Major shrinkage

Ivebeen making small baby quilts for gifts for people that I don't really know well. They are a great size for a carriage or the car seat - about receiving blanket size. Quick to make up. The one I posted earlier this week was about 33" x 33" but when I washed it it lost about three inches each way. Isn't that a lot of shrinkage for such a small item? It was all flannel. I usually only wash after the quilt is done (no pre washing) because I'm so anxious to get started.

Does flannel usually shrink that much? If so, I guess I better learn to take the time to pre wash.

From what I've read - yes flannel does shrink so it should always be pre-washed.

Flannel shrinks up a LOT. And it also depends on the brand of flannel. I don't prewash for rag quilts but I do plan for the shrinkage for the finished size. I found that Maywood flannel is thicker and doesn't shrink as much as some other flannels.

Oh Nancy, I'm so sorry it shrinked so much! Flannel shrinks A LOT and will continue to shrink up to 2 or 3 washing sometimes. It's always good to buy extra flannel and prewash it before using it. *hugs*

I've read that you should wash flannel at least 3 times before using it. I'm thinking that it probably wouldn't hurt to wash in hot water one of the times.

Thanks for the info on flannel. I made three rag quilts for the grandkids and didn't prewash, but did wash them before giving it to them. I didn't notice any shrinkage, but I bet it did. They were smaller, lap size quilts anyway, so if they shrank, it didn't much matter. But, in the future, I will prewash flannel. My niece is expecting a baby, and I was thinking of making her recieving blankets and burp cloths, so this info is timely.

I needed to hear this! I've never used flannel before for a quilt and didn't know that it shrunk so much. I'm planning on using it for the back of a homespun quilt and I do not want the quilt to shrink! Sounds like three time's the charm.

Thanks for the heads up on the shrinkage. I just bought some flannel to back the baby quilts I am making. I will definitely wash it before I use it.

When I started quilting all I used was flannel. I made several quilts, never ever prewashed! OOPS! And I am guessing I didn't notice shrinkage because I was just so thrilled to see what I made and then see how happy the recipient was! I will for sure keep this in mind when using flannel from now on....did not know this!

That is the one fabric I ALWAYS pre wash. It just shrinks so much. So sorry though that you didn't know this beforehand.

I like using flannel in quilts, but it is the one fabric I ALWAYS prewash in warm water and dry in a warm dryer to get the shrinkage taken care of before I start.

Nancy,

Flannel does shrink a lot, and it can shrink the next time it's washed and dried also. Except for rag quilts I always pre-wash flannel. Some flannels are really stable and shrink very little, but there's no way of knowing how it will react. Sorry this happened to your quilts! Barb

Thanks for all the advice on flannel. I will definately pre-wash (multiple times) in the future. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Live and learn. The quilt is still cute, just small. But then so are babies....teehee!