Rag Quilt

Rag Quilt

This is an easy quilt to make.  If you can sew a straight line you can do this.

I'm a big believer in using what I already have on hand for my craft projects.  If I can save some $$ I'm a happy camper.  This rag quilt began as flannel diapers that I made for my twincess grand-daughters. Grandma got carried away and made way too many.  Hmmm...what could I re-make them into?  Burp bibs? Nope, they're too old for bibs now.  Doll quilts?  Maybe.  How about a rag quilt?  Bingo! 

Just to be clear, these were un-worn diapers - not used ones. I'm frugal, but not that frugal.

I cut the diapers to a size that utilized the majority of the flannel.  

These pieces were cut 7 1/2 inches x 5 inches.  

Here are the blocks, wrong sides together

With rag quilts you are working with the wrong sides of the fabric together.  To add stability to the blocks,  I used left-over flannel scraps from other projects.  These pieces were cut 6 inches x 3 1/2 inches.  I used 2 of these smaller pieces centered and sandwiched between the larger pieces.  Since I had a variety of flannel pieces, I put some of the patterned pieces on the back of the quilt instead of using one solid color.  

If you are making a rag quilt exactly like this one, and will be purchasing flannel, you can buy one color for the back (2 3/4 yards) and have a variety of patterns for the front of the quilt (1/4 yard would make 5 pieces; 1/3 yard would make 10 pieces).  The total fabric you need for the front would be between 2 3/4 and 3 yards.  You can mix it up any way you want.  I like a little variety on the back of my quilts so this one is mostly plain pink on the back with a few patterned pieces thrown in for variety.
This is the side the baby will be wrapped in.     

Pin a block together, wrong sides together, and stitch 3/4 inch from the edge all the way around the block. Then stitch and "X" through the middle of the block.  This will stitch down the "filling" inside and give the block stability.

This quilt used 96 blocks and measures approximately 44"x50".  When you sew the blocks together, put the back sides of the quilt facing each other (wrong sides together, in sewing terms) because you want the "raggy"-ness on the front of the quilt.  I used two rows of three blocks each to make a unit. Make sure that seams are open when you sew, as you can see in the picture above.  Then sew 4 units together into a row.  

Make 4 rows.  Sew them together and you are almost finished.

Lastly, comes the snipping.  With a good pair of sharp scissors, clip all the seams every 1/4 inch almost to  the stitching line, but be careful not to clip too far, or you will have to return to your sewing machine to re-stitch.  

Once you have all the seams clipped, head for the washing machine.  Set the machine on the mild or gentle cycle and fill with cold water.  I was concerned about my fabrics bleeding during the washing (true confession, I don't prewash my fabrics), so I added 1 cup of white vinegar and 1/2 cup of table salt to the wash water.  This will prevent the colors in the fabric from bleeding.  Run the machine for a couple of minutes to dissolve the salt then add your quilt and run it through the wash cycle.  When the cycle is finished you will have an official rag quilt.  You will also have a lot of flannel residue in you machine.  I just ran my fingers up and down the tub to collect it.  Take the quilt outside and shake it HARD.  I wouldn't recommend wearing a sweater or anything that collects fuzz when you do this because you and your lawn will attract it like magnets.  The final step is to put the quilt in the dryer.  Check it every 10 minutes and clean out the lint trap.  This is one of those times when the lint trap lives up to its name.  Once the quilt is dry, admire your work, pat yourself on the back for a job well done and figure out who will be the recipient of your creation.  

 

Here is a great video tutorial if you need visuals like I do.

Beverlys Fabrics & Crafts

Happy Quilting