Quilting with Flannel

Flannel is a popular fabric choice when it comes to making garments, like flannel pajamas, but it is also a great choice when wanting to make nice, warm, snuggly quilts. ZJ Humbach shares tips for quilting with flannel that can make preparing and working with the fabric much easier.

Flannel

ZJ first shows several examples of flannel fabric available on the market today and explains how you can find many more colors, prints and even panels than you could in the past. ZJ then explains some of the main differences between flannel, which is cotton, and your typical quilting cotton fabric. One of the biggest differences is that flannel has a nap, which means that it needs to be treated similarly to a directional fabric in some instances. ZJ explains why this is overly important when making a garment but how it should still be taken into consideration with quilting with flannel.

Washing Flannel Fabric

The topic of whether or not to pre-wash fabric for quilting is constantly debated. However, ZJ recommends pre-washing and pre-shrinking flannel prior to quilting with flannel. When quilting with different fabrics, such as flannel, how you prepare the fabric may differ from how you prepare quilting cotton. This is because flannel can both shrink as well as ravel. Pre-shrinking the flannel helps ensure that your quilt will stay the size you want it to if it is washed after it is completed. Removing some of the lint when washing it can also help eliminate some of the lint that may otherwise end up in your machine. ZJ gives tips on how to help reduce the amount of raveling that can occur when washing the fabric by stay stitching the edges.