So I'm working on a little embroidered flannel throw, mostly just scattered knots in a few colors for texture. The problem is the knots seem to half vanish into the fabric. On cotton they sit up nice and round, but on the flannel everything looks flat and mushy, like the wool is swallowing them. I tried a couple of things. Went up to three strands instead of two, and that helped a little but the knots still look deflated. I also wrapped the thread around the needle three times instead of two and honestly it just made a mess on the back. Is flannel just bad for French knots or am I doing somthing wrong?
Part of me wonders if the loose weave is the issue since the needle slides thru so easily there is nothing to hold the knot tight against. Would a thin backing fabric underneath help, like iron-on interfacing on the wrong side? Or should I switch to a heavier thread altogether?
Would love to hear from anyone who has stitched knots on napped or brushed fabrics before. I really want this to work because the fuzzy flannel with puffy knots sounded so cozy in my head.