Rag Quilt

This quilt is exceptionally easy and fast to make, not to mention warm! It took one evening to cut the squares and one afternoon to put it together and the equivalent of another afternoon to cut and fray it.

Materials:

Use flannel, denim, or homespun material for the best results. Any material that has white on the wrong side will show through in your frays later on. The quilt shown here was made with flannel. Also, from what I hear, Walmart flannel does not do as well as what you might find in a fabric store.

6 yards of material: 1 yard each of 6 different colors

3 yards of cotton batting or 1 1/2 yard if it is on a big bolt

1 spool matching thread

Scissors

Directions:

1. For a quilt that is 7 squares by 9 squares you will need 126 9×9 squares and 63 7×7 batting squares. It can be made larger or smaller, just calculate accordingly. Once you have your squares cut, layer them together: flannel-batting-flannel. Sew an X to keep them together.

Rag quilt 1

2. After all your pieces are sewn together, start sewing them together to make rows. Make sure all your seams are to one side. These will be what you fray later on. Leave a 1 inch seam as you sew them together.

Rag Quilt 2

Rag Quilt 3

Rag Quilt 4

3. After you sew your squares into rows, you will piece the rows together, again with a 1 inch seam. One side of the quilt will have the seams facing up, the other side will be smooth. The squares do not have to be in any particular order, and the seams do not really need to be flat or spread out as you sew the rows together. You will be cutting them later on.

Rag Quilt 5

4. Once all the rows are sewn together, sew a one inch border all the way around the edge of the quilt.

Rag Quilt 6

5. Once everything is done, find your sharpest pair of scissors and cut the fabric vertically down to 1/4 inch of the 1 inch seam. You want to cut it several times in a square so it frays well.

Rag Quilt 7

6. When you are all done cutting the edges, throw the quilt in the washer. Wash and dry the quilt, and check the lint filters several times during the cycles. When you pull it out of the dryer, it should be fluffed and frayed and ready for use!