nhweaver

I am ready to put together my 12 donation quilts - I am going to try using spray basting, outside tomorrow - weather is supposed to be warm. I was going to using thin batting, but somewhere I think I read online that I can use flannel. Can anyone give me the pros and cons for either batting? The quilts will be used in New Hampshire so being too warm isn't an issue, but will flannel as a batting be too heavy? I am going to machine tie the quilts together using my double star on the Janome 10000. Any hints to make this job less "assembly line". I have to finish all 12 quilts by May 12.

ckcowl

a layer of flannel works ok for a batting- pre-wash it- the only (down side?) might be you will have very flat quilts instead of fluffy quilts- flannels works fine- is easy enough to work with- and can make the job go quite quickly-
i've done both- used flannel and used regular battings- the flannel batt(ed) quilts are heavier - weight wise- but as i said they are flat- so ---it's a personal choice= if you have access to alot of flannel and it's cost effective for you there is no real reason to not do it that way. just be sure to pre-wash your flannels---they do tend to shrink more than regular cottons because they are a looser weave.

retrogirl02

I think there are also folks who back with flannel and skip the batting, if that's a possibility for you, nhweaver. I'd definitely prewash as ckcowl pointed out because it does shrink quite a bit. Also, there's a huge difference between the quilt shop flannel and big store flannels. Big store versions tend to have a lot of polyester in them, quilt shops carry a heavier weight cotton flannel of much higher quality (admittedly at a higher price).
Heather

DogHouseMom

I agree .. flannel. Pre-wash with hot water and dry with hot dryer ... TWICE. Quilts really easy, even with minimal quilting (large open spaces OK), although you don't get a lot of definition in the quilting. The best part is that its so soft and supple. No bulges or creases. It begs to be wrapped around a baby.