Rag quilt finish

Okay, you have a ton of sewn together rag quilt sandwiches, now lets finish. (especially since Kate jumped forward and finished)

Now take those sandwiches and trim them all down to the correct size.  If you started with 9-inch squares, you will be going down to 8.5 inch squares, and if you started with 6.5-inch squares, you will be trimming down to 6 inch squares.

after making several rag quilts, I have finally invested in these plexiglass like measuring squares you can purchase at sewing stores. I used cardboard squares previously, which worked, but gradually got smaller and smaller over the course of many quilts.

Next!
Take all the squares and throw them into a pile

 Grab 2 and sew them together.  The plan here is to make rows of them.  If you are doing the 8.5-inch squares, you will need to sew 6 rows of eight squares together.  If you are doing the 6-inch squares, you will need 10 rows of 12 squares sewed together.  I used to lay all the squares out in the pattern I wanted to achieve, but found it works just the same to just grab and sew because with the rag quilt, perfection is whatever you finish with  :)
When sewing the quilt from here on out, you will be matching the back to the back, so the fringe will be on the front.  ALso, allow for 5/8inch seam.  This way, you will have room to make the cuts for the fringe.  Below is my rough attempt at demonstrating this.

The front with demonstrating the part that will be the fringe












The back of the quilt
So now you have your rows, time to sew those together, again with the same parameters

Don't forget to sew a seam around the entire quilt!
Alright, you have the entire quilt sewn together, now make it rag style.  To do this, you need to cut/snip all of the those edges.  I typically snip every inch or so and make sure you do not snip past the line you sewed it together with.  This will take a while, so be patient.

Wash the quilt and admire your masterpiece.  You will find lint from the quilt in the washer and dryer as it rags up.  It will take a few washes to get this to subside.  So be warned.  But the more you wash it, the cuter it gets!

 and yes, Dexter is helping check out the quilt!


-Lisa

How many is to many?

I have a rule for myself that I can have at most 3 quilts in progress at any one time. For me, "in progress" means actually being worked on RIGHT NOW. So the lurking half-square triangle behemoth hiding in my front closet awaiting the day when I decide to finish the hand quilting, & the black & white strip quilt top that I don't know how to finish don't count. Neither do the projects that are as yet only sketches or piles of fabric. (Really, it's stupid I haven't finished that half-square triangle monster. I'm so close to done. I'm annoyed with myself just thinking about it, but I'm also not getting it out to work on any time soon. I feel like you have to be "in the mood" to hand quilt, & I'm not. But that's a whole different post!)
Anyways-- my magic number is three. I feel like that gives me enough variety so I don't get bored, but not so much variety that I'm overwhelmed. My current three WIP's are:
1- My ongoing Christmas quilts. (I'm making one for each of my aunts this year, so I need 6 total.) The first is a scrappy trip, & I have half the blocks pieced.
2- I'm doing this quilt along.
I love the pattern, but couldn't afford the pearl bracelets that Lee is using, so I'm using a mix of solid fat quarters I had.

I also switched the background to black (Kona pepper, technically.) My intent was to have my lightest values be the spokes & the darker shades take the place of the lighter triangles Lee used, since on a dark background the light shades will jump out the most. In a total dolt moment however, I followed her cutting direction so exactly that my dark shades are the spokes & the lights are the backgrounds, just like on Lee's original white blocks. (I hope that all made sense!) By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late to correct it, so I'm rolling with it & hoping it will still look ok. We'll call it a "design choice" & hope for the best!
3- Until today, the rag quilt project Lisa & I were working on was my #3, but I finished it while my littles were napping! Snipping & all! (& boy, was that snipping the seam allowances brutal! I don't think I'll be making another rag quilt any time soon, especially since I know Lisa will whip them up for me. Right, Lisa?) I don't have any pictures, since it's currently buried under children & is in need of a wash, but I'll post some later this week.
My new #3 is going to be a bed quilt for my folks. My mom has been asking & I think it's time!

I'm posting for Lisa today too, since one of us actually has to leave her house to work. (& since I'm still in pajamas, it's a safe bet that it's not me!)
Lisa is a mom to 3 giant doggy fur-babies- Dexter, Dakota & Draco. (You've probably seen Dex lurking in some of her photos.) They're all rescues & Lisa loves a good cause, so she is donating one of her rag quilts to her local SPCA auction. She's got some super-cute puppy fabrics in there, & I can personally vouch for cuddliness of her quilts! Hopefully she gest it done in time & it brings in good money for a good cause!


Linking up to WIP Wednesday!

Rag quilt: cutting the squares

It is time to start cutting for the rag quilt!

For the smaller quilt you will need:

240 6.5-inch squares of fabric
120 5-inch squares of batting.
(Dexter is making sure the fabric is good to go too  :)  )










                   

                               

 For the large square quilt you will need:
          96 9-inch squares fabric.

          48 7.5-inch squares of batting








As you can see, I have chosen a variety of patterns for each of the quilts.  The larger square quilt includes regular cotton fabric and flannel.  I have chosen the complete the back of the quilt in the flannel and the front in regular cotton.  The smaller square quilt has all cotton squares.

For this step, the initial squares of fabric, does not need to be perfect.  They need to grossly be the aforementioned size.  Later in the project you will be trimming these squares down to the perfect size with your stencils (as noted in the first rag quilt tutorial post).

You can choose what ever kind of batting you like.  I have chosen low loft polyester style.

Happy cutting!  I am looking forward to working on this tutorial with you!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Linking up to Let's Get Acquaited. Thanks for visiting!
Stay tuned to later in the week for the next installment on the rag quilt tutorial.

It is just about rag quilt time :)

Get your scraps, or just buy cute fabric.  Time to make the rag quilt. 

Two options for square size, 9 inch or 6.5 inch.  Both will be listed
throughout the tutorial on how many you will need of each.  The smaller squares will just require a
little more sewing, as well, there are more squares  :)

Things you will need:

Fabric
if doing the small squares.  The original size of the squares will be 6.5 inches.  You will need 240 6.5-inch squares . 
If doing the larger squares, which the original square size will be 9 inches.  You will need a total of 96 9-inch squares. For one of the quilts I will be doing I plan to have a flannel back and regular cotton top.  But the
other will have cotton on both sides.  So if you plan to split the fabric types per side just split the yardage needed between the two types.
Another note on fabric.  Feel free to raid your stash and make it scrappy.  I have completed all of my rag quilts with lots of colors.  Just makes me smile to see all the colors.

Stencil
Stencil of a square in 6 inch or 8.5 inch.  You can make your own from cardboard (as I have done many times).  But keep in mind, when cutting with rotatory cutter, your square will probably shrink a little.

You can also get plastic ones sold at joanns/hancock,or other fabric places.

Or if you are handy, you can even cut your own out of plastic.

Finished Size
Quilt with small squares will be finished to be size of 57x47.5
and with the large squares of 58x43.5
these are approximates.

Batting
I know I have a ton of scrap batting laying around from various projects, and my wonderful mom.  So I usually resort to that.  If you don't have any laying around a twin size batting roll will be plenty.

Other
And of course will need thread.  I always use white.  But you can choose any color you want.

Check in next week for instructions on cutting your squares.  Please contact me with any questions!  Can't wait to get started next weekend.

This is a great project for any level sewer.  This was the first thing I learned to sew.  And now I am hooked  :)


Linking up to The Complete Guide of Imperfect Homemaker and Do It Yourself Divas

***Please note, I updated the above numbers for starting size of smaller squares and the final size of the larger quilt.  Also, I had my math all wrong, and updated the correct number of squares.  If any further changes please I will let you know right away prior to Monday.  (I normally just do this quilt by the seat of my pants and do not figure out exact numbers and sizes.  So I am doing trial run of both this week.  Please be patient.  It will be worked out, including my math skills  :)  )

Finished Swoon, my first experience with triangles

Yup, Kate got me trying something other than squares and rectangles.  Triangles really are not that bad, it just got a little tedious at times.  But I agree with Kate, the end result is def worth it.  

 Front of the swoon.  Yes, I love these colors.  So happy and go lucky.  Also, it is scrappy.  Lots of cute patterns that you just can't help but smile when you see them.

The back is finished in flannel.  Adding the flannel def added a lot of warmth to the blanket.

So would I do it again.  YUP!!  :)

The link  http://hopefulhomemaker.com/wp/2013/01/14/scrappy-swoon-along-sections-1-2/
 :)

Finished Swoon!

Here it is! I lost faith in this one part way through (these aren't my usual colors) but felt cheered all over again when I pulled it out of the dryer. I started this project wanting it to look like a giant sunshine, & I think I succeeded. My 2 year old claimed this for her own as soon as she saw it (*gasp* Mama, it's for EMMA!) We now call it the sunshine quilt & it lives on my daughter's bed.

& the back--


These pictures are pretty awful. I was so excited to have this done, I snapped them with my phone at night (please excuse the "helper" in the front!) Two of my kiddos picked the orange & pink fabrics I used on the back, & did their first-ever bits of sewing to put them together. If I wasn't totally in love with this quilt, that alone would be enough to put me over the edge!