Anna O

I have tried many flannels, from different mfg. and have been disappointed. Can anyone recommend a flannel I won't be disappointed in? Thanks.

deemail

moda, rjr, hoffman....stick to the big names for flannel because it is inherently weak in its design...good quality and if by some chance you see 'double flannel' then buy as much as you can afford...it is lovely but rare these days...

NJ Quilter

I've only used Moda but would highly recommend it. Far better than anything that I have seen at JoAnns's. Then again, if one of the other manufacturers listed above was the right color at the time, I probably would have gone with one of those as well. All had about the same 'hand' when I was looking.

ckcowl

Benartex double sided flannel is my favorite---it is *meaty* does not stretch all over-does not have a loose weave that frays like crazy---and it doesn't pill when it's washed---i love it!
the woolies flannels are great flannels too (i think they are from Moda but i'm not totally sure-
to choose a really good flannel---fondle it---if it is double sided- (meaning both sides are soft/brushed-not just the *right side*) a good double sided flannel is a bit more expensive than the thin-single sided flannels but well worth the price i see them ranging from $8.95---$11.95 in most shops.

Peckish

I agree with earlier posters, I love Moda flannels. And yes, Woolies IS a Moda flannel. I won't use Joann's or Walmart, been burned too many times by buying 1/2 yard, washing it, then only having 1/4 useable yard because it skewed when it shrunk.

What is the specific nature of your disappointment with flannel? Shrinkage? Skewing? Pilling?

deemail

yes, all of the above plus stretching.... it shrinks up so much on itself that its a pain to use as a backing because the weave is just that loose and it will stretch back out while i am trying to keep everything nice and flat and straight....

kittenquilts

I bought a kit from Connecting Threads a couple years ago and was very happy with the flannel. It looked beautiful even after washing.

Prism99

Heavily starching the flannel before layering would help with the backing. I use a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" it on with a large wallpainting brush until fabric is saturated, toss in dryer, then iron with steam. This kind of starching does a good job of stabilizing the flannel backing.

Flannel that is closely quilted will not shrink and distort. Harriet Hargrave demonstrated this in a quilt that she made of unwashed flannel. Heavy quilting makes the fabric conform to the shrinkage qualities of the batting.

carolaug

I really like the moda but I have also found some flannel at Joanns that was not in the quilting area and wish I would have written down the name of manufactor...love it. Washes really well.