Flannel shrinks a lot, a lot. And the fabrics do not shrink the same rate. My LQS advised me to wash the fabrics in warm water and let them completely dry in a dryer. Be very careful with mixing colors in the washer. Reds tend to bleed. Since my quilt is queen size and quite bulky, I have to use a large commercial washing machine to launder it and the results are perfect. There's no bleeding or shrinkage.