Basic Rag Quilt Instructions
These are basic rag quilt instructions. Let your imagination run wild.
Basic Rag Quilt Steps
Choose/plan the pattern
Think about what you want your finished project to look like. How large will the quilt be? What size squares do
you want to use? Graph paper comes in very handy for planning a quilt. Consider what you would like the back
to look like as well. Solid or all one fabric print works great for the back when your first starting with rag quilting.
Cut your squares. Top Middle Bottom
Once you have your plan you will know how many squares you need to cut. Steam press your fabric so that it
lays flat, and fold it to best fit your block. Don’t cut more than 8 layers at one time.
Lay out your project
Once you have finished cutting out your Top, Middle & Bottom, lay it all out. Start with the bottom, right side
down. Batting in the middle. Top layer facing up. We recommend that you take a picture of your layout, incase
you have to move it or put it away later.
“X” your sandwiches
With the 3 layers of your sandwiches together, sew an X through all layers of the sandwich from corner to
corner. Do this for each sandwich, replacing them in your layout as you go.
Sew your sandwiches together
Once you have sewn an X in every sandwich, you can begin sewing the sandwiches to each other. Set your
machine to sew a wide seam allowance. ½ inch min. to 1 inch or more. Remember to sew the wrong sides
together! Sew each and every seam twice for strength. Start at the beginning of each row, sewing sandwich 1
to sandwich 2. Then 3 to 2, 4 to 3 and so on. Put the completed rows back in the layout as you go.
Sew your rows together
After you have all of your rows completed, you can start sewing them together. Start with your 1st and 2nd row,
wrong sides together, and pin the joints so that they line up. Then pin the square middles together. As you sew
your rows together, pay special attention to the intersections. You may want to flip your top raw edge up toward
your foot so that you are not trying to sew through 9 layers of fabric at once. Go back over each seam as you
sew the rows together.
Continue sewing each row to the next until it’s all put together.
Sew your boarder
You will need some sort of boarder on your quilt. You can use quilt binding or extra wide double fold bias tape.
You can also double or triple stitch around the outside of your quilt to create a raggie border.
Clip
This is the fun part, or maybe not. Now you will need to clip every raw edge and, (if you choose a raggie
boarder) the outside edge of your quilt. Start by clipping your intersections to free them up. Then you will make
little clips ¼” to ½” apart in all your raw edges. Get close to your seam without clipping through them. If you do
clip through one of your seams, (we have all done it) stop right then and repair the seam with a triple stitch.
Wash and dry
Before you wash your new rag quilt shake it out real good to get rid of tons of little threads. You may want to do
this outside, or at least before you vacuum.
Cool wash, with like colors, on normal. When it comes out of the washer, shake it again. Tumble dry warm.
Check the dryer lint trap often because it will be stuffed full.
You have now completed a rag quilt. We hope you enjoyed making your new project. Feel free to check our
website for design ideas. Look at some of our finished projects for inspiration. Ask questions, we would love to
help. Continue reading below for more helpful information.
Common rag quilting terms:
Accucut: A machine that cut fabrics in desired shapes, including rag quilt squares.
Appliques: Optional elements to decorate our squares. Shaped pieces of fabric to add to your squares.
Back stitch: Reinforcing your work by reverse stitching at the beginning and/or end.
Batting: The middle of your “sandwich” flannel or warm and natural.
Block: Square template used to cut perfect squares in different sizes
Bloom: What the clipped edges do after the quilt is washed.
Charm: Small squares, under 5” or a quilt made with them, charm quilt.
Clip: Clip the raw edges. 1/4" to 1/2" -- the closer together, the fluffier....
Design: Quilt "picture" and layout.
Double stitching: Going over our last stitches again for strength
Embroidery blocks: Optional elements to make rag quilts more interesting.
Fussy Cut: When you cut a square to show off fabric and get the design right in the middle of the square
instead of wherever.
Flannel: Works well as a quilt backing or in the middle as batting.
Fat Quarter (FQ): A cut of fabric that is @18 x 22 inches
Graph paper: Very useful when contemplating designs. Also comes in handy for calculating how many blocks
you should cut.
Homespun: Cotton fabric that frays really nice on raggies.
Intersection: The joints of your squares and rows.
Mat: Where we cut our squares to keep our tables free of little slice marks.
Needles: Always use the right size & replace as necessary. Jean needles and quilting needles are frequently
used.
Raw edge: The seam allowance that sticks out on the front, around all the squares.
Rotary blade: The tool we use to cut millions of perfect squares.
Snips/Shears: Those handy little scissors used to clip the raw edges.
Sandwich: The front and back (or top and bottom) of the square with the batting in the middle.
Square: Fabric shape used most often, comes in various sizes. The bigger the better.
Shaking: When you are done clipping take the raggy outside and shake the tar out of it to lessen the amount of
lint caught in washer/dryer.
Sweater Shaver: Gets rid of the pills left behind on flannel fabric once it has been washed.
Tension: Adjust this for very thick fabrics.
Walking foot: Used on your machine to keep the top layer of fabric moving through at the same rate as the
bottom. (optional)
“X”ing: Usual method of securing the sandwich together; sew an X, corner to corner
ZZZZZ: Dreaming of your next quilt.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Check out our FAQ page for answers or to submit a question.
Rag quilts are fun and forgiving sewing projects. You can adapt the process for lots
of other applications. If you are an experienced seamstress it’s sort of tricky to train
your brain to sew the “wrong sides together”. In time and with a little help from our
friend the seam ripper you will start to fly through these projects.
For creating a rag quilt, you will need a basic knowledge of sewing. Supplies include
a sewing machine, scissors, cotton quilting tread, a rotary mat and long metal ruler.
The rotary mat is important. When cutting your squares you don’t want to cut
through whatever surface you’re on. A rotary mat will save your counter tops and
table.
Quality tread is also important. A well made rag quilt will last for years to come. You
don’t want it to fall apart because of cheap thread. Economy thread also leaves more
lint in your sewing machine.
For rag quilts, 100% cotton fabric is the way to go. Blends don’t tend to “rag” well.
So think about using cotton in your top/facing layer. Flannels work well in rag quilts.
They fluff and rag very nicely. We suggest flannel or cotton for the bottom layer.
For your inside layer flannel or Warm and Natural works best. Warm and Natural or
Warm and White are cotton batting. Avoid using poly batting. Trust us when we say,
it turns out horrible in the wash. You can find Warm and Natural in your local sewing
store or online.
of other applications. If you are an experienced seamstress it’s sort of tricky to train
your brain to sew the “wrong sides together”. In time and with a little help from our
friend the seam ripper you will start to fly through these projects.
For creating a rag quilt, you will need a basic knowledge of sewing. Supplies include
a sewing machine, scissors, cotton quilting tread, a rotary mat and long metal ruler.
The rotary mat is important. When cutting your squares you don’t want to cut
through whatever surface you’re on. A rotary mat will save your counter tops and
table.
Quality tread is also important. A well made rag quilt will last for years to come. You
don’t want it to fall apart because of cheap thread. Economy thread also leaves more
lint in your sewing machine.
For rag quilts, 100% cotton fabric is the way to go. Blends don’t tend to “rag” well.
So think about using cotton in your top/facing layer. Flannels work well in rag quilts.
They fluff and rag very nicely. We suggest flannel or cotton for the bottom layer.
For your inside layer flannel or Warm and Natural works best. Warm and Natural or
Warm and White are cotton batting. Avoid using poly batting. Trust us when we say,
it turns out horrible in the wash. You can find Warm and Natural in your local sewing
store or online.
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