Tips for Making a Rag Quilt

Follow these tips for making a rag quilt. Rag quilts are cozy, textured quilts that are a great project for beginners.

Before I share a tutorial with you on how to actually sew a rag quilt, I thought we’d talk all about how to make a rag quilt and offer some of my best tips.

Video

Check out my video where I’m sharing my best tips for making a rag quilt! And be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you’ll be notified when new tutorials are made available. Plus, it helps YouTube to know the video is relevant. (Thank you!!)

What is a Rag Quilt?

Basically, a rag quilt is a quilt that is made by cutting squares of fabric (often using flannel or fleece for at least one of the layers), layering the fabrics (in what’s called a quilt sandwich), then stitching them together with the seam allowances showing.

What makes a rag quilt different from traditional quilts is the way the pieces are sewn together and the seam allowances. The seam allowances are larger, typically 1/2″, where a traditional block is stitched using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Then, the seam allowances are clipped, creating a “ragged” fringe. So, no binding!

So, no binding and no quilt blocks to piece together. Which makes it a perfect beginner friendly sewing and quilting project!

Tips for Making a Rag Quilt

Making a rag quilt really is a great beginner friendly project. There are really only two or maybe three challenges:

Thickness – When you make your quilt sandwiches (top, batting, & backing/back) those layers can become pretty thick, especially if you’re using flannel, fleece, or minky. So how do you handle all that thickness?
Batting – Do you need a batting layer? If so, what should you use for the batting?
Fringe – There’s a lot of snipping to make the fringe. And not just any ol’ pair of scissors will do!

Notions Needed:

Tip #1: Use a Walking Foot

Tip #1 addressed the challenge of thickness that I mentioned above. Also, if you’re using fleece or minky in your rag quilt, those fabrics have stretch. So using a walking foot will help to keep from not only stretching the fabric, but to help your foot handle the thickness of the six layers of material (three layers on top of three layers – when you stitch the squares together).

I use this Acufeed foot on my Janome 8200 sewing machine. Refer to your sewing machine manual for the walking foot that works with your particular machine.

Tip #2: Use a Denim Needle

Because you will be sewing through 4-6 layers of fabric, using a denim needle will help your machine to work more efficiently to sew through the thick layers. I like to use the Schmetz Jeans/Denim Needles, size 100/18.

Schmetz Jeans/Denim Needles size 100/16 pack of 5

Tip #3: Skip the Batting

Seriously! Especially if you’re using flannel on top of flannel or with fleece or minky, you really don’t “have” to have batting. It all depends on the thickness, warmth and drape you want your quilt to have.

Even if you’re using quilting cotton on one side and flannel or fleece on the other, you don’t necessarily have to use batting. Again, it depends on how thick (aka warm) you want the quilt to be and what kind of drape you want the quilt to have.

drape –
: to cause to hang or stretch out loosely or carelessly

Tip #4: Cut Batting Smaller

If you’re using batting in your rag quilt, it helps to cut the batting smaller than your blocks. Typically 1″ smaller will keep the batting out of your seam allowances if you use a 1/2″ seam. So, if your bock are 10″x10″, cut your batting 9″x9″.

To help center your batting, you can use a tool like the Batting Buddy Template Set from Creative Grids or measure in 1/2″ from each corner and mark a dot using a fabric marker. Let me explain a little better…

Lay your backing fabric right side down (wrong side up), measure in 1/2″ from each of the corners and mark. Place the batting in the center of the square, using the corner marks to help place the batting so it’s centered. Then place the a piece of the front/top fabric on top of the batting. Line up the edges and pin to hold the layers in place.

two 5" squares of fabric and one 4" square of quilt batting

Tip #5: Use 1/2″ Seam Allowance

When you stitch your blocks together, be sure to use a nice wide 1/2″ seam allowance. If you’re a quilter, 1/2″ might seem a little strange to you. But it’s necessary to use 1/2″ to have enough fabric to create the fringe.

four patch of 5" squares of fabric sewn together with a 1/2" seam allowances

Tip #6: Join Squares with Flat Seams

When you stitch one row of blocks to the next or go to stitch two joined squares to two more joined squares to form a block, make sure the seams are flat. It’s helpful to actually pin them in place before stitching. If the seams are to one side, it creates a really thick seam. So having the seams open helps minimize the thickness some.

Tip #7: Use Rag Quilt Snips

After you stitch your pieces together, you’ll want to snip the seam allowances. Typically you snip about every 1/2″ from the raw edge to the seam. Be careful not to clip the seam! That is a LOT of clipping!

A pair of rag quilt snips makes the clipping so much easier!

squares of fabric with a pair of Missouri Star Rag Snips and a pair of Fiskars Easy Action Rag Quilt Snips

Tip #8: Snip as You Go

There is soooo much snipping that takes place when you make a rag quilt that it’s helpful to snip as you go instead of waiting to do all your snipping at the end.

Here’s what I mean. Say you are simply making a patchwork rag quilt. And you are making a baby quilt with blocks that are each 9″x9″ or 8″x8″ finished (after stitching the blocks together) and 5 blocks wide by 7 blocks high. You also decide to stitch together the blocks in rows.

So you stitch the first row of 5 blocks. Then you stitch the second row of 5 blocks together. Next you’re ready to stitch the first row to the second row. You make sure your seams are flat (open) and stitch the two rows together.

Then you’ll grab your rag quilt snips and make snips every 1/2″ along the seam allowance where the two rows are stitched together.

You’ll then stitch the next two rows together and stitch them to the first two. Make your snips along the seam allowance and repeat until you have all seven rows stitched together.

This way, when you get to the end of your quilt, you’ll have most of the snipping done and your hands will thank you!

four squares of fabric sewn together with exposes 1/2" seams snipped with Missouri Star Rag Snips

Tip #9: Mark Corners

Lay one of your squares of fabric wrong side up and mark 1/2″ from each of the corners. Then lay your batting so that the tips of the corners line up with each of the marks.

Once the corners are marked, simply place the batting so the points of each corner lines up with the marked dots.

Tip #10: Draw Diagonal Lines

Lay the top fabric squares right side up and draw two diagonal lines on the front of the fabric that stretches from one corner to the diagonal corner. Repeat for the other corners.

If you don’t want to mark on your fabric, you can also fold the fabric in half diagonally and press to form a crease. Make sure you press and not iron as you want to be careful not to stretch the fabric. Then unfold and refold the opposite corners and press again.

Tip #11: Pin Layers

Once you have your fabric marked and layered your backing fabric, batting and top fabric. In order to keep the fabric from shifting when stitching, pin the layers together.

Tip #12: Chain Piece

It makes it so much easier and faster if you can chain piece the “X” topstitching on the quilt sandwiches. If you’re not familiar with chain piecing, let me just say it is a time saving technique where you sew multiple fabric pieces together in a continuous line, leaving just a few stitches or gaps of thread between each unit. Then you don’t cut the thread between the units until the “chain” is done.

Once you’re finished with the chain, snip all the threads between the units and repeat the chain piecing with the other diagonal lines.

Summary

Sew, those are my best tips for making a rag quilt. Here’s my summary of what I think are total game changers when it comes to making a rag quilt:

Use a rotary cutter with a self-healing cutting mat and acrylic ruler to make the straightest cuts.
Switch to a walking foot on your sewing machine to help your machine better handle the layers of fabric.
Chain piece whenever possible to save time.
Use a pair of rag quilt snips to make the fabric snipping process so much easier and gentler on the hands!

Looking for other sewing related tips and tutorials? Then try these:

Tips for Making a Rag Quilt

Video

What is a Rag Quilt?