So you want to make a rag quilt do you? Easy as pie. Mmm mmm pie. I love pie! OK, back to the topic at hand….
Rag quilts, right.
Please read all instructions once before beginning, just to get a feel for what it is we are doing here...
The rag quilts I enjoy the looks of, are made from either flannel or homespuns. I like to use quality fabric, as the quilt is going to fray, that is the look we want, but we don’t want it to completely unravel in the next 2 years right!?
You are buying enough fabric for the front AND back of the quilt, as this is a ‘quilt as you go’ process. I always find this part kind of tricky. I like to make my squares 10-inch blocks finished, so I cut them 11 inches square for the ‘fringe’. So if you are good at math, you can pretty much figure it out from there…how many squares in whatever size quilt you want. Here is a chart of typical bed sized quilts:
You can always make lap or crib sized, and that I just usually eyeball. Just remember this when doing a rag quilt…..I do not recommend these types of quilts for babies under the age of 3 OR if the child is still putting things in their mouths. Remember, there is a lot of frayed edges, and you never know when one can get into the child’s mouth and cause complications.
I do not pre wash my fabrics when doing rag quilts. You want it to ‘fray’ at the end, so wait to wash it.
CUTTING: Once you have decided how many blocks you are going to need for your quilt you will start your cutting. I use a rotary cutter and quilt ruler. You will sit there cutting squares of 11 inches square (times 2, remember, we’re quilting as we go). So if you need a total of 24 blocks for the front you will need to double that number (48) for total squares of fabric to cut.
BATTING: Batting is optional. This really depends how heavy you want the quilt to be. Flannel quilts will be a lot heavier than homespun quilts. I once made a king sized flannel rag quilt for my bed, and if I could go back and NOT use the batting I would have. It is so heavy, takes so long to wash and maintain. Just my honest opinion there. However, IF you chose to use batting, you will want to cut the batting 1-inch shorter than the blocks. So, in our case, 10 inches square. You will only need one square of batting per block (not doubled). So like the example above, just 24 squares of batting. This you can also use your rotary cutter for OR simply cut by hand, either way will work.
CONSTRUCTION OF QUILT BLOCKS: You will take 2 pieces of fabric and layer the batting in between. Make sure the wrong sides of the fabric touch the batting, not the right sides. So when the block is complete you will see the right side of the fabric on each side. This is called a quilt ‘sandwich’. You can either eyeball it when going to sew, OR use a ruler, and draw an “X” from corner to corner with a pencil (the markings will come out in the wash). I usually just eyeball it and go for it. No pinning is necessary, but if you wish to, you can pin. Start at one corner and sew a straight line from corner to corner. Do the same, making an “X” shape in the block. BAM!, your done with one block. Continue process for all 24 blocks.
ASSEMBLING THE BLOCKS: You will be making columns of blocks. In our example, we will make this a 4 x 6 quilt. I usually make the longer columns first. Sew 6 columns of 4 blocks (hence 24 total). You will be sewing the blocks together using a ½ to 1-inch seam allowance. Remember, all seam allowances will be on the top/front side of the quilt (Editors note: so you will be sewing your blocks backside to backside or wrong sides together). This makes the raggy edge. Once the columns are done, assemble the columns to each other, making the rows. You can pin the corners to make sure they match up. Once the whole quilt is together BEFORE cutting/clipping the edges (seam allowances), you will want to stitch around the entire quilt outside to make sure NO batting is showing. This, too, will be about ½ to 1-inch seam allowance.
CLIPPING EDGES/SEAM ALLOWANCES: Grab yourself a cup of coffee for this step. Turn on some music, and have fun. This is the time consuming part. Using utility, heavy-duty scissors (Fiskars has the easy grip rubber handled ones, love those, easy on the hands), clip all seam allowances almost, but not quite, to the seam. Make clips 1/4" apart approximately. This is what makes the fringed look.
WASHING TO FRINGE QUILT: You will then put the quilt in the washing machine, full cycle, with fabric softener and a bit of detergent. I like to take my rag quilts, especially the first few times, to the Laundromat. This is hard on the machines. Wash fully. Dry fully. You will want to change the lint traps OFTEN during the course of drying. Once dry, fully shake the quilt good once or twice outside, removing any loose threads.
Note: If you want a wider "fringe" or rag-appearance, make seam allowances wider---such as 3/4" or 1". Adjust the cut size of the fabrics for the blocks accordingly. For example, 10" finished size blocks would need to be cut 12" x 12" for 1"-wide seam allowances.
WALA! You’re done. Enjoy your quilt. If making the quilt as a gift for someone, I always recommend attaching a nice label, with your name, and a sweet message. If you have any questions on construction of the quilt, don’t hesitate to E-mail me (nikimcn@hotmail.com).
~Niki of Niki's Sew Country
