CarolLady

I know this is going to sound weird. I have a pretty good feeling it's not going to be the most beautiful (est) quilt - But I have flannel pieces from shirts of my dads, kids and ex and want to use up the scraps. I already made one quilt using some of the flannel pieces. Now, I am going to attempt to make a scrappy/crazy quilt with a foundation (which I have only read about online) the flannel scraps are all plaid! The colors probably won't all "go together".
My question is do I use 1/2" seam allowances for the flannel when I am going to sew it to a foundation? I have read where flannel has a tendency to unravel and that is where the question is coming from. I think the centers or base of my block will be blue jean material. (Because after making 6 blue jean quilts I still have pieces left. lol) And I want to try and use it up as well.
Unlike the crazy quilt I am not planning on doing any fancy stitching because I think it'd get lost in the plaids. I might try ziq zag stitching around some or all crazy pieces with a contrasting color. (still in the thinking stage on that part)
Thanks for any comments or advice.
Carol

Esqmommy

I would use the 1/2 inch seams. I made a flannel quilt and it's about 13 years old. Many of the seams are falling apart. I haven't bothered to fix it, and it's probably going to end up a big rag! Oh well. Live and learn.

CAROLJ

Use a shorter stitch, when I sew to a foundation I try to use a the smaller seam because of shadowing. If you use the smaller stitch and then top stitch, that should eliminate most problems. I did a quilt once where I serged the some of the different fabric edges prior to sewing because of raveling. It didn't add any unslightly bulk to the quilt and kept the fabric intact, AND I can wash the quilt.
My rule of thumb when using plaids is I use a geometric, a floral (print) and a solid, this helps break up the plaid.

CarolLady

Thank you Esqmommy for your input! I appreciate it.

CarolLady

CarolJ sounds like something I could try thanks for the information.

sewcrafty

You could try to use the overcast stitch with your flannel. Might help.

quiltingnonie

I made a quilt(lap)from son's & husband's flannel shirts about 20 years ago. It was plaid bow ties with muslin background squares, and I used blue jeans for sashing strips. (couldn't afford to buy much fabric in those days) I think I used a 1/2" seam. I named it "Bow ties and Blue Jeans" DH still uses it as a window covering out in his shop!

Holice

When mixing types of fabric, I always try to remembr to "respect the nature of the fabric" If you do use 1/4" seams besure you have a full 1/4" seam. It is so easy for the fabric to crawl. I have made crazy patch blocks with flannel on muslin and it worked. Shorter stitch will help. Minimal quilting usually in the ditch worked for me.
Making sure of the consistency of the seam allowance is most important. Since you have a heavier fabric to deal with I would use a thinner muslin for foundation. Good washing before to make sure it doesn't shrink further in use.