carolaug

I bought Joanns quilters flannel and cut it to the same size as the batting...even a bit bigger, I forgot to wash it...so I watered it down in the sink and put it in the dyer...look how much smaller it is....aurgh....[ATTACH=CONFIG]428211[/ATTACH]

rebeljane

Flannel does shrink a lot but I am sure you can over come this problem

Buckeye Rose

Sorry you had this problem, but it is very common for flannel to have a higher shrinkage rate than regular cotton fabrics. At least you washed before quilting! Bet you won't do that again....LOL....been there, done that.

QuiltE

Live and Learn!

Actually ... one wash for flannels does not mean it is fully shrunk!

Chasing Hawk

Very true.

SMR

I actually got a pleasant surprise with some flannel I recently purchased at Walmart I prewashed it before cutting some items for my niece's new baby and it didn't shrink. Walmart was my only choice for fabric because it's the only place in the county that sells fabric and we just got that back. JoAnne's flannel has always shrunk for me plus having to allow for those extra wide selvages usually means buying extra fabric.

gale

true. I shrink flannels (and denim, if I'm using new denim for something) at least twice, maybe 3 times. I may not *wash* them every time but I make sure they get fully wet and put in the dryer a couple of extra times.

petthefabric

Recently made a flannel quilt for DH. Prewashed everything. I'm sure it all shrank, since I didn't premeasure, not sure how much. I had high quality from LQS, thinner from Joannes, and assorted leftovers from a friend. After washing the thinner flannel from Joannes was noticably narrower and also thicker. It felt more stable. I liked the change. And since all have been prewashed to shrink and remove some extra dye, I think they'll play better together.

Pinkiris

Thanks for the warning. I bought some Joann's flannel to teach my DGD how to sew sleep pants following a pattern. I washed and dried it once, but I think I will do it again!

QuiltE

I wash it in hot and dry it on hot ... give it the most abuse I can!

When I told a friend that I had flannel shrink after washing the fabric a few times, she told me that I needed to dry it with some towels, to give it something to bounce around with as it would help with the shrinkage. Seemed odd to me, though I have not had any problems since.

As for all the fuzz off the flannel ... that is almost endless, if you have a good quality!