Thanks for coming to visit Port Hope today for Sunday Stash. Port Hope is 16 hours behind Sydney, New South Wales, so I am posting this technically on Saturday so my Australian friends don’t have to wait too long for it to go live.
Port Hope is a town of about 11,000 situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, about 1 hour east of Toronto, which is the capital of Ontario, and the biggest city in Canada, but NOT the capital of Canada. There are two major rail lines running through town, so the sound of train whistles is a common backdrop. We are in late fall, coming into winter, meaning the days are short and snow is imminent. Go here to see our current weather.
Pretty Paisley flannel assortment
Panel squares Pretty Paisley flannel
For Sunday Stash, I was inspired by Michelle at Factotum of Arts to dig out an old set of winnings (and I did have the lid on the box, so they’re not dusty). I won this lovely Lesley Grainger FQ bundle, plus panel, from the Robert Kaufman blog Swatch and Stitch over a year ago, but got totally stumped–because it’s flannel. I’ve never quilted with flannel. So, dear readers, can you offer some suggestions? Would you quilt with it? What pattern? Or make something else–maybe placemats?
Panel squares showing border
Panel squares 3rd section
Please click on the frog to visit the linky page, and we will all appreciate you leaving comments on the blogs you visit. I hope you come back to visit again!
Lisa in Port Hope 
Your town looks so quaint Lisa. I would love to visit back east ; )
I’ve never used flannel on the front of a quilt, but I pretty much always use it for the back – it’s nice and cosy! The big issue with flannel, though, is that it tends to shrink a lot, so I’d definitely pre-wash it before doing anything. (I will say, though, that the higher quality stuff – I’ve used Moda and Riley Blake before – tends to shrink less than the no-name stuff you’ll find at a place like Fabricland. Still does shrink more than regular cotton though.)
That’s good advice, thanks! I did prewash it–I prewash almost everything, and I noticed that it shrank and twisted a bit. I’ll remember to be prepared for more shrinkage after washing the finished piece.
Hi Lisa! I second the comments about shrinkage, glad to hear you’ve washed your flannel already! I’ve also used flannel to make ribbon blankies for babies for baby shower gifts, they’re super easy but a pretty cute outcome 🙂
Love your fabrics…and your town. It looks like the perfect place to live!
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I have used quilting flannels for quilts a couple times very successfully. They are easy to baste & quilt & warm of course. Your fabric is pretty and the pre-printed blocks make it easier to piece. Maybe add some log cabin style sashing (maybe wonkey?) to make larger blocks and woo-lah, it’s a flimsy! The drawback I find for flannel quilts and the reason I do not use them much, is in longevity of the quilt. I just don’t think they hold up as well to laundering and use, but I may be wrong – I have gifted the ones I did make so not really sure.
Thanks! Actually I was thinking that I would need to backstitch. I can tell you that my daughter had 3 flannel backed bibs that I made and those have been washed in hot water, lots, and are holding up well.
I’ve never used flannel so I can’t advise but it all looks gorgeous – love those fabrics and colours!
I agree, they’re not babyish but would be nice for a young girl quilt.
I make a flannel lap quilt for our Lake Association picnic as a door prize every year. It makes a cozy quilt. I’ve done ‘raggy’ style as well as regular piecing. My only failure was applique hearts. The appliqued flannel shrank at a different rate than the underlying flannel block and it pulled away from the stitching. (Fortunately, my sister won that quilt, so I was able to fix it!) Love your fabrics. So cheery!
Great advice, thanks!
Oh Lisa you are such a sweetie for posting early for the time difference. Sorry i was not in contact early last week but some lightning took out or phone and modem with a power surge and we are still not connected. I appreciate a tiny insight into your town with the photos and descriptions. My boys would love to have one train line let alone two in our part of NSW! I am no help with flannel as I have never used it for quilting. Have a lovely week.
The adventures of country life! Enjoy being disconnected 🙂
Flannel works really well in “quilt as you go” quilts. I have used it as well in a raggy quilt and it turned out very nice. I think part of the charm of flannel is that it does shrink up and gets a really wrinkled look, which is pretty in its own way. What a lovely win!
Thanks for the feedback!