Prewash flannel for rag quilt?
 

Good morning all,

I am new to using flannel and I want to know if I should wash it before assembling a rag quilt? I have heard flannel shrinks quite a lot. Looking for advice from people with more experience than me.

Thanks! JC

I always do. and different flannels shrink at different rates. also, the same flannel, if laid out wof or length, may shrink at different rates.

When doing rag quilts I have never prewashed the flannel. I put my sandwich squares together, stitch an X across them to hold everything together, or quilt them , assemble, clip then I take it outside & give it a really good shake ( the birds collect the threads/ fluff. If it’s a big quilt I take it to the laundromat & use their largest machine, if it’s not so big I launder it at home. After the first spin cycle I stop the machine, take it out & go outside to shake the dickens out of it again- I clean out any stuff left in the washer put it back in and finish the cycle. I do it all again ( outside to shake etc) before it goes into the dryer, after about 20 minutes I take it out, empty the full lint trap, take it out for a good shake then finish drying. I’ve never had any come out bad due to uneven shrinking or anything else. The batting and stitching helps. My family loves raggy quilts.

I always pre-wash flannel because it shrinks unevenly and seems to bleed more often than other cotton fabrics. When constructing the quilt, I use three layers of flannel with no batting, sometimes mixing in some corduroy, so I don't have to quilt an X through the squares and all 3 layers of flannel produce more fraying. Be sure to make your seams 1/2" or larger instead of the traditional 1/4" when making a rag quilt.

I wash the flannel first also..

i wash everything washable before i cut it to size.

In one word, yes. Pre wash, dry in dryer at high setting, then do it again. It removes a ton of lint and the flannel will be as shrunk as it will ever be.

Have fun with the quilt!

Flannel is notorious for both shrinking and bleeding. I get that over with at the beginning of a project.

I have just finished 2 rag quilts and did them just like ckcowl does hers. My thought on flannel is --it depends. In my experience the lighter-weight flannels do not shrink as much as the thicker quilter flannels and they tend to not bleed either. So far, so good with the rag quilts I have made. They are a lot of fun!

Flannel shrinks a lot, a lot. And the fabrics do not shrink the same rate. My LQS advised me to wash the fabrics in warm water and let them completely dry in a dryer. Be very careful with mixing colors in the washer. Reds tend to bleed. Since my quilt is queen size and quite bulky, I have to use a large commercial washing machine to launder it and the results are perfect. There's no bleeding or shrinkage.