nature lover

I have seen some beautiful rag quilts, but am having a difficult time finding coordinating flannels. I do not want to use any childish prints, even though there sure are alot of cute ones. Can I use a mixture of flannels and regular cotton quilting fabric? Would there be a difference in overall fraying or shrinkage? Also, was going use flannel for batting, is a third layer necessary if using flannel for outside fabrics? Thanks for any input.

lynnie

I found flannels at Walmart about 10 yrs ago, really cheap 99cents/yd.
was a great quality too. look around, you may need to buy from a
few sources to have enough. good luck.
mine was all flannel
I've also used denim, frays beautifully

wannaquilt1

I made a rag quilt for my nephews for Christmas last yr out of cotton on top, batting in the middle and flannel on back. It was super warm and Freyd nicely. I wouldn't mix flannel and cotton cuz it will Frey different but I don't think there is anything wrong with using cotton.

dunster

Flannel should be washed - sometimes several ties - to get rid of all the shrinkage. It will still fray nicely after washing. Washing also tells you if the flannel will bleed (it does this more often than quilter's cotton) and whether it will pill (doesn't seem to be related to price - sometimes it does, sometimes not). I use a mixture of flannel and corduroy in my rag quilts, because I like the texture of the corduroy, and see no reason not to combine flannel with regular cotton if you want. You might check Connecting Threads for flannel too. Theirs seems to be a good quality, but there isn't always a large selection. I use 3 layers of flannel in my rag quilts, no batting, giving more fabric for fraying and eliminating the need for quilting through the blocks to hold them together.

SherriB

I have made several rag quilts with cotton and flannel combinations. I used good quality cotton for the top and two layers of good quality flannel for the batting and backing. I did not have any problems with uneven shrinking and they frayed really nicely.

auntpiggylpn

This is how I make my rag quilts also. I use cotton on the top and 2 layers of flannel cut the same size and no batting. If you cut all three layers the same size, you don't have to sew an "X" across the blocks like you do when you use batting. Of course, I guess this would depend on how big your squares are; I use my Go to cut mine so I think they are less than 10" square. If you were using 12" squares, I think I would sew that "x" on the block to keep the layers together.

Jo C

I use cotton front and back and 1 layer of unwashed flannel in the middle. I do sew the x in each block so any flannel shrinkage is minimal.

luvTooQuilt

I use three layers of flannel... i try to use three or four coordinating fabrics.. maybe all blue but different hues.. and keep it scrappy..

ragquilter

I have used denim, flannel and 100% cotton. I use a middle layer of flannel or cotton, if I want a summer weight quilt. I have used all 3 on one quilt (denim on the back, flannel in the middle and cotton on the top). 3 layers gives a nice thick "ruffle" of fraying.

AliKat

FYI, I don't prewash my flannel for rag quilts because I like the look when it is finished. Also it is easier for me to cut the material for the blocks.