I'm new at quilting and wondered when using flannel (squares), is is best to cut the flannel with a rotary cutter or scissors?

Marge

Hi Marge, I prefer to use a rotary cutter when cutting flannel. I find it to be faster and more accurate than scissors. Hope this helps.

:roll: I always use rotary when I can, for all knds of fabrics. It's so much quicker when your pieces have sraight lines. good luck

By all means, use a rotary cutter whenever possible, but I find that when I cut flannel I have to clean the rotary cutter every now and again, as both the cutter and the mat can get a little fuzzy.

One tip for using flannel, WASH TWICE! Flannel has a looser weave of thicker/fluffier threads. It will shrink quite a bit and at different rates. I have found this varies by manufaturer. This is especially true of JoAnn's or Walmart type flannels. Never cut flannel before it is washed. Trust me on this.

Oh yes, wash twice and you can also spray the heck out of the flannel with spray starch or sizing to keep the fabric in line while you are cutting and stitching.

I think you may have hit on a question I've been wondering about. Should flannel be washed before piecing? From the sounds of things, it sounds like it. I have some good quality flannel that I want to make a string pieced quilt with for my father.. a lap quilt. I want the softness but was wondering about the washing. . Any ideas would be welcome. Wash... if so in what?

Thanks
Sandi

Do you dry flannel in the dryer after each time you wash it?

Yes you will want to dry in the dryer so that it will shrink before you cut it.

This newbie Thanks You. I'm trying to get the courage up to start my first quilt. I found a really simple one to start with which I hope will lead to more.

Sue
Thanks for the replies about the flannel. I will try the Dreft.
Sandi

i agree, flannel seems to shrink more than any other fabric i have worked with. i don't, however, wash flannel before using it in a rag quilt. does anyone wash it before making it up into a rag quilt?

I don't wash my flannel for rag quilts. I think that the puckering of the flannel shrinking just adds to the quilt.

ccbear66--I don't wash my flannel either. When I use it, the whole quilt is flannel and it all shrinks together. My grandchildren think there is nothing better than a flannel quilt.

I have done a rag quilt out of flannel and it was great. I didn't prewash because the whole quilt was flannel. I gives a great result, though as has already been said it shrinks quite alot. You also need to pin it quite well, the nap of the fabric makes it move more than cotton.

One newbie to another

I do a rinse in washer and dry in dryer, this pre shrinks it a little since all my flannel is not from the same company. :D

Here is a question, can I use flannel to back my cotton quilt top? I bought some really cute flannel for my nephew's quilt, and I also have so fuzzy super duper soft raggy type fabric I got at joann's. Maybe I should wash them first, then cut, can I mix them together?

yes, you can use flannel to back a quilt. Might not be acceptable for a "prize" quilt, but it is great for ordinary, used frequently, type quilts, i.e. ones kids drag around!

Thank heavens not everyone washes an all flannel quilt before sewing it because I started mine and didn't wash it.

Boy am I confused to wash or not to wash. Bought some flannel at Joanns now too afraid to do anything with it. Was told not to make a rag quilt unless I got pricy flannel, others say price doesn't matter, think I'll sit on the flannel for awhile.

If I were going to make a pieced quilt from flannel, I would definitely wash and dry it. I just made flannel PJ's for Christmas and some of the yardage shrank from 45 inches wide to 39 inches. I'm glad I always buy extra for "pattern alterations", etc. I'm thankful I washed BEFORE cutting. Otherwise nothing would have fit in the end.

Every manufacturer's flannel seems to shrink at a different rate. Not all flannels are equal and sometimes the best way to make sure your fabrics will "work" together is to prewash. Of course, I advocate prewashing everything.

If I wanted to use flannel to back a cotton pieced quilt, I would definitely prewash because they shrink at different rates. I may be pickier than others but I want things to lay flat, be square and look right.

Those who use flannel for rag quilts seem to prefer not to prewash because they like the raggy look. That's not something I'm into so I'm sure there are better reasons for not washing in this situation.

I always use a rotary cutter.

Also, when I sew with two flannels from the same collection, I don't bother washing first. However, if you are using flannel from 2 different collections/manufacturers, I would definitely wash and dry it first.

I tend to use the 60mm rotary cutter for flannel as it does dull the blade and there is a lot of cutting to do. The larger blade makes it look like it is going quicker with the cutting time.

I do not pre-wash my flannel.

If you are making a rag type quilt I heartily recommend the Fiskars Rag Snips. Joann's carries them and they have coupons and sales. Or make a friend and borrow theirs.

ali

I have never specifically purchased flannel for a rag quilt. It is usually what is left over from sewing garments. Therefore, my flannel is already washed.