Quilting with Flannel
 

I have never quilted with flannel. I am in search of some pretty flannel fabric and I was wondering which company has the highest quality for the price? I don't think I have every even bought flannel...so please help me!!!

I don't prewash my quilting cotton as I find it quilts on the longarm much better without prewashing and I am happy with the results of that.

With that in mind, do you prewash your flannel or not???? If I don't prewash will it weird up when it is washed if washed properly the 1st time out???

Please help me!!!

I have no idea who makes the best flannel and will watch this post to see. I made an adorable IMO bear quilt out of flannel. It is in the rag style. After repeated washings to get it to "rag", it is all nubby. I am not sure that I will give it as it already looks used. How disappointing. I bought "quilting flannel" hoping that would work. Wrong.

flannel shrinks quite a bit, so I always wash and dry flannel before using it.

as usual, I tend to differ from what "most" do. I rarely prewash anything as I love the feel of the new fabric. Even with flannel, I usually don't prewash. I use flannel to back most of my quilts too and haven't ever had a problem. But, I've bought cheap flannel ($1/yard) that I have prewashed. After washing it, it thickens up and is no longer cheap and flimsy. It works well too.

I just quilted a couple of flannel baby quilts, one I washed the flannel first, the other I didn't. I like the look and feel of new fabric, so I prefer the one I didn't wash for giving as a gift. The washed one just looked......washed, with more puckering and shrinkage. I also needed to get rid of the markings I put on it for quilting, so I washed it after it was completed too. One way or the other they are going to be washed so I think it is just a personal preference.

It really makes it easier to starch and press the flannel before cutting. I make mine stiff like cardboard.

Please don't buy flannel from Joann's. I made a rag quilt from flannel from there and it shrank so bad that it popped the stiches on the X's I made on the blocks. I was not happy. You don't want to pre-wash flannel for a rag quilt--that's part of the fluffing process after the quilt is sewn.

Connecting Threads has very good flannel in pretty prints.

Joann's flannel is absolute junk. You can count the threads, see through it, it shrinks and pills like mad. If you have some that you purchased a few years ago you can really tell the dfference. That being said, I need some flannel for quilt backs for my children's charity quilts. Can you tell me about the quality of flannel at Hobby Lobby? I hate to drive 30 miles to find that it's also poor quality.

I just finished my first quilt which was flannel - I used Moda and was very happy with it. I did prewash and the shrinkage was not as bad as the flannel I got from Joannes for pj pants - that shrank so much it had to add a cuff to the pants!