Jackie R

Am going to try to make a quick baby quilt soon and was wondering if there is a certain type of flannel to get for a baby quilt backing or is it all about the same? And is it easy to work with?

Thanks a bunch.

LastGrandma

All good quality flannel is about the same. They are great for backing baby quilts, and now come in so many patterns and colors the choices can be daunting!

Just make sure that the flannel is thick and soft before you wash it! It will shrink quite a bit, so be sure to buy plenty if you wash all your material before making the quilt.

I am finding that the cheap flannel just does not last and will fall apart after a few washings, so spending a little extra on good quality flannel (may not be the most expensive either!) is well worth it.

Happy quilting!

mom-6

When you go shopping feel all the flannels and you will find that they are not all created equal. You can also hold them up to the light and see a diffence sometimes. Also, do be sure to machine wash on hot and dry it in the dryer before cutting, as some of it is subject to quite a bit of shrinkage.

bibliostone

Make sure you avoid the ones labeled "Not for Children". Also, I always use a larger seam allowance when I use flannel and I pink the edges.

quiltinghere

Gee I wish I had these suggestions before I made a flannel baby quilt and gave it away. :(

Wonder how it;s holding up?

littlehud

Just make sure to wash it. It's going to shrink a lot.

ckcowl

when yo shop for flannels
they will all say not for childrens sleep wear...because they do not have the fire retardant added that is required on fabrics used to make jammies.... that has no bearing on good flannel for baby blankets.
the fabrics with the fire retardant added only lasts few a certain number of washes anyway, then it looses it's properties. so don't try to limit your choices trying to find fabrics not intended for quilts anyway.

Jackie R

Thanks to everyone for your input on flannel for children. It has helped me a lot!

Jackie

BKrenning

They say "Not for Children's Sleepwear" and that is because they haven't been treated with the flame retardant that childrens "flanellette" pajamas have. I think it's a law that all sleepwear for children under a certain age has to be treated with the stuff.

This has been a hot topic on some other groups. The treated fabrics smell funny & feel slick. I don't like them for quilting so I'm going to continue to use regular cotton flannel and acrylic fleece for baby quilts and just continue to hope that the babies I give them to are never in a house fire or that anyone uses the baby blanket I made to smother a fire.