I fell in love with rag quilts the first time I saw one. There is something about the worn, loved look of them that make me want to curl up in one. I put it on my Quilting Bucket List, determined to one day make one. After finding some cozy flannel on sale, I decided now was the time to try.
I chose to start small. I figured if it went well, I could always make a bigger one. Not to mention, Bat could always use another quilt to keep her occupied.
Construction
This quilt ended up being a conglomeration of several tutorials I watched and read online. The blocks were just two 8 inch squares of flannel held together using the X method.
I should point out here, I love the feel of it but I can’t stand working with flannel. I’ve done one flannel quilt prior to this and swore I would never work with it again. While this wasn’t anywhere near as bad, I am still not a fan.
All that being said, construction was really quick and easy. It probably would have been even faster if I had done smaller blocks. For me, stitching a diagonal line is a lot neater the smaller the block.
Fringing
The defining characteristic of a rag quilt is the fringe where blocks meet. This is the most time consuming part of the process. In everything I watched/read, this was described as the fun and easy part. I clearly missed something important.
I used my fabric scissors to cut the fringe. Cause using fabric scissors to cut fabric makes sense, right? As much as I love my scissors, they are not comfortable for extended use. My hand hurt for days afterwards. After the fact, I bought new scissors with a more padded grip on the chance I ever do another one of these.
Washing
Nothing prepared me for washing the rag quilt. I was in such shock pulling it out of the washer, I forgot to take a picture. In short, my washing machine looked like the crime scene of the brutal murder of a stuffed animal. Two loads of clothes later and I was still finding threads of fabric from the rag quilt. It still happens after additional washes of the quilt, but nothing as bad as the first time.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Bat loves her quilt, which really is all that matters. It has become her travel quilt and goes with us out of town when we visit my mom. True to it’s heritage, it is quite cuddly.
I wouldn’t rule out a rag quilt in the future, but I no longer see myself making a lot of them. I would like to experiment with other fabrics and block sizes though. And I want to see if fringing becomes fun with more comfortable scissors.
