pester

So I am fairly new to quilting and one of my best friends is expecting. :D So of course she will be getting a quilt LOL. I finely talked to her yesterday and have Green as the color for a boy. :lol:

Well after snooping around the fabric store yesterday I was thinking about branching out into flannels. So what do I need to know??? Any advice you can give me that you wish you had known before working with flannel the first time. Thanks as always.

Prism99

If you're planning to piece the flannel (instead of making a rag quilt), I highly recommend heavily starching the flannel before cutting. It stabilizes it so it doesn't stretch or distort on you while cutting and piecing.

My starching method is easy. I just mix up a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" the solution on with a large wall painting brush until fabric is saturated, toss in dryer, and iron with steam. Flannel comes out pretty stiff this way, similar to lightweight cardstock, and is *not* going to stretch on you. Of course you need to wash the quilt before giving it to someone!

Depending on the pattern, I also like to use 1/2" seams with flannel because of the potential for fraying.

littlehud

My only suggestion is to make sure you wash it. Twice. It shrinks a lot.