Flannel purchased from Walmart
 

I bought some very dark green $3.49 or $3.79/yard flannel - the tag said double brushed. It felt a bit like felt before I washed it.

I soaked it in hot water in the washer for about three hours - turned the machine off and let it be (I forgot about it and started doing something else) - I washed it with a small amount of laundry detergent on a short gentle cycle and dried it till it was 'hot done' in the dryer.

The shrinkage was much less than I expected - about one inch in length per yard and two inches in width - and the surface did not pill. Also felt much softer and fluffier than when I brought it home. It did not seem to shed very much lint, either.

I was pleasantly surprised.

Thank you for the review; I love dark flannels. Is the material 100% cotton, did it bleed any?

Yes, it is 100% cotton.

The water turned med green - the rinse water was very pale green . I would be okay with using it - I washed a piece of lime green cotton-poly with it, and that did not pick up any color.

I would say that it had a bit of excess dye, but it does not appear to be a bleeder to me.

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Sounds like their "super flannel" line. WalMart seems to have two grades of flannel and the "super flannel" is VERY nice!

Thanks, nice to know

Do you find the Super Flannel in anything but solids? I often use flannel for a quilt back and don't really want to use a solid. I have used their regular flannel with good luck though. If I need 4 yds I buy 4 1/2 - just in case. I haven't measured to check how much shrinkage there is, but usually wash it twice before using.

Awhile back I bought some baby flannel with foot prints on it at Joanns for $1.49 a yard on sale. It was thin and not good quality.
Yesterday I found the same print at Walmart for $4.98. Much heavier and good quality.
Interesting that Walmart is getting better quality fabrics.

I have found that SOME of the lower priced cottons seem to be as nice or nicer - in my opinion - than SOME of the LQS lines.

There are several LQS lines that I don't care about at all - one line has very clever prints/designs, but some of the fabrics seem loosely woven with coarse threads. Another line seems sort of thin, flimsy, and stretchy to me. Another line (it may have improved since I bought a lot of those fabrics) had issues with fading.

But it does come down to personal preference - not everyone loves the heft of Kona cottons, for example.

What you bought is normally purchased to make diapers or receiving blankets and similar. I can't think of a reason why you can't use it in a quilt other than the double nap would make hand quilting a little more difficult. Maybe not. I cut out a bunch of that stuff for a friend who was on bed rest. She hand stitched all the diapers. Came out well.

Thanks for your info.... I'll have to check out Walmart's flannel selection as I purchase coordinating prints to make burps cloths. Yes, I always allow for preshrinkage before construction. :-)

Thanks for the review. I like working with flannels at times so knowing where a good quality and decent price is great.

Our local WalMart has renovated there fabric/craft area and it is so much nicer. It looks as if there is more fabric but it may be that it's just organized better. The fabrics are separated by purpose (utility, novelty, children's flannel, cottons, etc) and cottons are separated by color value. Everything but clearance is on an upright bolt shelf so finding things is a LOT easier! I have complimented the workers on the new system and told them how much I appreciate it and how much easier it is to shop. Of course, by now, they know me by sight, if not by name! LOL

Good to know. I don't usually shop at Walmart, but may just have to stop in!

Another think I love about WalMart flannel is that it's wider than JoAnn's snuggle, so it works great for baby crib sheets

I think the part of the Reason we are finding better fabrics at a rasonable price at wlamart is because the size of the company buying the fabric can buy a LARGE amount at one time and get a better whole sale price than these smaller LQS . JMHO

Good to hear. I purchased some flannel at a LQS that shrunk so much I didn't have enough to piece all the blocks. When I buy flannel now I always get at least 1/2 yard more than the pattern calls for.

a while back when I was making a memory quilt for my youngest son, Walmart was the only place I could find black and dark red flannel.....made an entire quilt out of it....was good weight

Yes indeed, I've used lots of walmart flannel for rag quilts, backing, bibs, burp cloths, never had problem with it!

This is awesome information. Thank you so much for sharing, I would have been scared to death (okay maybe just a little hesitant to do that) Your a brave woman. thank you again :)

Our Walmart has been revonated, too. It sure makes it easy to find things. I have purchased their super flannel,used it for a queen quilt & was very satisfied with it. It is in the wash about once a month and is holding up very well.

Not what I was saying - I was really saying that I'm not particularly fond of some of the lines usually only found in a LQS.

Thanks so much for posting and for this discussion.Such good news. Tomorrow I will buying fannel to back a quilt and will go to WM first. I love fannel, but try to steer away from it because I don't know how to judge it before it's washed. And so far almost all I've bought has been poor quality.