A rag quilt is a good beginner project if you are not too sure about your sewing skills or are learning a new machine. I decided to make this quilt using a layer cake of fabric.
This flannel bundle is 10 x 10 inches and includes 42 pieces of coordinated fabric. So everything already matches and if you don't want to do a lot of cutting, you can use the whole pieces.
If you take twenty pieces and lay them out on a table, you can play with the design. Once you have that figured out, take another twenty and place them behind the front pieces. make sure you put them wrong sides together.
Each fabric sandwich can be sewn together using an X pattern. This will "quilt" the fabric and keep it all together when you start sewing the blocks. A fabric marking pen can be used to draw the pattern on also so you can follow more easily.
We sewed one fabric sandwich at a time and used a small piece of sticky paper to mark the top. That way once it was sewn, we knew how to lay it back down and not mess up our pattern.
We also used masking tape to help number the squares. Small directional arrows were drawn on each one. This helped us keep everything in order while sewing. When you have all of these fabric patterns, it will ensure you sew on the right edge. If you want to leave the quilt set up for several days and work in small batches of time this method works great.
We used a one half inch seam allowance when we sewed our blocks together. Usually in quilting you use a 1/4 inch seam allowance, but we will be clipping along the raw edges, so a larger area is needed for stability.
We started with our first two blocks and sewed them right sides together. Then each block in the first row was done the same way.
You can see that with a rag quilt, there will be open seams on one side. This will be the RAGGY side.
Pins will help keep everything straight while you sew the blocks in each row together.
Here you can see that all of the blocks are sewn and now the rows can be connected. Also note that using a 1/2 inch seam allowance will take up a good bit of your fabric. So this quilt will wind up being perfect for a baby or for a lap quilt. About 36.5 X 45 inches
Here is our first two rows placed right sides together and pinned very well. The joins of the seams will be thick so use as many pins as you need. Also go a little slower over those areas.
Once all of the rows are sewn, your quilt will look something like this. You will want to sew a one half inch seam around the entire perimeter.
Now you are ready to clip all of the seams. We advise using a small pair of spring loaded shears. The clips are done about 1/2 inch apart. You may want to do a little bit, rest and then come back to it as this part gets a little tedious. Be careful not to cut into your seams.
If you wanted to say your rag quilt was finished you could at this point. If you want to add a pocket so it will fold into itself you will need a little bit extra fabric.
Our layer cake had 42 pieces and we used 40 of them for the rag quilt. So we took the last two pieces and added some bling.
Since this was a gift we personalized one piece of 15 x 17 inch fabric using a leftover square of fabric with a letter and name. Our embroidery software and embroidery machine made this happen but you could do any embellishment to personalize your quilt pocket.
We created another piece of 15 x 17 inch fabric with the last square from our layer cake and remnants. Each side will become a front and back to our pocket.
We placed both pieces right sides together, pinned and sewed around everything leaving a small opening. This way we could turn it easily.
We trimmed all of our corners, turned it and then ironed it very well. Also, we used a hand sewing needle to sew that opening closed. Now the pocket was ready to attach to the quilt.
We laid our pocket on the smooth side of the quilt. Notice, the appliqued side is facing down. This is because when the quilt is folded into the pocket, you want to see the applique. So if you are using a design, you may want to pin it first, and do a test fold before you actually sew. Also, notice we placed it inside the sewn seam and not right at the edge.
This shows that you want the pocket opening to face the length of the quilt. Once you have the three sides pinned, sew around them and make sure you really reinforce the top corners.
We used a 3/8 inch seam allowance when we top stitched the pocket on and here you can see that reinforced stitching.
This view shows the quilt front.
This shows the quilt back.
Before you use the quilt, it is a good idea to launder it. We used a large fluffy towel inside the washing machine. It helps with the agitation and will "RAG" all of the areas you have clipped. Also, the towel will grab many of the fibers that will loosen. Depending on your flannel, it may be quite a lot so we took ours outside and gave it a good shake before we dried it.
All you have to do now is fold it.
Here is a slideshow of folding your rag quilt quillow
We hoped you have enjoyed this post, share what you have learned and are generous with what you make. Someone will appreciate your hard work! Check out our video to watch the entire process below.
