I bought a very 'dense' flannel and never even considered stretching because it was my first queen sized quilt, and only my third overall. I decided the pattern was boring so I did flannel applique on each square. Then backed the quilt with....more very dense flannel. Needless to say, the quilt turned out to be very HEAVY. I could put poles under it and use it as a tent. My husband says he likes it. Smart man. It is kind of pretty, though, and we'd do have cold winters in Wisconsin.