Fleece vs. Flannel

I was a diehard fleece lover.  It's so squishy and soft and awesome.  It doesn't need to be hemmed, it doesn't unravel, it's really a petroleum based miracle fabric.  Then I made the following quilt for some friends about to bring home their newly adopted son.  It is a very happy ending and I wanted to make a special project for them.

It is the softest snuggliest thing I have ever made.  It is primarily flannel with some quilting cotton all mixed in.  I was smart and pre-washed everything so that it all shrank and bled and did all the nasty things it was going to do, and it's ridiculously soft and delicious.  I am planning to make Isabella a blanket/bedcovering of sorts and I think flannel might be our ticket! 

So now I get the deal with flannel, and realize why there is so much of this stuff at Joann's.  I will still be using fleece because it provides a very different texture that flannel doesn't, but wow.  I love flannel. 

This quilt was my first "log cabin" style blanket.  I tried to keep it modern by using some solids and some modern prints.  It was so fun to make a complete breeze.  I got the pattern from Modern Log Cabin Quilting.   Which has about eight more patterns I intend on making.  Usually I shy away from patterns, I like to do things myself and hate authority so much that the idea of following a pattern is too restrictive.  BUT it is easier, and saves tons of time, and with this one I quilted it my own way so my stamp is on it.