grma33

Daughter wants flannel on the back of her queen.
A quilt store owner told me she didn`t stock the wide as the quality wasn`t as good as the 45.
i think she wanted me to buy 45 from her.I think not! Not for Canadian prices!
Fabric.com has both on sale and I get free shipping to my friend in mi.
What are your thoughts on which is better.
anyone bought the wide from them?
Thanks Gale

Tartan

If I was machine quilting, I think I would look for a good quality flannel flat sheet. Figure out the price dfference between a good sheet and ordering the wide flannel and see which is less. I am always cautious about buying flannel I can't touch.

Quiltngolfer

I had the same problem. Flannel can be thin. I ended up ordering from Keepsake Quilts. They have good quality flannel, but a little pricey.

QuiltE

Good suggestion, Tartan.

As for the quality variations ... some of the wideback flannelettes are the SAME as the regulars, just made that way.

I have found flannelettes have a wide variation in the quality. The only way I feel good about any is to buy a piece and wash it. I've had some that seemed great in the store and when I brought it home and washed it, it was like cardboard ... or went limp and thin ... and recently, some that started to pill like it does after much usage. Being flannelette I usually wash it two (or more) times, just to get a good sense of what's happening and to get the shrinkage under control!!! I've also had allegedly cheap stuff according to look, feel and price) that when washed, it was soft and fluffy and all I could say was, I want more!!

So my suggestion is for you to buy a piece of what you would like to use and wash it up in hot water with a hot dryer. Be your own judge and make your own decisions! Be sure to measure before and after so you know the shrinkage and can adjust your purchased amount accordingly.

For sure, you can get wideback flannelettes at the Len's stores. Not knowing where you are in Southern Ontario, I don't know if the following may be possible for you. I'm pretty sure that there are wide back flannelettes at ...
Lilac Lane, Alliston
Creative Sisters, Kitchener
Cobwebs and Caviar, Shelburne
............., New Hamburg (sorry, can't remember the name)
and I know I have seen them in many other LQS'!

NJ Quilter

I think the only flannel I would order online would be Moda. Or any other manufacturer that you have touched and felt and KNOW what their flannel is like. It's so much trickier than regular cotton to determine quality. At least for me. I'm a touchy feely kinda gal so would only buy online something that I've touched/felt in person already.

feline fanatic

I bought a remnant of wide flannel from Thousands of bolts once and was not happy with the quality, the brand is Quilt traditions and it was very skimpy flannel. Some wide back flannels are very nice. Sew Batik makes wide back flannel that is to die for but is very, very spendy. I agree with Tartan, that you would probably be just as safe getting a flannel sheet from a big box store like walmart and it would be a fraction of the cost. Wide back flannel from Sewbatik runs over $20 per yard and is only 106" wide. 44" flannel of very nice quality.... In addition to Moda which is very lucious, I have also found these brands very "safe" to buy on line (quality comparable to Moda). I have gotten all of these from www.thousandsofbolts.com
Robert Kaufman, Maywood Studios and Northcott. I am sure others are nice, these are the ones I have first hand experience with.

Caroline S

I agree with Tartan. I use good quality flannel sheets all the time when I need a wide backing. I find mine at the local thrift stores for about $4 each. Look for portugese flannel as it is the best quality, is heavier, and does not pill. The thrift store sheets likely have been through numerous washings and will not shrink and bleed a lot of like new flannels.

totosmom

Hmmm, my experience with flannel from thousands of bolts dot com was the opposite of that of Feline Fanatics. Last winter I made my hubby a flannel quilt and found some wonderful WIDE flannels there. They were all a thick, double brushed fabric of superior quality. You may want to check them out. This is one of the several that I used, and they still have many choices in stock.

http://www.thousandsofbolts.com/inde...oduct_ID=41933

And I agree with QuiltE -- be sure to wash it a few times in hot water and dry on a high setting to shrink it as much as possible before you sew. A year later, DHs "man quilt" has not pilled and is still in great shape.

Hope this helps!

Susanna10

I buy most of my flannel for everything at the thrift store. Shirts, pajamas, sheets, etc. You can feel and see what you are getting.

QuiltE

Grma33 ... I just remembered another wideback flannelette source. When I was last there, the dry goods store in Floradale had lots of wide back flannelettes in modern type prints. Also had lots of flannelette sheeting, if you want plain.