NewsletterBot

When using flannel to make a quilt, I have heard some say wash it once before using and another said to wash flannel twice to prevent shrinkage. I am wondering what your thoughts are on this.

Pat

SandraJennings

The majority of quilters will advise you to wash your fabrics before quilting. Flannel will shrink more than cotton usually, but I believe one washing is sufficient.

Knot Sew

there are a few rag quilt patterns that say do not pre wash the fabric'''''read through the entire pattern, most quality flannel doesn't shrink any more than cotton, some comes preshrunk,so you have the new look, I just bought some old shirts at a garage sale for rag quilts . most times I just wet and dry once...."go with your gut" no quilt police here

Suz

Pat,
I, too, say that you should prewash. Additionally, I would also serge the raw edges as there will be a lot of shredding. Not all flannels are the same and they will shrink differently. Some flannels actually turn into limp rags and if so, you might want to use a backing to stabilize.

And, keep an eye on your filter in both the washer and dryer. Flannel is notorious for "plugging" up your pipes and hoses. This is particularly true for the rag quilts. They are dirty as they shed and shed.

When I made a rag quilt, I prewashed at home, but the washing after clipping was done at a local laundry.

Suz

Flying_V_Goddess

I'm not an expert at fabrics, but based on my experiance with flannel I'd say pre-washing it once will do just fine. I'd either serge or zigzag the raw edges because when you wash and dry flannel it tends to fray like crazy and the frayed edges love to get together and create a big, tangled ball of string.