Originally Posted by say
Ugh, not what I was hoping to hear..... The quilt for my grandson my daughter in law put away for an heirloom, so it will never be washed, but a few people showed interest in me making one for them, and I would hate to sell something that would fall apart in the wash, if they wash it...
About 10 years ago I made my daughter-in-law a teddy bear quilt in flannel. The blocks were pieced and then I machine appliqued the teddy bear on top.
She uses it all the time while watching tv. It is washed pretty regularly, as they have a dog that lays on her lap.
Now here is what has happened.
First, I washed the fabric in hot water to shrink, I used 1/2" seam allowance throughout. By the way, it was not cheaper flannel, from Moda at $10 a yd!
I have had to repair it at least 5 times. The seams have separated, the bear pulled away from the original stitching.
I had quilted it with stitch in the ditch, which has caused the fabric to pull, so now batting shows through where the seams have frayed.
I no longer use flannel when piecing, I will use it as a backing, again use a larger seam allowance. I also use flannel as batting, when I don't want a heavier quilt, say for a summer weight bed quilt.
Can you recreate the quilt with cotton for the front and use flannel to back it? I would hesitate to sell a flannel pieced quilt, if you want repeat business and no phone calls to repair!
Good luck