A friend of my DDs' is pregnant, and due in September. So I took out the baby colors I have to make a quilt. It happened that they are all flannels. Well, I have backed quilts with flannel before, but never pieced the tops of flannel. I merrily cut out all the pieces and started to sew them together. Low and behold, the flannel doesn't 'play' as well as the cottons I normally piece with. I had some that stretched, and when I was strip piecing for a rail fence block, strips that started out the same didn't end together...
:( What suggestions do you have to help me in the process? |
I don't have any advice but I have learned, on this forum, that flannels shrink like crazy after getting washed so it's a good idea to wash the fabric before cutting it.
One thing that I have done is the past when using fabrics that don't play by the rules is to pin, pin, pin and pin some more. I ease the longer fabric onto the smaller fabric by pinning at both ends, then at the center and then evenly along the length of the seam. I hope this makes sense to you. |
Prewash. Prewash. Prewash.
Actually, some people do wash their flannels more than once before cutting them to get as much shrinkage out of them as possible. If you are cutting strips, I think it would be helpful to cut them on the way that has less stretch - usually the lengthwise grain that is parallel to the selvage. So when you sew the strips together, they might "play" better together. Also, depending on your flannel, make wider/deeper seams than 1/4 inch. The lighter/flimsier the flannel, the deeper the seam. Minimizes the chance of the seams pulling apart. |
walking foot, walking foot, walking foot :-)
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I agree with this advice.....prewash and walking foot
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My very first quilt was an around the world with 3" flannel blocks!!! I did wash it a few times first, and then to deal with the stretching, a slow laborious project before I had a walking foot, was stitch half way down the block, take out, and stitch down the other side, meeting n the middle. What a job, but, the corners matched and the quilt is 7 years old and washed a zillion times and still in every day use.
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Same as above. Always pre-wash flannels. I don't usually pre-wash my cottons but always the flannels because they do not play well together.
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I agree with all this advice especially the wider seams as I have had a few come apart after washing before I did wider seams.
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Try starching them heavily. Since you've already cut everything I don't think you can wash it now....so starch it and that will help with the moving of the fabric. And I mean HEAVY - many sprays and ironings. And don't push the fabric around - spray, then set the iron down on the square, then starch, set the iron down, repeat. Till its stiff. Then be VERY careful sewing.
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Originally Posted by MarthaVA
Try starching them heavily. Since you've already cut everything I don't think you can wash it now....so starch it and that will help with the moving of the fabric. And I mean HEAVY - many sprays and ironings. And don't push the fabric around - spray, then set the iron down on the square, then starch, set the iron down, repeat. Till its stiff. Then be VERY careful sewing.
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