Simple DIY Rag Quilt- A Sewing Project for Beginners

by Jenna Dooley

5 Materials

$50

5 Hours

Easy

I starting learning to sew back in 2004 and found that I loved it. My friend taught me how to make rag quilts and now, I enjoy making them as gifts and for my children. It's such a quick, easy, and fun project that turns out beautiful every time!

simple diy rag quilt a sewing project for beginners

Making a rag quilt is a great way to learn to sew. I have loved learning this skill and filling my house with decorative and interesting quilts.

I start my project by choosing beautiful fabrics that go well together. Next, I start cutting out my blocks. This rag quilt uses a 9 1/2″ square, a 9 1/2″ x 5″ rectangle, and a 5″ square. I layer a printed woven cotton on top, and 2 layers of contrasting flannel under it. I then lay my project out to make sure everything looks great.

Next, I begin sewing my blocks into rows and then my rows together to make the whole quilt. With a rag quilt, you sew your seams on top and use a 1/2" seam allowance. You also sew around the entire outside edge at 1/2" seam. This gives plenty of fabric to snip for ragging.

Once my quilt is all together, I begin using rag quilting scissors to snip all of the exposed seams. I snip at about 1/4"-1/2" apart. No need to be exact, once the quilt rags, it'll look great!

After all seams are snipped, I wash the quilt and dry it several times. This encourages the exposed snipped edges to unravel. And just like that, you have a beautiful rag quilt to keep or give away! This project finishes at about 54"x60" and uses 3-4 yards of fabric per layer. There are 3 layers, a top of printed woven cotton, a middle layer of solid contrasting flannel, and a bottom layer of another contrasting flannel.

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Woven Cotton Prints (JoAnn Fabric)
Flannel Solids (JoAnn Fabric)
Thread (JoAnn Fabrics)
Rag Quilting Scissors (Amazon)
Sewing Machine (Amazon)

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4 comments

Fir14090443 on Apr 22, 2018

Absolutely! My quilting partner passed away, so I will try this! Thanks

Like Reply
- Jenna Dooley on Apr 22, 2018
  
  I’m so sorry to hear that! I hope you have a great time making this! 😊
  
  Like
Johnna on Jan 27, 2019

My grandmother (Granny) made over 100 quits during her time. I learned at an early age how to sew. I can't wait to try this!

Like Reply
- Jenna Dooley on Jan 27, 2019
  
  That's so cool! I'm glad you're excited to make one of these. :)
  
  Like