HELP! Need help sewing flannel!!!
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,265
Okay, the title is a bit more panicky than I feel, but I do sincerely need some flannel-sewing tips,
I have made four flannel quilts, 3 of them pieced. Matching seams was my major challenge because the fabric is so "fat" by nature - matching seams was really hit-or-miss results-wise, and many of the seams I was certain were pinned in place were [WHOA!] after sewing them. Is there something I can do (or NOT do) to make matching seams a much easier task, or at least a not-so-discouraging one????
I buy top quality flannel, use top quality pins/thread & needles, am very careful not to stretch or distort the fabric while sewing, and generally do a lot of things "right," but, boy, those "off" seams/intersections is so disheartening. I've been quilting for 20 years now and have decades experience sewing garments and gowns: why is flannel giving me such heartburn?!?!?
I have a ton of 2 1/2" squares left over from my 3 grandkids' flannel quilts - I want to use them to make a quilt for me so I can snuggle up to all of them after they move to California come July (I am in Florida). The pattern I've chosen is a 16-patch with sashing enhancements; it's a size I worked with making their quilts, and I'm comfortable with the size of the squares.
So, Experienced Flannel Quilters, I would welcome any and all tips to help me match seams more easily and anything else I might not have thought of to do/not do while sewing with flannel. Many, many thanks for whatever help you can lend!
I have made four flannel quilts, 3 of them pieced. Matching seams was my major challenge because the fabric is so "fat" by nature - matching seams was really hit-or-miss results-wise, and many of the seams I was certain were pinned in place were [WHOA!] after sewing them. Is there something I can do (or NOT do) to make matching seams a much easier task, or at least a not-so-discouraging one????
I buy top quality flannel, use top quality pins/thread & needles, am very careful not to stretch or distort the fabric while sewing, and generally do a lot of things "right," but, boy, those "off" seams/intersections is so disheartening. I've been quilting for 20 years now and have decades experience sewing garments and gowns: why is flannel giving me such heartburn?!?!?
I have a ton of 2 1/2" squares left over from my 3 grandkids' flannel quilts - I want to use them to make a quilt for me so I can snuggle up to all of them after they move to California come July (I am in Florida). The pattern I've chosen is a 16-patch with sashing enhancements; it's a size I worked with making their quilts, and I'm comfortable with the size of the squares.
So, Experienced Flannel Quilters, I would welcome any and all tips to help me match seams more easily and anything else I might not have thought of to do/not do while sewing with flannel. Many, many thanks for whatever help you can lend!
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Glenmoore, PA
Posts: 7,941
Originally Posted by Wunder-Mar
Okay, the title is a bit more panicky than I feel, but I do sincerely need some flannel-sewing tips,
I have made four flannel quilts, 3 of them pieced. Matching seams was my major challenge because the fabric is so "fat" by nature - matching seams was really hit-or-miss results-wise, and many of the seams I was certain were pinned in place were [WHOA!] after sewing them. Is there something I can do (or NOT do) to make matching seams a much easier task, or at least a not-so-discouraging one????
I buy top quality flannel, use top quality pins/thread & needles, am very careful not to stretch or distort the fabric while sewing, and generally do a lot of things "right," but, boy, those "off" seams/intersections is so disheartening. I've been quilting for 20 years now and have decades experience sewing garments and gowns: why is flannel giving me such heartburn?!?!?
I have a ton of 2 1/2" squares left over from my 3 grandkids' flannel quilts - I want to use them to make a quilt for me so I can snuggle up to all of them after they move to California come July (I am in Florida). The pattern I've chosen is a 16-patch with sashing enhancements; it's a size I worked with making their quilts, and I'm comfortable with the size of the squares.
So, Experienced Flannel Quilters, I would welcome any and all tips to help me match seams more easily and anything else I might not have thought of to do/not do while sewing with flannel. Many, many thanks for whatever help you can lend!
I have made four flannel quilts, 3 of them pieced. Matching seams was my major challenge because the fabric is so "fat" by nature - matching seams was really hit-or-miss results-wise, and many of the seams I was certain were pinned in place were [WHOA!] after sewing them. Is there something I can do (or NOT do) to make matching seams a much easier task, or at least a not-so-discouraging one????
I buy top quality flannel, use top quality pins/thread & needles, am very careful not to stretch or distort the fabric while sewing, and generally do a lot of things "right," but, boy, those "off" seams/intersections is so disheartening. I've been quilting for 20 years now and have decades experience sewing garments and gowns: why is flannel giving me such heartburn?!?!?
I have a ton of 2 1/2" squares left over from my 3 grandkids' flannel quilts - I want to use them to make a quilt for me so I can snuggle up to all of them after they move to California come July (I am in Florida). The pattern I've chosen is a 16-patch with sashing enhancements; it's a size I worked with making their quilts, and I'm comfortable with the size of the squares.
So, Experienced Flannel Quilters, I would welcome any and all tips to help me match seams more easily and anything else I might not have thought of to do/not do while sewing with flannel. Many, many thanks for whatever help you can lend!
#7
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Heavily starching flannel before cutting really helps. I mix up a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" this on the fabric using a large wall painting brush (until the fabric is saturated), toss in the dryer, then iron with steam. The flannel comes out with the stiffness of lightweight cardstock and is *not* going to wiggle around or distort on you while cutting and piecing. It makes piecing flannel a lot easier, and also helps prevent puckers when machine quilting (heavily starch the backing fabric also). After the quilt is bound, wash in the washing machine to remove the starch.
Edit: Oops! Sorry, I just noticed the comment about a ton of 2.5" squares. If they were prewashed, then you might be able to use a similar technique to the above but lay them flat on toweling to dry before ironing. If they haven't been prewashed, then starching them may result in serious shrinkage and distortion of the squares -- in which case you would be better off just using them as is, or possibly you could experiment with spray starching a few. (Spray starching is a much slower process than the yardage technique above.)
Edit: Oops! Sorry, I just noticed the comment about a ton of 2.5" squares. If they were prewashed, then you might be able to use a similar technique to the above but lay them flat on toweling to dry before ironing. If they haven't been prewashed, then starching them may result in serious shrinkage and distortion of the squares -- in which case you would be better off just using them as is, or possibly you could experiment with spray starching a few. (Spray starching is a much slower process than the yardage technique above.)
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05-05-2010 05:50 PM