Someone posted in Jan. that a free fleece socks pattern was wanted. I found one at this site . I haven't tried it yet but plan to today. The wind is ripping through me and I am chilled to the bone! I will skip the gripper and ribbing and make it all polar. Tami Here is a link that might be useful: free fleece socks

If you like flannel but are frustrated with the pilling you might consider LLBean. This is such a great store that if after you use them for a few months and they pill they will take them back. True. They have a policy from 1920 or something. My mother is an LLBean fanatic. I have LLbean flannel sheets and I love them. They are 4 years old. No pilling. Gosh, I need to get new ones. I did buy the jersey sheet from JCP for my son's room. I do not like them. He loves them but the sheets seem to be stretchy. They have not retained their shape. JCP does make great products to check them out and see. I just wanted to mention that there are companies that make good flannel sheets. ~boxerpups

I have not used fleece for batting but have used it to back baby quilts and for a lap quilt. It was recieved very well as it was so cuddly. I also skipped using batting and only the fleece back on one baby quilt and have heard no complants. I didn't think that it added that much wt. nanajayne

Pkock, Don't be discouraged and give up sewing altogether. People expect sewists to produce quality work for the same price as items that are mass-produced in foreign countries. Remember, those stores that sell mass-produced items are still making a huge profit. One reason is that the person making that item is not getting paid very much. When you figured out that you would not even be making minimum wage for the prices that you would charge, that tells you that you would not be charging enough. Sometimes you can make items out of $3.99 fleece. Every year, I make quick hats & scarves out of it for my daughter. I don't mind using the cheaper fleece because she usually wants a set in a new color within a month -- it doesn't even have time to pill! But for myself or other family, I use the "good stuff"! Take costumecarol's advice, and check into what other sewists charge in your area. They can be a valuable resource in many ways. If you truly enjoy sewing, you may find someone that could use some help, perhaps on a seasonal basis, in making items that people order from them. Most of all, continue to have fun! bggs