IN THE KNOW
Flannel and wool: the key to keeping cosy this winter. Suzy Williams offers her best tips on how to work with our fluffy friends
Our columnist Suzy Williams aka Suzy Quilts gives up her top tips and tricks for staying warm with fuzzy flannel and wool
They say that the winter holidays are the most wonderful time of the year… but you know what I say? They’re waaay to cold! If you’re like me, you’ve already started gathering all of the necessary tools to combat the winter wind. My go to items? Some great mittens, a huge travel mug and a good stash of wool and flannel. Creating some warm, fuzzy quilts is the only thing that gets me through the ridiculous freezing Chicago months. I had to learn very quickly the best methods for quilting with fabrics like flannel and wool. I’d love to share some of my favourite tips and tricks, because after all, we’re all in this wintry world together – unless you live on the equator, in which case… how do you feel about house guests?
Let’s start with flannel
Flannel fabrics are a great gateway material to have in your warm-andpiece arsenal before you get into heavy duty wool. It’s definitely a favourite when it comes to that soft, cosy feel, but it has some skeletons in its closet. Flannel gets that amazingly softness from an important step in the flannel-making process, in which a fine metal brush is used to raise some of the cloth’s fibres, really upping it’s oh-so fluffy feel. The warmth created by this method is a great asset, but it comes with some quilting complications. The nappiness, coupled with flannel’s relatively loose weave, can really lint up your sewing machine. Make sure you’re keeping tabs on your bobbin, as well as your needle, while quilting with flannel, and make sure you clean both of them thoroughly after you’re finished.
Other things to keep in mind
Flannel frays. Those same looselywoven fibres that give you that soft and cuddly feel also come apart easily on the edges. Because of this, you’re going to want to increase your seam allowance when quilting with flannel from the typical ¼in all the way to ½in. This usually means purchasing up to a quarter more, but trust me, it’s worth it.
Flannel also shrinks. A lot. So when you take your fabric home and pre-wash it (and yes, you are going to want to pre-wash it), it’s going to come out of the dryer smaller than it was when you put it in. Another reason to buy a bit extra, and wash before you measure and cut!
And lastly…
Use some high-quality tools. Flannel is thicker and softer than your average fabric, so it’s a little hard on
FLANNEL IS DEFINITELY A FAVOURITE WHEN IT COMES TO THAT SOFT, COSY FEEL
the hardware. Use sharp scissors and arm your sewing machine with a new needle. Set yourself up for some warm, cuddly success.
Now that you’re up to speed on all of flannel’s secrets, wrap yourself up in that newly-sewn flannel quilt, and get to work on the next step: wool.
For all of wool’s amazing warming qualities, quilting with it isn’t all warm fuzzies. Wool is an amazing natural fibre that resists mold, mildew, wrinkles and even flames. Whaaat? Wool, how are you so cool? I mean you had me at “warm and dry,” but all these amenities have me anxious to get going. It’s durable, and boasts as close to a lifetime warranty as you can get. But for all it’s great qualities, working with wool can take some extra time, care, and again, some good hardware. We’re going to pack our strongest, brawniest sewing tools on this trip. Arm yourself with high quality poly or silk thread, a strong needle and pinking shears before hitting the sewing table.
“Your machine’s going to be working hard with wool under the needle, but your future will be so, so warm” SUZY QUILTS