Prewash flannel for rag quilt?
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Maine
Posts: 293
Prewash flannel for rag quilt?
Good morning all,
I am new to using flannel and I want to know if I should wash it before assembling a rag quilt? I have heard flannel shrinks quite a lot. Looking for advice from people with more experience than me.
Thanks! JC
I am new to using flannel and I want to know if I should wash it before assembling a rag quilt? I have heard flannel shrinks quite a lot. Looking for advice from people with more experience than me.
Thanks! JC
#3
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
When doing rag quilts I have never prewashed the flannel. I put my sandwich squares together, stitch an X across them to hold everything together, or quilt them , assemble, clip then I take it outside & give it a really good shake ( the birds collect the threads/ fluff. If it’s a big quilt I take it to the laundromat & use their largest machine, if it’s not so big I launder it at home. After the first spin cycle I stop the machine, take it out & go outside to shake the dickens out of it again- I clean out any stuff left in the washer put it back in and finish the cycle. I do it all again ( outside to shake etc) before it goes into the dryer, after about 20 minutes I take it out, empty the full lint trap, take it out for a good shake then finish drying. I’ve never had any come out bad due to uneven shrinking or anything else. The batting and stitching helps. My family loves raggy quilts.
#4
I always pre-wash flannel because it shrinks unevenly and seems to bleed more often than other cotton fabrics. When constructing the quilt, I use three layers of flannel with no batting, sometimes mixing in some corduroy, so I don't have to quilt an X through the squares and all 3 layers of flannel produce more fraying. Be sure to make your seams 1/2" or larger instead of the traditional 1/4" when making a rag quilt.
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,821
I have just finished 2 rag quilts and did them just like ckcowl does hers. My thought on flannel is --it depends. In my experience the lighter-weight flannels do not shrink as much as the thicker quilter flannels and they tend to not bleed either. So far, so good with the rag quilts I have made. They are a lot of fun!
#10
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southern Louisiana
Posts: 9,829
Flannel shrinks a lot, a lot. And the fabrics do not shrink the same rate. My LQS advised me to wash the fabrics in warm water and let them completely dry in a dryer. Be very careful with mixing colors in the washer. Reds tend to bleed. Since my quilt is queen size and quite bulky, I have to use a large commercial washing machine to launder it and the results are perfect. There's no bleeding or shrinkage.
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