on my 2nd son's quilt (pics under the "Legend of Zelda Quilt" label on my blog, linked in my signature) and the back is to be a pieced back as he wants a giant cat on the back. So. I have cotton fabrics for the cat, and for some of the piecing to make it the right size, but the majority of the back is a heavy flannel he picked out.

I thought I'd better ask advice now before I am ready to cut into it :mrgreen:

The flannel will be large sections -- here's the EQ7 drawing of the back. Pieced sections are all cotton fabric (regular quilt fabric) and the green background is all flannel.

(well, the drawing shows that the background around the pieced cat is flannel too --- will that be a nightmare, triangles out of flannel joined to triangles out of cotton? Perhaps I can/should sub in a cotton there so that the only flannel used is in the larger background bits?)





Tips? Advice? Cautionary tales? Thanks for any help!

[Brenda H.]

Wash the fabric! I have heard that flannel likes to shrink.
Does the flannel like to fray? it might be worth using larger seam allowances.
You could consider starching all the fabrics - I think that I have heard that it will help the flannel to slide whilst quilting on the machine, and that process could help with both the shrinkage & the fraying.

By the way, I haven't actually used flannel myself in quilting, so you might be better to hang on and see if someone who has used it has any better advice.

PS if you treat it carefully I don't see that you would have any trouble with the triangles. Put the flannel on the bottom when piecing a flannel & cotton together. Pin both ends and maybe once in the middle, making sure it is the middle of each piece, and then ease/gently stretch the pieces to fit one another as they go under the machine, if need be.

[Norma H.]

Rosemary is right. Wash it and dry it so you are sure that it has finished shrinking. Otherwise I have had no problems with it. It seems like your pieces are rather big so I would go for the flannel in all the green parts.
I think it's easy to work with.

[Norma H.]

Since I'll wash the flannel (I never pre-wash!! will it shrink a lot??? as in, should I make sure the yardage requirement is well under what amount of fabric I have, just in case??) , should I also pre-wash the cotton fabrics? So that both are pre-shrunk? I like to wait, usually, so the quilt gets that neat crinkly look, but maybe it's better I wash both??? (well, hmmm, the front is already half pieced and not washed, so maybe not an issue.....?)

[Norma H.]

The amount of shrinkage varies from piece to piece, I think that I have heard the figures of between 3-5% (but don't quote me on that) However, if this is true, for every 100" of yardage you will lose between 3"-5" of length so it depends on how skimped you are for fabric. The width is likely shrink at a different rate to the length - just sayin. This is why we all get a build up of left over scraps - we buy extra just in case! :wink:

[Norma H.]

Flannel comes in different weights and different weaves. Some, the weave is very loose. I know you don't think you want to--but, wash the flannel and dry it before use. It shrinks a lot. The looser weave will probably shrink more than a tighter weave. The loose weave sometimes becomes a problem with fraying. I made a quilt of all flannel, used good quality flannel and used a bigger seam allowance (1/2" or even 5/8"); washed it and dried it in the dryer. It was beautiful. My sister-in-law sent it back asking if I could fix it. Every seam had shredded. I still haven't figure out a way to fix it. I think she put it in the washer and dryer every week. The fabric is not even worn out. So, wash, dry, use larger seam allowance and a shorter stitch length. Hopefully, you will have a quilt that will last.

[Norma H.]

Heather!

definitely wash the flannel even if it is the best (made in Portugal by the way) - I used some good quality flannel and did an experiment - the washed piece shrunk by almost one inch and a half in length and about 1 inch in width

cheers Jeanine

[Annette R.]

I agree definitely wash the flannel, Maybe two or three times to be sure the shrinkage has stopped. I worked on a vest with flannel as the batting. My flannel was decorater grade (from the decorater section of the fabric store but only comes in white in most stores). It only shrank very minimally but some of my friends working on the same vest had lots of shrinking. Sometimes as much as two dress sizes on the size of the vest/jacket pieces they were making. In this case I would probably prewash my cotton too as it make shrink slightly. I normally do not prewash unless I am using hand-dyes or a mixture of fabrics. Cotton tends to shrink evenly across brands and lines so I am not real worried about that but flannel is very unpredictable for the reasons Ritzy mentioned. Hope this helps, Ann

[Annette R.]

all of the above, and dont forget to have small brush near yr machine while sewing, because flannel leaves a lot of lint!

[Norma H.]

Definitely wash the flannel and as Ann says maybe more than once. My experience is that most flannel shrinks a lot.

[E.M. T.]

I've made a couple of flannel quilts and will say as others.... wash and dry well and if your flannel
is a lighter, looser weave..wash twice ! I also used spray starch to stabilize even tho the piecing
was simple. Be generous ! Fabric likes to crawl because of the nap. The soft nap texture will return
when you wash the quilt when you finish. And it does make a lot of fuzz in the machine ! :roll:

[Lotti D.]

i love to use flannel.
always prewash - and if you can put it in the dryer - i find the dryer does a lot more shrinking than the washing.
i use liquid starch in the last rinse cycle in the machine (instead of fabric softener)... easy, quick and does the job.
if combining with regular cotton fabric i would prewash and starch this as well - so they will all behave the same.
remeber to clean out the machine every time you change the bobbin - lots of lint.
as long as you do not pre-shrink the batting - you will still get the "crinkly" antique quilt look once the finished, quilted quilt is washed.
have fun with it.
i love the cat!

[Dawn S.]

Wow, Heather! You do come up with some challenges! Good for you for trying new things, though! I have never sewn flannel to cotton fabric. And, have never sewn anything but a square (dozens of squares) to each other. No triangles. But, I agree with everyone that you need to wash the flannel a couple of times, and dry (on hot) for max shrinkage. I would definitely wash the cotton fabric, too. And, as Lotti said, find a batting that will shrink, and once the finished quilt is washed, you will get that "crinkly" look. As for the triangle cuts, highly starch the bias line of the flannel! Before cutting! And, as Ritzy said, be sure to allow for a generous seam. (The flannel quilts that I have made usually get highly quilted, so the seams are quite secure.) I would do a test piece, with the flannel and the cotton, and send it through the wash a few times. Just Fray Check the edges of the flannel. This way you can see if the flannel plays well with the cotton, through all of the washings that the quilt will encounter.

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Dawn S.]

Dawn, I'm pretty certain that you have sewn triangles before now :wink: otherwise how did you manage to join in with the hst exchanges?

[Dawn S.]

Dawn, I'm pretty certain that you have sewn triangles before now :wink: otherwise how did you manage to join in with the hst exchanges?

I guess I should be more specific! ops: I have never sewn FLANNEL triangles! And, I don't ever wish to! But, I admire those who try it!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana