I have sad news today. I can’t reorder cuddle fleece any more, so it’ll be going away from the shop.
The company has been discontinuing colors over the last few years, and they finally discontinued the line completely. 😢
I love this stuff! I use it for softies and all my quilt backs. It’s not hard to sew with, and it wears beautifully. But I just can’t get it anymore. 😢
Initially I found a good substitute at Joanns, but now all those stores are closing. 🙁
I haven’t found an exact substitute yet, but here are a couple you can explore.
The thing about cuddle fleece was that it was a two-sided fleece, which made it extra-cuddly and soft, and the extra thickness made it a great weight for quilt backs.
Fabric Direct carries a double-sided fleece here. I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure, but it looks the same.
The Cuddle Fleece I used to carry was made by Shannon Fabrics. They don’t make the double-sided cuddle fleece anymore, but they do continue to make a lot of other high-quality cuddle fabrics. Their basic Cuddle works well for quilt backs and softies – it’s just not as heavy as the double-sided so you don’t get that extra weight and plushness that I really liked. They have a product called Luxe Cuddle that I was tempted by, but I think it’s actually too deep a pile and will not quilt as nicely. Shannon has a Where to Buy link on their site, but I can tell you that it’s not comprehensive because there’s a store near me that I know carries their cuddle, but they’re not listed, so call around to shops near you.
For most of my softies, you need just 1/2 yard.
For bear and bunny lovies you need a full yard.
For most of my quilt patterns you need 1 1/2 yards to back a crib quilt, 2 yards to back a napping size, and 4 yards to back a twin size.
If you’re looking for some sewing tips for this very special fleece, here are a few. . .
- Tips and Tricks for Working with Cuddle Fleece
- Tips for Quilting a Cuddle Fleece Back
- How to Applique with Fleece
- Using Cuddle Fleece for Dress Up Bunch Dolls
These links go to all my posts about quilt supplies.
- Quillt Sizes and Supplies Needed
- My Favorite Tools and Supplies and Where to Get Them
- Cuddle Fleece
- My Favorite Batting
- How to Piece Batting Scraps (a thrifty tip)
- Thread – no post here, just a reminder that you need thread. 🙂
- Putting Fusible Adhesive to the Test
- Which Products Do I Use When? Freezer Paper, Fusible Adhesive, or Sulky Sticky Fabri-solvy?
Finished with this topic?
Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.
Move on to the lessons about cutting and quilting your background blocks.
Happy stitching!
Two years later, approximately……:-)
Do you still recommend this as an alternative?
Yes! It works great.
Should I prewash the cuddle fleece?
If the person you’re making it for is sensitive to chemicals you’ll probably want to pre-wash, but it doesn’t shrink and I don’t think the color will bleed and those are the two most common reasons to pre-wash. I don’t pre-wash mine, but I do wash every finished quilt as the final step.