All Things Transcription

I thought I would post a tutorial on rag quilting since there was a little interest in the previous post on this subject. This is a wonderful craft to try and requires only basic sewing skills. I find it to be quite enjoyable so here goes.

Follow up:

The first order of business is choosing your fabric. I love this part since I love to visit fabric stores. Any fabric that ravels or “rags” well will do; although it would probably be best to start out with cotton flannel.

Pay attention to the width of the fabric and make sure you buy enough to make the size quilt you want. You can use any size square you desire. All you have to do is cut the square 1 inch larger than the desired finished square. This one is 8 inches finished so the squares are cut 9 inches for a half inch seam allowance. You can also make the seam allowance any size you want. However, I have found that a half inch allowance gives you a nice size rag border. I think if you went larger the seams would feel too bulky.

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You will also want to take the time to be accurate in your measuring. This will save a lot of grief later on when you are matching the squares. When you are working with cotton flannel, you may also use the selvage edge. Once it has ragged, you cannot see the selvage or any print that may be present on it.

The pattern can be arranged in any way you want. You can use 2 colors for simplicity. Merely place 2 different colors back to back with the right sides out. This will give you an alternating pattern on each side of the quilt. The pattern can be as inventive as you want.

Once your squares are paired, you will then cut a square of quilt batting for each set of 2. Cut the batting to fit the finished size of the square. I find it helps to cut it about a quarter of an inch smaller to prevent the batting from being sewn into the seams. You don’t want it to show between the borders of the quilt.

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Pin the sandwiches together at each corner. This is especially important if you do not have a walking foot for your machine. This will prevent the material from sliding apart as you sew. If you do not take the time to pin, you will find yourself ripping a lot of seams apart.

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Sew from corner to corner, leaving a half inch margin. They don't have to be perfectly straight unless it makes you feel better. There is no need to back stitch, because these seams will be closed when you put the squares together. Clip the threads. This is a finished square. That is all there is to making each square.

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Once all the squares are sewn, you are ready to put rows together. Sew the length of the quilt together one row at a time. (I didn’t take any pictures of this part of the process by itself, so this is the strip I am referring to. It is actually 8 squares long) You want to sew them together by putting the raw edges together on one side. This will make one side look like a regular quilt and the other will have the raw edges that you clip to make it rag.

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Now you sew the rows together. Make sure that you reverse the rows so the pattern alternates across as well. (Or not; just make sure it is accurately laid out before you sew it). You will again want to make sure that you pin as you go to prevent the fabric from slipping. You may want to pin the seams open just to give yourself fewer layers to sew through.

The finished product looks like this before it is clipped.

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Using spring loaded clippers, clip every edge about every quarter of an inch. Be very careful to avoid clipping through the seam. I found these at the dollar store. This is one thing you will want to purchase. Trying to complete this task with regular scissors will cause your hands to ache unbearably.

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I have started using a sharp pocket knife to slit the corners where they meet. This is quite a bit easier then trying to clip it with the clippers. It makes it less likely that you will cut the fabric accidently. Just please be very careful when you do this.

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Once you have clipped every seam you are ready to wash the quilt to make it rag. I take the advice you will read about this step and take the quilt to a Laundromat. Quite a bit of lint is generated during this first washing, as you would expect. To avoid straining your own machine with this, you may want to do this as well. (Take ones of those books you’ve been meaning to read with you).

Check back for the picture of the finished quilt once it’s washed and ragged. I think you will be surprised at the change in the appearance of the colors. It really is a shame you can’t feel how very soft and cuddly these wonderful things are.