Make a Baby Rag Quilt

There is nothing better than the sight of a baby tucked and sleeping peacefully in a nice quilt. Quilts or the art of quilting remind me of my grandmother. Quilting, as most of us know is a method of sewing through which 2 or more layers of fabric to form a thicker and softer padded material. Quilts are soft and warm and there is very nice feeling attached to them. Speaking of quilts, baby rag quilt is not very hard to make. They are in fact the most appropriate choice for an amateur quilter. They are easy to make and as you go on you unfurl the mystery and fun involved in it! Are you game for it then? Well, then let's check out how to make a rag quilt.

Making a Baby Rag Quilt

Supplies
¾ yards each of two different 45-inch wide cotton prints, 1¾ yards 45-inch wide flannel, scissors, rotary cutter and mat (optional), ruler, matching thread, straight pins.

Method

• Cut 35 squares, each measuring 8 inch from the cotton prints, for a total of 70 squares. That will be your baby rag quilt size.
• Likewise, take the flannel, measure and cut 8 inch squares, 35 in number, from it.
• Now we come to the main part. It is time to make the fabric sandwiches which is done by stacking the squares. Begin with placing a cotton print having its wrong side up on the surface where you are working.
• Over the first square, place the flannel square. On top of this flannel square, put the other cotton print, right side upward.
• Pin up the edges, of these squares after matching them precisely and evenly. Continue this process, till all the squares are done. This will make your baby rag quilt pattern.
• Quilting the layers together, stitch and 'X' across the fabric sandwich on the top.
• Lay this on a flat surface and alternate 2 different fabrics with different prints, which are facing upward. This will create a check board design.
• The width should be equal to five such blocks and the length should be a row of 7 such blocks.
• Now in a row of five, sew each of the squares together. The seams of the row should all be on one side of the quilt and have an half inch seam allowance. For all the remaining 6 rows, sew similarly.
• With seams ideally be on the outer side, pin together the top row and the second row. Follow this up by matching the intersecting seams of the squares on every row.
• With a half inch seam allowance, sew these rows together and repeat the process for the rows which are left.
• This will make the quilt look like usual quilts on one side and there will be exposed seams on the other.
• Take the outer edges of the quilt and again sew a half inch seam line around the edges.
• Along every exposed seam, clip ¼ inch wide cuts, along with the edges of the quilt. Be careful not to clip the stitches of the baby quilt.

There! Now you know how to make a rag quilt!

The Finishing Touches

Finally, after you are done making the rag quilt, now what you need to do is wash the quilt. Wash it with a bit of powder or simply with plain water. During and after washing, check the seams. Washing will fray the edges. If you have forgotten to clip any of the seam, clip the seam or seams prior to drying. After drying, clip the extra threads, if the need be. Another important thing is the back of the quilt. In case you realize that you have clipped into a seam or seams unknowingly, fold back the frays first. Then sew again over the previous seam, back stitching at the start and the end of the seam. Make this new seam a bit longer than the original, for adding strength to your baby quilt. You are done now!

Tuck your bundle of joy in it and see your baby go off into a nice deep sleep!