a good flannel for quilt backing?
 

I'm making a quilt for son & future DIL and trying to decide what backing to use. I'm considering flannel but don't want one that is flimsy and will pill upon use/washing. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Marcia

Good idea! I sometimes use a flannel to back my quilts so they don't slide off the bed as we toss & turn. A good quilt shop quality flannel should work great! Some like Connecting Threads flannels here. I have never tried theirs though. I go to my local quilt shop.

Loads of wonderful flannels out there. Some name brands that I have never been disappointed with are Moda flannel, Wilmington (the regular not the wide, I found their wide back to be on the thin side), Maywood, Marcus Brothers and Northcott. They are all super soft, nice and thick and I have had no pilling.

The wide back flannels that Sew Batik carries are also very nice but expensive:
http://www.sewbatik.com/SearchResult...CategoryID=168

I have bought flannel from Moda that was wonderful and even had great success at JoAnns .

I use flannel for almost all of my bed quilts and children's quilts. I choose flannel that feels right and compliments the front. Next I wash it - while I am not a prewasher of regular quilting fabric - I have found that quality and price of the flannel does not correspond with shrinkage and that the shrinkage of flannel varies greatly bolt by bolt. Actually the piece I purchased that was Moda shrank the most of any piece of flannel I have ever purchased. But it was soft and beautiful even after washing and a perfect backing for the quilt.

I've been happy with all the brands Feline Fanatic mentions. I was also very happy with Connecting Threads. As mentioned, be sure and launder before using. Hit and miss with JoAnns, which I now avoid. Flannel tends to shrink more than quilting cotton. I usually wash & dry it twice. When it shrinks, it gets softer & thicker so there is an upside!

i've used flannel from the quilt store. The flannels are so much more scrumptious than JoAnn's! I also agree w/ the wide flannels. I was disappointed in the quality.

Thank you for the suggestions. I appreciate your help.
Marcia

Fabric.com has some wonderful 108-110" wide flannels. I use them often for quilt backs

I use flannel on almost all of my backings and have purchased from Connecting Threads and Thousands of Bolts. I also have flannel from my LQS. (I buy it on sale if I can.) I have never had a problem with it pilling up even after many washes.

I usually use a flannel sheet from LL Bean - I figure they will hold up. I have bought wide flannel made for backing but the flannel sheet is softer.

I love Moda flannel. Nice thick scrumptious flannel. Used on the back of a quilt for my niece. I used a marble but I've fondled others of Moda's and they all feel wonderful. Would highly recommend Moda flannel.

connecting thread flannel is lovely, not much shrinkage and doesn't pill, very soft. Have used as backing on a few quilts recently

Would a good quality flannel sheet work?

Most of the flannel sold at Jo Ann's is poor quality and it will pill after just a few washings. I use quilt shop quality flannel for quilt backs for that reason. I've bought wide flannel at thousands of bolts dot com, no problems with the quality there.
Sharon in Texas

What about Minky? for your back! it does stretch so you need to consider that when sewing but it's really nice fabric.

That's a great idea to use an LLBean sheet!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I haven't bought anything yet, but quilt doesn't need to be done until May :)

I love a flannel backing. I finished a quilt a few days ago and used flannel on the back. i washed and dried it first, but should have washing it multiple times since it bled (red). I was able to get most of the "pink" out of it by more washing and a final wash of Synthrapol , which I should have used the first time, and will remember from now on. I'm not sure about fleece shrinking, but what the hey, why take a chance!

I ordered flannel from Connecting Threads, since it was 50% off. If I don't like it when I receive it, I'll buy something else. Thanks for your suggestions.
Marcia