You can use the flannel from Joanns and it will work just fine! If you ever have some extra money, though, you might want to give diaper flannel a try. Or, more specifically, killington flannel. I thought all flannel was the same until I bought killington flannel. It is SO soft and SO thick. And it dyes really well. I'm totally addicted! If you want to know where to get some, feel free to send me an email (I don't want to throw out competitors names, just to be on the safe and considerate side!).