Doesn’t this quilt just make you want to curl up and take a nap in it? I think this easy rag quilt is the perfect lap blanket or gorgeous new baby gift idea. This super soft quilt is great for the beginning quilter, and it can be made from rags or fabric scraps. A rag quilt goes together quickly, too! There’s no complicated sewing pattern to follow, and once you get the hang of it, this very well may be your go-to quilt pattern when you need a gift idea to sew.
These make great gifts for just about anyone. They always turn out beautifully and work great as a cozy blanket or as a decorative throw.
My daughter and I have made several rag quilts together recently. They are fairly simple to make, and you do not need to have much sewing experience or knowledge to make one. You only use a straight stitch and sew straight lines for the project.
You will need to choose your top fabric to match the pieces of your rag quilt materials. I used bright colors if I am going with colorful scraps and light chambray for more muted colors. You will also need a middle layer and a backing layer. All three layers will show on top as the ragged or frayed edges. I like to use cotton woven prints on top and flannel for the inner and back layers. The flannel is soft and cozy, plus it frays well.
To figure out the yardage of fabric, you need to decide what size quilt you want to make, also how many fabrics you will use. I like to sketch my quilt to give me a visual reference. Remember that each quilt block will be 1″ smaller when finished because you will be using a 1/2″ seam allowance.
How to Make A Rag Quilt – Tutorial
Things you will need:
- Sewing machine
- Complimenting fabrics
- Rags or fabric scraps
- Matching thread
- Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- Sewing pins
- Iron
- Ragging scissors are very helpful as well
Begin by pre-washing all of your fabrics. You’ll typically be using 100% cotton fabric that will shrink. It can also bleed. I wash everything of like colors on warm with color catching sheets in the wash. I then dry them on high heat in the dryer. After they come out of the dryer, I iron each piece. This is a really important step that will help everything sew together nicely. After that, you are ready to cut out individual blocks.
You will need to cut your top, middle, and bottom blocks before you can sew. Once they are all cut out, I like to lay my quilt out on the floor to be sure the pattern works. You will want to have the layers all together at this point.
What this step-by-step video to see how to make a rag quilt. As you will see, it’s an easy sewing project idea that doesn’t take too long to make. Cute, right?
