I am planning on making a quilt for my niece who is having her first baby. I want to embroidery the designs on cotton and possible sash with cotton. My questions is - can I put flannel on the back? Can I make a burp cloth out of flannel and then trim with cotton fabric? Also, could you do a cotton top and put fleece on the back to make the blanket warmer? Thanks for your help.
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Yes, you can use flannel. Surge the edges of the quilt top and the flannel you will be using for the back and pre-shrink them before assembly. Then use the serger with a single needle to attach the binding. If you don't have a serger use the overlock stitch on your regular sewing machine or a zigzag stitch. As for the fleece, yes however the fleece will stretch so baste well before quilting or tie the quilt with yarn and don't spare the ties.
4 comments
by momhome
16 Jan 2013
My, I really hadn't thought this all the way through. I didn't even think about the quilting/tie part - nor the batting. Would I need batting with fleece? I appreciate your help.
by pennyhal
16 Jan 2013
Fleece and flannel and batting would be overkill. There are many ways to do this Usually people use cotton/batting/fleece, or cotton/fleece. The idea is to not get the quilt too bulky or heavy for a baby. If you use batting, choose a thin one. You might consider embroidering on a plain color flannel and back it with a printed flannel and not use a batting at all for a light quilt, or a thin bat for a heavier quilt.
by theduchess
18 Jan 2013
You can always use a thick interfacing. Since it's a baby quilt and the quilt is not a source of heat just a cover-up..This way it's sturdy but lightweight.
7293You need to handle the flannel with care as it stretches, while the cotton top will not. I make and love lots of flannel rag quilts and have that same issue even though it is all flannel. Good luck. Hugs. Nan W
3 comments
by momhome
16 Jan 2013
Thanks. I didn't realize that flannel would stretch. I appreciate you letting me know.
by pennyhal
16 Jan 2013
There is a big difference between flannels. The more they cost, usually the better the quality the fabric is. Flannel shrinks a lot, so prewash it too.
11927Hi, I have recently made two quilts with cotton tops with flannel on the back :) I used the normal 1/4" on the top and made my side seams (joining flannel to top 1/2". I have washed them and have had no problems at all. :) You do have to be fairly careful when doing the quilting through the layers so that the flannel lies flat :) Am attaching a picture of the quilt with the corner turned over so you can see the flannel :)
2 comments
by momhome
16 Jan 2013
What a beautiful quilt. Thanks for showing me the example. I appreciate your answers.
by cfidl
20 Jan 2013
Terri, this looks wonderful. I still have not done my first quilt and I think I will do it this way. Thanks
16251My 2nd question: I know you are suppose to make quarter (1/4) inch seams on quilts, but I'm afraid the material will fray with this small of seams. What do I need to do so that the baby quilt will hold up to all the washing it will need?
5 comments
by dragonflyer
16 Jan 2013
I have seen some with the piecing done entirely on the serger to insure the seams will not ravel...I usually do not prewash, but if you are using both flannel and cotton, I would...serger seams will add a bit extra bulk, but I do not think that this is a problem...what batting will you be using?
by momhome
16 Jan 2013
Thank you for your answer. I haven't even thought about the batting yet. Would I need to use batting if I am using fleece? What kind of batting would you use if backing with flannel?
by dragonflyer
16 Jan 2013
You would not need batting if you backed the quilt with fleece...you could also use a layer of flannel as the batting...this would be lighter in weight than a regular batting like Warm & Natural...It depends upon how heavy you want the quilt to be...I just made a baby quilt with flannel on top and back with Warm & Natural as the batting...I did not think it was too thick...but I wanted it to be more than a "receiving" weight blanket...more like a quilt...and the mother-to-be was really delighted it was heavy enough to lay on the floor as well. So many things to think about...I know whatever you decide will be loved and cherished...you really can't go wrong...
by momhome
16 Jan 2013
Thanks for the words of encouragement. You have given me a lot to think about and I know it will help make a better quilt.
by cfidl
20 Jan 2013
The new trend is to make seams 5/8 inch and open them all, which I find easiest. Times have changed and we don't have to so we do the old ways only when we want!
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