I've been making rag quilts to give as baby gifts. I usually do the little squares but I've found that just doing strips of fabric is a lot easier and takes less sewing. Do you want to make one too?Today I'm going to show you how to make a strip rag quilt like this one:
Rag Quilt Tutorial
Supplies needed:
*Flannel fabric- For this quilt I used 3 coordinating fabrics so I got about 3/4 yards in each fabric. If you just wanted to use two colors you will need 3/4 yards of each fabric.
* Good pair of scissors
*Sewing machine
*Rotary cutter and mat
Step One: Wash your fabric. After you've washed and dried your fabric now you are ready to cut it in strips. Cut your strips 4 1/2 inches wide in each fabric. You'll end up with 12 strips all together.
Now you need to decide on your pattern. If your doing just 2 colors you don't really need to do this step. Here's a picture of the pattern I decided on.
Step Two: Sew the strips together. Take your first two strips and place them right sides facing out.
Like this
Now sew the two pieces together. I used the end of my presser foot as a guide. You don't want to sew right along the edge though. Give yourself about 5/8 seam allowance.
This is what your blanket should look like after sewing the two pieces together.
Now take your third fabric piece and place right sides facing out and sew. Do this with all 6 pieces for the front.
When your done you'll have something that looks like this. Now, do the same for the back of the quilt. Sewing each strip together.
You should have two blankets now. One for the front and one for the back.
Step Three: Now you need to even out the edges. Get your rotary cutter and even out the front and back pieces.
Step Four: Place your front and back pieces together with right sides facing out. Line up the edges and pin.
Step Five: Sew all the way around the quilt. Using the same seam allowance as before. 5/8
When your all done sewing around the entire quilt it's now time to cut. This is where your good scissors come in handy.
Start cutting. Just make sure that you don't cut the stitching.
Do this for each strip on the front and back and all along the sides. Throw in the dryer for about 15 minutes and let the edges fray.
Your done! A simple and easy rag quilt. Here are some others I've made in the past.
There are so many different ways you could personalize them. For this blanket I used my Mom's sewing machine and we embroidered "A boy is a joy."
The possibilities are endless for these blankets. They are fun and easy to make and are just as fun to give away as gifts. If any of you make some blankets using this tutorial I'd love to see them. Happy Sewing! If you have any questions please let me know.
