I also use fleece a lot for backing. those quilts are super warm. And don't need batting. Flannel you still need batting. But as I said I use both and love them both.
I would love to see a full version of the quilt you made. I have this same baby print ( birds, lime green zig zags etc.) but don’t know really how to lay it out. I have 5” squares and 2 1/2” strips Thanks 🙏
I love working with flannel, but as much as I also love precuts, I will not buy flannel precuts. If you have ever made the mistake of washing a charm pack or a layer cake, you know that it is a huge no-no even with regular 100% cotton. With flannel it is a disaster. So all my flannel is in yardage that I can prewash and dry, let it shrink up and then I starch it and cut to the sizes I need.
Thanks for sharing. I've never worked with flannel so I did some research and found your advice all over the internet. I'm kind of nervous to use it now 😢
@@veevee111 I have just bought flannel pre cuts for first time before watching all the videos on how much trouble it is. After watching quite a few, I'm not going to pre shrink it, just starch it to prevent stretching while sewing like recommended in most videos. I decided to make a throw for myself and wash a couple of times to see what happens before making a quilt for anyone else! Hope you enjoy your quilt. I just hope the precuts are all the same size as I have found some pieces smaller and some larger than specified size of precut on package.
I bought a kit from keepsake quilting and it has a charm pack. What happens if I pre-shrink it? When you pre-shrink do you use warm water? What was the mistake and you pre-shrunk your charm pack?
@@peggyr3862 same. I have decided not to pre-shrink it. I’ve read that I should use a size 16 needle and clean out around the Bobbin area frequently as it’s very fuzzy.
Hi and thanks a lot for the tutorial. I would like to know which batting you use with flannels? Also, I have just bought 2 layer cakes of flannel for my next quilt. I usually prewash my flannel twice and dried it twice when using yardage but how about precuts?
Great question! The ‘Ask an Expert’ section is currently for members of our online community. I would be happy to send your question off to the experts. To get started, please send the email associated with your paid membership account. Thanks!
Flannel is a nightmare! I decided to do a quick and easy quilt using single one piece regular cotton for top piece, one strip/piece of batting and one sheet of flannel.....putting together sandwich inside out, sewing 3/4 around the edges and then turning it right side out. Ive topstitched the 4 sides and now im trying to do line stitch quilting but the stitching size and tension is changing throughout just one row. Ive put in a new needle in my machine and, pinned it but ive spent more time on this quick and easy quilt (not to mention all the thread ive had to discard after ripping out) then i ever imagined doing I have bought enough material for two "quick" blankets to make for my adult grandchildren You have presented some very good info but what am i doing wrong? HELP!
Try pinning a lot using safety pins. Starching the flannel fabric would help as it won’t stretch while you’re sewing. If you baste the back fabric with spray glue (the one that everyone uses for quilting) to the batting and pin the front fabric with lots of safety pins, it would help a lot. But generally I don’t like those projects that turn inside out so that you don’t have to bind the raw edges, they tend to shift a lot even with a walking foot attachment. But pins and starching fabric are your best friends.
How would you preshrink a flannel layer cake? Wouldn’t it unravel a lot? What would you recommend for water temperature and drying? I love the feel of flannel and want to make a T-shirt quilt with cotton sashing but flannel back, the sashing then should also be pre washed? Thank you for tip about fluff in machine to clean out frequently.
Hi, I would actually not recommend pre-shrinking precut fabrics, as they can be fairly tedious to then press, given their small size. This being said- always treat all of your fabric the same when piecing a top, meaning that if you don't pre-shrink the block you wouldn't pre-shrink the strips either.
I wish i would have watched this day before yesterday. I sewed a fit and flare dress yesterday and now I'm afraid to wash it EVER 😂😂 I'll but cute and stinky lolololol
@@ShakiraYah It is , in my opinion, the only way to treat flannel. Make sure you specify DRY CLEAN ONLY! or they may send it to laundry and have it washed.
What size needle do you use and what type of thread. Does the tension vary. I am just about to sew my first flannel quilt. When sewing cotton I tend to use a 70 needle and superior thread 50 or 60 thread.
You can actually use the same needle and thread for sewing flannel that you would for sewing cotton fabric. And no, you should not have to adjust the tension.
I love Superior Thread, too! Superior thread has great educational information on their website for matching their various threads and needles to your fabric. They also have a wonderful troubleshooting guide that includes some minor machine adjustments you can make that can help when setting up your machine to sew on varied fabrics.
I heard polyester thread is actually nice for flannel to withstand the weight of thick flannel and use larger stitches to accommodate the thickness of flannel (like 3 mm). Polyester thread is definitely going to last longer, you can use 50-60 but for polyester since it’s so strong you can just use 60 and use very good quality one.
Help! My thread keeps breaking when I try to quilt my quilt. I have cotton top and flannel backing. I've changed needles, changed bobbin, cleaned out all lint. Anyone know why? So frustrating.
After you check whether your needle is big enough to go through the layers, whether your needle matches the recommendations for your type of thread, and whether your needle is threaded correctly, then try adjusting your pressure foot adjustment because the thicker layers might need slightly less pressure. If you have a walking foot, it may be good to use it, too.
Look for sales. Joann fabrics has flannel occasionally for $2.99 a yard. Single sided type. I’m typing this during covid, it amazes me that they sell it that cheap during covid, because there’s a lot of pricing inflation. I just purchased a total of 25 yards of different ones.
I love to use flannel in rag quilts. I'm starting one now as a matter of fact. I love your video!
Yay, thank you!
I made a quilt using this pattern coupled with the various Kaufman flannels, and it really turned out great. Thank you for all the good tips!
Thank you for the youtube video on quilting with flannel and cotton top cover. Now to the washing machine. Do you recommend adding batting?
I also use fleece a lot for backing. those quilts are super warm. And don't need batting. Flannel you still need batting. But as I said I use both and love them both.
Thanks . i can use the batting on another peoject.
I would love to see a full version of the quilt you made. I have this same baby print ( birds, lime green zig zags etc.) but don’t know really how to lay it out. I have 5” squares and 2 1/2” strips Thanks 🙏
Is the stay-stitch on the top only, not including batting/backing? Thanks!
I love working with flannel, but as much as I also love precuts, I will not buy flannel precuts. If you have ever made the mistake of washing a charm pack or a layer cake, you know that it is a huge no-no even with regular 100% cotton. With flannel it is a disaster. So all my flannel is in yardage that I can prewash and dry, let it shrink up and then I starch it and cut to the sizes I need.
Thanks for sharing. I've never worked with flannel so I did some research and found your advice all over the internet. I'm kind of nervous to use it now 😢
@@veevee111 I have just bought flannel pre cuts for first time before watching all the videos on how much trouble it is. After watching quite a few, I'm not going to pre shrink it, just starch it to prevent stretching while sewing like recommended in most videos. I decided to make a throw for myself and wash a couple of times to see what happens before making a quilt for anyone else!
Hope you enjoy your quilt. I just hope the precuts are all the same size as I have found some pieces smaller and some larger than specified size of precut on package.
I bought a kit from keepsake quilting and it has a charm pack. What happens if I pre-shrink it? When you pre-shrink do you use warm water? What was the mistake and you pre-shrunk your charm pack?
@@peggyr3862 same. I have decided not to pre-shrink it. I’ve read that I should use a size 16 needle and clean out around the Bobbin area frequently as it’s very fuzzy.
Hi and thanks a lot for the tutorial. I would like to know which batting you use with flannels? Also, I have just bought 2 layer cakes of flannel for my next quilt. I usually prewash my flannel twice and dried it twice when using yardage but how about precuts?
Great question! The ‘Ask an Expert’ section is currently for members of our online community. I would be happy to send your question off to the experts. To get started, please send the email associated with your paid membership account. Thanks!
Flannel is a nightmare! I decided to do a quick and easy quilt using single one piece regular cotton for top piece, one strip/piece of batting and one sheet of flannel.....putting together sandwich inside out, sewing 3/4 around the edges and then turning it right side out. Ive topstitched the 4 sides and now im trying to do line stitch quilting but the stitching size and tension is changing throughout just one row. Ive put in a new needle in my machine and, pinned it but ive spent more time on this quick and easy quilt (not to mention all the thread ive had to discard after ripping out) then i ever imagined doing
I have bought enough material for two "quick" blankets to make for my adult grandchildren
You have presented some very good info but what am i doing wrong? HELP!
Try pinning a lot using safety pins. Starching the flannel fabric would help as it won’t stretch while you’re sewing. If you baste the back fabric with spray glue (the one that everyone uses for quilting) to the batting and pin the front fabric with lots of safety pins, it would help a lot. But generally I don’t like those projects that turn inside out so that you don’t have to bind the raw edges, they tend to shift a lot even with a walking foot attachment. But pins and starching fabric are your best friends.
How would you preshrink a flannel layer cake? Wouldn’t it unravel a lot? What would you recommend for water temperature and drying? I love the feel of flannel and want to make a T-shirt quilt with cotton sashing but flannel back, the sashing then should also be pre washed? Thank you for tip about fluff in machine to clean out frequently.
Hi, I would actually not recommend pre-shrinking precut fabrics, as they can be fairly tedious to then press, given their small size. This being said- always treat all of your fabric the same when piecing a top, meaning that if you don't pre-shrink the block you wouldn't pre-shrink the strips either.
I wish i would have watched this day before yesterday. I sewed a fit and flare dress yesterday and now I'm afraid to wash it EVER 😂😂 I'll but cute and stinky lolololol
HAVE IT DRY CLEANED
@@funforeawhile yup i wore it once and as soon as I got home I placed it on a hanger lolol i refuse to lose my hard work!
@@ShakiraYah It is , in my opinion, the only way to treat flannel. Make sure you specify DRY CLEAN ONLY! or they may send it to laundry and have it washed.
@@funforeawhile thank you so much im new to sewing so all pearls of wisdom are most welcomed ❤❤❤❤❤
What size needle do you use and what type of thread. Does the tension vary. I am just about to sew my first flannel quilt. When sewing cotton I tend to use a 70 needle and superior thread 50 or 60 thread.
You can actually use the same needle and thread for sewing flannel that you would for sewing cotton fabric. And no, you should not have to adjust the tension.
I love Superior Thread, too!
Superior thread has great educational information on their website for matching their various threads and needles to your fabric. They also have a wonderful troubleshooting guide that includes some minor machine adjustments you can make that can help when setting up your machine to sew on varied fabrics.
I heard polyester thread is actually nice for flannel to withstand the weight of thick flannel and use larger stitches to accommodate the thickness of flannel (like 3 mm). Polyester thread is definitely going to last longer, you can use 50-60 but for polyester since it’s so strong you can just use 60 and use very good quality one.
Help! My thread keeps breaking when I try to quilt my quilt. I have cotton top and flannel backing. I've changed needles, changed bobbin, cleaned out all lint. Anyone know why? So frustrating.
This could be a tension issue. Ensure that your tension is not set too tight, as this can cause the thread to break.
After you check whether your needle is big enough to go through the layers, whether your needle matches the recommendations for your type of thread, and whether your needle is threaded correctly, then try adjusting your pressure foot adjustment because the thicker layers might need slightly less pressure. If you have a walking foot, it may be good to use it, too.
I like flannel but quality flannel is $2-3 more a yard.
Look for sales. Joann fabrics has flannel occasionally for $2.99 a yard. Single sided type. I’m typing this during covid, it amazes me that they sell it that cheap during covid, because there’s a lot of pricing inflation. I just purchased a total of 25 yards of different ones.