Ever since I made a flannel backing.....
 

Ever since I made a flannel backing, regular fabric backings no longer feel cozy or warm to me. They would be fine just lying on a bed for looks, but for cuddling or a lap throw against your body, I now prefer only flannel. Anyone else feel this way? ;)

i used brushed arnel on the back of one of the quilts I made. Now that's the one that is always reached for.

yes I used flannel for backing also, and have a hard time looking at going back to regular cotton...my last quilt I made was top and bottom flannel.......sooooo nice and cuddly

bearisgray - where is a good source for the brushed Arnel? Is there a large color selection? Available only in solids?

Tumdarra - oh, that is a nice idea. BTW, we love visiting Gilroy. :thumbup:

I agree LavenderBlue, I use flannel or minky for most of my quilts. Most of the quilts I make are for grandkids or donation quilts for kids and I want them to be cozy.

Have to agree with you - the flannel makes a quilt more cozy. And since most of my quilts are for people living in colder areas I use flannel. I make sure to buy quality flannel so it will hold up. But sometimes when I am making a theme quilt, i.e.: a sports team quilt, then I don't because I do not care to sew with fleece. (Not sure why it bothers me but it does so I don't use it.)

I made a flannel quilt with a cotton batt for my DH for Christmas a few years ago for watching the race with his eyes shut. It is the most fought over quilt in the house. Flannel is so snuggly.

I like the softness of flannel and see so many beautiful flannel fabrics out lately. My problem is I made one baby quilt with "quality" flannel from a LQS several years ago. I washed it afterwards and it pilled. I was so disappointed. That experience turned me off to flannel. I vowed to never use it again but now I'm rethinking that. Have some questions for you and everyone.
1. What manufacturer do you recommend?
2. How do you pre-wash it to make fabric colorfast and to shrink it beforehand...but preventing pilling. I usually use Retayne in hot water.

I bought mine from Munsingwear Remnant Room when it was in Minneapolis, MN. It has been long gone - and what I have is what I bought from there way back when.

I love that! Watching the race with his eyes shut...My Dad always said he was resting his eyes.

I would highly recommend Moda flannel. Particular the Moda marble flannel. It is thick, does not pill, and easy to work with. Since you are where you are...do you do any shopping in Lancaster/Bird-in-Hand, PA. Store name is escaping me at the moment but there is one shop in particular there that has a tremendous selection of flannel at very reasonable prices. Worth the gas! The shop is a bit outside of the main shopping area near Bird-in-Hand but well worth the trip. Lots of other quilting cottons and the lower level is chock full of notions. I'll report back when I have a chance to search shop names.

Bearisgray, I'll bet Munsingwear has been gone for 35 years. That is some old flannel!

I agree - for a quilt that is going to be used as warmth or for baby quilts, I always go for flannel on the back. In addition to being warm and cuddly they don't slide off the bed or your lap as easily.

I made my 8 1-2 year old grandson a flannel and chenille half square baby quilt. Used flannel as batting and backing. He had it at birth. He just really remembered it from when he was about 2. Of course it is too small for him so he himself asked me could i make him a bigger one that covers him up. Not another different one. Just that one bigger. So that's what I'm doing. The flannel isn't that stretchy. I washed it once. I think it is moda from Joann fabric. The chenille is a shreddy stretchy situation but I can work around that. It looks odd as a pale blue and white quilt big enough for a tall 8 yeAr old but he will be happy. My local quilt store doesn't carry flannel. So I think it is cozy and I think he will too.

If you think flannel is cozy, don't ever try putting minky on the back of a quilt. You'll be a goner, for sure!

Thousands of Bolts online store often has some good flannel...sometimes more selection than others but it's worth checking out. Some here on QB recommend Connecting Threads flannel but I've not tried it yet. I don't recommend Joann's.

Yes, I know that feeling. Back in the late 70's and early 80's I used flannel and also t-shirt material to back quilts for my boys. Quilts still going strong. Very cuddly!

Not me. I don't feel flannel provides the durability of more stable cottons.

That is called a NASCAR nap at my house!

I googled it so you might try that. I see a Kaufman brushed flannel but don't know if its the same thing.

I googled brushed arnel fabric and there were some listed so you might try that. I see a Kaufman brushed flannel but don't know if its the same thing.

Brushed arnel feels like a short pile velvrteen. It is a man-made fiber. It used to be used for robes and housecoats. And, yes, it has been sround for quite a while.

I am not even sure if it is still being made.

Yep flannel is my go to also,most of the family prefers lighter weight quilts so I don't put batting in a lot of them but always use the flannel

What's the preferred method for pre-washing and pre-shrinking flannel? What do you do to keep the uncut flannel from fraying in the washer/dryer? Can you use a quilt top made of unwashed cotton with a pre-washed flannel back? Sorry for the rookie questions ...

I would serge the ends of the flannel and then wash and dry on Hot. Yes, I have paired it with a cotton top that hasn't been prewashed and it worked fine.

Thanks EmiliasNana. Good to know that. But since I don't have a serger, would zigzagging the flannel ends be an acceptable alternative?

Yes. Not as ironclad as serging, but will stop most fraying.

Thank you!

Does it fray crazily if you piece with it? I pieced a non-flannel top with half the fabrics fraying, and I had to run tiny stitches of Aurifil along the seam allowances. It was a nightmare. That said, those plaid flannels always catch my eye in the fall.

hugs
charlotte

Yep. Happened to us. Minky is the only way to go. Love it.

I love the feel of flannel, but only used it once for backing. I had to almost pull the quilt through my domestic machine. Any tricks to make it move along smoothly?

My GD asked for placemats and I put a layer of white flannel in between the two fabrics for each. I just straight stitched, small stitches, along the raw edges of the yardage and washed it in the hottest water I could and dried in the dryer. There was minimum fraying!

I use flannel or minkee on anything that's going to be a throw. Those are the ones that really get snuggled in. As for bed quilts or table runners, etc. I still use good quality muslin or I piece a backing with leftover fabrics that were used in the front of the quilt.

For those who use minky do you want a short it in a special way? I w a s going to use it on the last baby quilt I did but when I read the washing instructions I decided at a against it e s peck a lot for a first time mom.

Love the nylon brushed arnel -- I have several robes made of it and they wear like iron. Saw some on ebay a few days ago - never thought of putting it on the back of a quilt.

I wash flannel before I use it but I don't go to extremes. I wash it like I do most anything else- warm water, normal cycle, do add color catchers just so I know what's going on. Then dry it in the dryer, normal cycle. It does fray like most fabrics do. Don't do anything special about that either. Usually, as I square up the piece the frayed edges are also cut off. Most of the time I've had really good luck with the flannel and I've used many different brands, including JA and name brands. Only once I can remember after doing the prewashing and then washing again after the quilt was completed it pilled and did look a little used. Sometimes it sounds to me that people want to "declare war" on flannel and wash in hottest water, sometimes more than once. Why would you when you don't normally treat fabric that way?