Yes, we are in the middle of winter. The weather can be exciting or boring. A little beautiful snow here today got me thinking about working with flannel. Well, and a quilt I’m making for a new little on on the way. I will be using flannel. I’ve given flannel tips before, so just sharing a couple things that work.

#1 Pre-wash flannel! It does shrink more than regular cotton.

I do pre-wash, always, when it comes to flannel. It shrinks and it is good to see how it washes. If it pills, don’t use it. It will only do it again and not add anything to your quilt. By pre-washing it tightens the weave of the fabric. If you feel you don’t like how drapey it become from washing out the sizing, use spray starch or Best Press to add body back to the fabric.

#2- Cut a snip at the corner to help prevent fraying.

Flannel is known for fraying. I cut a snip at the corner of the selvages and a little snip at the fold. It helped keep the edges from unraveling. Yes, they still did a little but not nearly as much as usual.

I love a flannel quilt to snuggle under! With care it is easy to sew and worth the extra effort. This is one of my favorite flannel quilts…

The cover of my 4-3-2-1-DONE pattern. It has simple blocks and is great to show off fabrics. It uses fat quarters! It makes a great baby quilt. Probably not the pattern I’ll use this time but I have used it MANY times when I need a quick quilt!

in quilting,

Debbie