Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Rag Quilt



When my daughter was born I became one of those women that wants to talk about her baby all the time.
all. the. time.
When she was just a few weeks old I was invited (through babycenter) to join an MSN chat group. It was called May Babies, because all of the mommies that were part of the group had little ones that were born in either April, May or June of the same year.
I joined and formed some very strong friendships.  We are spread across the country, but I've met several members on vacations.  We've been with each other through a lot, and some of these women have done wonderful things for me over the years!
One of our members is pregnant right now - (actually, several are. always!)
and she's having her first girl after 2 boys.
It's been a difficult pregnancy and I wanted to make her something.

A few weeks ago I went to a little boutique and saw the most amazing blanket.
It was so shabby chic...squeal worthy, for sure.
I had to make one.

It's called a rag quilt, and though I searched online I couldn't find a good tutorial.  So I put one together.  It's not fantastic, but it's something!
Also - big disclaimer here - I am not a quilter. At all.  So this is actually a tutorial for my backwards way of making this quilt which is really, really not how the pro's do it.

Choose your fabrics.  I picked these 4 lovelies.  Pale pink, green and purple with a pretty floral to pull them all together. The back is darker pink.


Cut your squares.  Online I read that 8-10" squares are best, and I did 8" ones, but I think any size would be fine. My neighbor is making one with 6" squares right now.

Lay out your pattern.  I drew my quilt on a piece of paper and figured out where I wanted each color so that they wouldn't be on top of or next to each other.

Sew two pieces together, then two more, then two more, then sew all those together to make a strip of quilt.
Does that make any sense? This is harder to explain than I thought it would be.


Most Important part!!! Sew the WRONG sides together.  In most sewing you sew right sides together, but these raw edges will be frayed and exposed.  Give your seams a 6/8 inch (or more) allowance.



Once you have your strips sewn together, connect them - again, with the wrong sides together.
Keep connecting until you have a quilt.

I did the next part on my quilting frame, but it can be done on the floor, too.  I've made lots of blankets that way!

You'll want to layer the back of your quilt, your batting (if you are using it) and the front of your quilt.  Then either put it onto your frame (I always need help with that part!) or lay it out on the floor.


Once your blanket is laid out trim the threads that need to be trimmed.  Then cut into your raw edges, perpendicular to the seam, about every inch.
 

I tied my quilt in the corners with pink yarn, because I thought it was cute. This type of quilt does not need to be tied, though.


Now use your sewing machine to sew the front to the back, wrong sides together again, leaving that big seam allowance.
Once it's all sewn up, cut into those edges again.

Now it's time to wash and dry it, which is what will give it all it's charm!
I washed on a regular cycle, dried on one, too.
And it came out perfect.


Isn't it the most charming blanket you've ever seen?  Those curly, frayed edges are delicious :)

I love it. Now I need to make one for my daughter!!!
BTW, she's 7 1/2 now, and our group is still going strong!





15 comments:

Summer Rae said...

Absolutely adorable! I have to make one!

Beth@The Stories of A to Z said...

It turned out so beautiful! I envy all you girls with your mad sewing skills. I've tried. I've failed. Sewing and I don't get along. I'll just admire from the bench :).

Beth@The Stories of A to Z said...

It turned out so beautiful! I envy all you girls with your mad sewing skills. I've tried. I've failed. Sewing and I don't get along. I'll just admire from the bench :).

Jaimie said...

Love this! Very cute and a very nice thought. I have made many special friends through Babycenter as well. : )

Anonymous said...

This is so cute! I'm pretty certain that if I tried to make it, it would NOT turn out like this. :-) My sister was talking about making a rag quilt for her daughter's bedroom, so I'll have to send her here for inspiration.

pk @ Room Remix

Mary said...

I've made a few of these before and they get easier each time. The first one I did big squares and then four little squares to make one big one. It was cute but WAY to much work! Since then I've stuck with big squares. Oh, and I post on babycenter, too! I love those boards!

Kimberly said...

love it! I bet I know who it's for. ;0)

Great idea, btw.

I made my first raq quilt this time last year, it's actually the 1st and last thing I've ever sewn.
It's christmas themed, and I love it.
I'd always planned on making more....now I'm in the mood again.

Unknown said...

It came out great!!!! Sewing patchwork stuff is hard! I made a teeny tiny one and that was hard enough. lol

Melissa said...

I just did my first one myself! You should go take a look. I did mine a little different though. That is the beauty of blogging! Not every has be the exact same! I love the fabric that you used! It is so cute, mine was done for my little boy.

KimMalk said...

This is so pretty and sweet. I love it.
@cheapchichome.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I have always wanted a rag quilt. I have rhematoid arthritis and can't use my fingers well. How much would you charge to make one?
Nancy in NC

Allison said...

Oh WOW, this is beautiful. I love it. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment! I just love comments!

Jeanne said...

Looks touchable soft. I quilt a bit also.

Odessa Aronson said...

Do you know if you can use a cotton broadcloth for the rag quilt? Just love your site! Thanks!
Odessa

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