Howdy from Texas! So glad you have decided that you need to make a quilt. This is the board to come to for answers. I agree with the above posts....wash your flannel first. As for batting, I think it depends on how you like your quilt....low loft batting will be less "puffy" than high loft batting. Polyester batting dries a lot faster after washing. We love pictures & want to watch you as you make your first quilt. Will you be able to post progress pictures for us? When posting pictures, you have to reduce them to be accepted. Just play around with reducing until you get the right size that this board accepts.