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Thick flannel quilt is hard to get under the presser foot

by Erika
(Wisconsin)

I'm quilting a baby quilt and my flannel fabric is really thick. I've broken two needles already.

Even when I have the presser foot raised to it's highest point it is still hard to get my fabric through.

When I removed the presser foot completely and tried sewing a scrap piece of fabric my stitches wouldn't stay in and was sporadic.

How do I quilt together thick material with my Brother LS-2125i sewing machine?

Reply

Though I cannot speak specifically about a Brother sewing machine(my machines are all Vikings), I can offer this general suggestion.

From what you've written, I suspect that it is the thickness of the batting that's the culprit and not the flannel fabric.

Check the batting that you've used. There is a batting out there called 'Fatt Batt' (100% polyester and twice the loft of regular batting) and it is as advertised...FAT! I've used it before, but only for tied quilts as it was too thick to use for regular quilting. Make sure that you've got a batting intended for quilting—not tying. By the way, it'd be easy to accidentally choose this particular one for a baby quilt because it was so soft and fluffy! (Personally, I would not tie a baby quilt for fear that my knots would come undone with use and washing.)

If you have scraps of flannel left over, try sandwiching them with a thinner batting and see if that makes a difference. That would tell you for sure.

Check for a 'presser foot pressure setting' for your machine in the instruction manual. Many machines have this adjustment. Reduce the pressure to help ease the thickness under the foot.

Readers, especially those of you with experience with Brother sewing machines...what would you recommend? Please share your thoughts with the 'Comments' link provided below. Thank you!

Piecefully,

Julie Baird
Editor

P.S. I literally just finished writing a reply to a gal who was having trouble moving her flannel sandwich under the needle. Click here to read my suggestions for her. You may also find them helpful.