I would eliminate the batting unless it's a thin flannel. But have you considered polar fleece instead of flannel? Very soft and comfy. Easy to sew and the quilt pattern shows up nicely in the fleece, too.

Or Minky? Not so easy to sew but VERY comforting.

Kate

I use flannel AND batting in my chemo quilts. Chemo is said to be cold so any extra layer to keep patients warm. Also, and I am sure you know this, but wash the flannel first. It can shrink a fair bit. Better safe than sorry!
When my son lived in Detroit, I was able to get some nice flannels from Joann's. They do not ship to Canada so I have to keep an eye out for it wherever .
Good luck!
Theresa

Marsha, the son of a friend of mine is going through chemo, and the cold is his biggest issue right now. I have no experience with chemo quilts, but I'd opt for batting with the flannel. Or, as an alternative, use polar fleece, as Kate suggested. Maybe you could omit the batting if you used fleece. I'm from Minnesota though; nothing is too warm up here.

I've used flannel (no batting) a few times now and I really like it. And it's true you need to prewash it not only for shrinkage but to check on the colorfastness. Joannes has some very pretty quilting flannels, but for backing I buy it at Walmart (there is one store left here that still carries fabric) and it's 108 inches wide. It's not the best looking, only in solid colors, but the quality is good enough. I haven't found wide flannel anywhere else, I'm sure you can get it online but don't know if you can get it in anything besides solids. Although I like the idea of using fleece, I've never sewn on it and I don't know if it requires different handling. I've always thought that it might be stretchy, and I'm not familiar with sewing on that kind of stuff.

I have used flannel on a few childrens quilts and have used a lite wt. batting. I didn't feel they were too heavy.
I have also used polar fleece and like it for cuddle quilts. I do not put a batt in those. I feel uncomfortable not having 3 layer in a quilt though.

I think the choice is yours and where they will be used. Climate wise.

She does live in a cold climate, although not as cold as some of you. I read it is the added weight of the batting the person finds uncomfortable. Since, this needs to be started and completed quickly, I don't want to deal with anything stretchy. I will look at the polar fleece and flannel at Joanns.

FYI, here's what quilting looks like on polar fleece:

Marsha, I just remembered that I made a quilt THIS YEAR with a flannel backing. I am going to blame my poor memory on the pain meds I was taking this summer when I worked on this quilt! I used an old flannel sheet as batting and liked the results because it wasn't too heavy or too dense.

Kate (who never had a great memory in the first place and is only getting worse as she ages)

Kate, I like the look on the Polar fleece. I could do alot less quilting if I use the polar fleece - am I right?
I remember your flannel back, I think it was leaves, branches - woodsey???? I didn't know it was a sheet. I looked at flannel sheets online. I am guessing this will be washed alot, and I wanted purple or lavender print to go with the purple ribbon fabric and a Bali Pops Cotton Candy that I have.
The link below is the purple fabric I ordered for the border, and I will switch out about 5 strips of the Bali Pops. I plan to make a 1600 Jelly Roll Quilt-quick & easy

Here is a link that might be useful: Purple Ribbon fabric

I used regular quiltshop quality flannel for the backing and an old flannel sheet just for the batting. You're right - it was woodsy, with a maroon background and brown/gold/purple leaves. I can't always remember what I made so it's good someone is keeping track!

Kate