I want to sew a 40 x 60"throw blanket. One side is thicker cotton and the other is fleece. I have made fleece - to - fleece but I have never done two different fabrics to fleece. I have a newJanome 2011 and love it so need all info I can get. Stretch, needles, thread (I use Gutermann usually), stitches, etc.. Also what I need to hold it together -

Welcome from Oregon
Fleece has a lot more stretch then cotton. You say that your cotton is thicker ~ is it a 'quilting' cotton or something heavier like poplin or broadcloth? Are you piecing the cotton side? Or are you just wanting to 'sandwich' the two fabrics together? IMHO (In My Humble Opinion), I would put 'like' fabrics together, because of the stretch factor.

I know I am asking for it to put the two fabrics together, but I was hoping some one has and had success so I could do it. The cloth is close to broadcloth and had airplanes on it and that is why I need to use it rather than a generic. Would a stretch stich do it and what setting for the fleece and cotton together?

A few years ago I made a baby quilt using a pieced cotton top and fleece backing. The top design perfectly lended itself to SID so I was able to carefully avoid the stretching issue. I did not need batting. It turned out so soft and cuddly. It washed well, and when dried it came out great looking. Good luck!

i've made lots of quilts with cottons on the top and fleece backs- some i've used batting in, a couple i did not- it is up to you =
use a regular sharp or universal needle-
i recommend poly thread instead of cotton.
smooth the fleece= don't stretch it when you put the sandwich together- or you could tie it- that works well too with fleece.
it is not any more difficult to use than any other fabric.. a little thicker- you might need to adjust (loosen) your tension a little- but you may not have to- i've never had to- fleece quilts up beautifully. just baste well-either with pins every 4" or with needle and thread-- and smooth it--don't stretch it.

Thank you so much for you input.

I see a lot of posts here where people use fleece for the backing of a cotton, pieced quilt.

I have done many many quilts with cotton (some pieced, some whole cloth) on one side and fleece on the other. I do try to use pretty "sturdy" fleece --some is much thinner than other bolts and I do look for the thicker fleece. Good luck. Oh yes, I just use basting spray to anchor the pieces together then quilt with my sewing machine--I like variations of the zig-zag stitch best.

Thank you so much for your helpful suggestion.

Welcome -- I am not familiar with the Janome 2011, I have the Janome Horizon 7700.

I have made quilts with fleece on one side and cotton on the other. Sometime I spray baste and bind (no batting). Having the cotton on one side stabilizes the fleece so it can be quilted. I have also finished the quilts envelops style, but was not as happy with it since the fleece stretched a bit more.

A lot depends on the size of the quilt -- the bigger the quilt the more likely there could be stretching so the spray basting is the best way to go.

I would just make sure to pre-wash all fabrics to ensure all possible shrinkage has taken place, especially with the difference in fabrics. Fleece has a reputation for shrinking quite a bit. So does cotton, but not as much.

I like spray basting. Minimizes/eliminates puckering.

I'm fond of using the Topstitch needle, even in my quilting. Nice and sharp. Since you don't have to worry about stretching with the cotton, don't worry about it with the fleece. You only have to use stretch stitching when you're sewing a stretchy fabric to a stretchy fabric.

I agree with keeping the quilting simple. SITD, grid lines, etc. with a walking foot. That's what I'd do.

Sounds like you have a winner of a project there! Don't worry about it. I've mixed fabrics plenty of times without problems.

This is the second time it has been suggested to spray and I am going to try it. Thanks. The quilt is going to be small - a 40 x 60". Probably will try zigzag on the edges unless someone warns me not to.

No reason you can't zig zag on the edges.

All I can say is Good Luck! My friend does quilts all the time with fleece on the back. However, the one time I tried it was almost a disaster! I do admit, though, I didn't wash the fleece first. I did hand tie it; I had the most problems with the binding.

I'd make sure to preshirink it since you are using two different types of fabric and I'd use a walking foot as much as possible. It'll keep the two different fabrics going at the same rate.

This will be a learning experience - have not used walking foot or the spray- any particular brand?