Striped Rag Quilt Tutorial

Make a stripey rag quilt! This is the newest installment in the Oh Baby collection. Past installments can be found at the bottom of this post.

I've been seeing quite a few striped rag quilts recently. A bowling buddy of mine is expecting a little one soon. I thought this would be a fun gift :-).

This is an all-flannel blanket (flannel outside and flannel batting). What can I say? I like flannel ...

These instructions will give you an approximately 40 inch square blanket.

You will need:

• Fabric 1: 1 yard cotton or flannel  (36 inches by 42 inches)
• Fabric 2: 1 yard coordinating cotton or flannel (36 inches by 42 inches)
• Fabric 3: 3 yards neutral coordinating flannel, (this fabric will cover most of the back and will be the filling/batting layer)
• Coordinating Thread

• Iron
• Ironing Board
• Pins
• Sewing machine with Walking Foot
• Spring-loaded scissors
• Rotary cutter and cutting mat 
• Comb
• Optional - Ribbon & Tissue Paper

1. Pick your fabric
2. Lay your fabric on the cutting board. Cut the 3 yard piece of fabric in half (you'll end up with two 1 1/2 yard pieces).

Cutting Instructions:

You will end up with fifteen strips.

Three layers will be cut for each strip; the back layer, batting layer and top layer. Save some time by cutting through all layers at the same time!

• Lay the bottom layer with the right side facing down. 
• Lay the second (filling layer) on top. It doesn't matter if you have the right side down or up - your choice! 
• Lay the third layer, right side up, on top.

Strip sizes - keep in mind that each strip will have a 1/2 sewing allowance on each side:

A. Wide Strips:

•  4 strips total
•  5 inches wide
•  Use fabric 3 for the bottom and batting layers. Use fabric 1 for the top layer.

B. Thin Strips - type 1:

• 4 strips total
• 3 inches wide
• Use fabric 3 for all layers

C. Thin Strips - type 2:

• 4 strips total
• 3 inches wide
• Use fabric 2 for the bottom layer. Use fabric 3 for the batting and top layers.

D. Thin Strips - type 3:

• 3 strips total
• 3 inches wide
• Use fabric 3 for the bottom and batting layers. Use fabric 2 for the top layer.

Lay out strips to connect however you wish or lay the strips out as outlined:

C / A / C / D / B / A / B / D / B / A / B / D / C / A / C

Hopefully I wrote that down right! Using this method, green strips should show up on both ends of the bottom of the blanket.

Separate the 15 strips into 3 groups - the first five strips, second, then third.

Pin the first two strips, bottoms sides together.

Sew with a 1/2 inch allowance. Use a walking foot! Trust me! It will make your life much easier.  Iron the back seam.

Pin the next strip and sew it on. Iron.

Make sure that the bottom of your quilt is facing up when you're sewing on the next strips - If you're seeing all the fringed edges, that means you're sewing the strip on the wrong way!

Sew the rest of the five - strip group. Iron the strips after each addition. Lay aside. Start sewing the next five. Set aside. Sew third set of five.

Sew the sets together, again with a 1/2 inch sewing allowance.

Now that your strips are all sewn together, look at the bottom and top edges. Use your sewing ruler and rotary cutter to even up the edges. Don't cut too much, just enough to give your quilt a 'square' shape! 

Sew around the entire quilt using a 1/2 inch allowance.

Use a hinged scissors to cut the fringe every 1/4 inch. Do not snip through any seams! If you do snip through a seam, bring the quilt to the sewing machine. Back stitch and sew over the offending area.

There are six layers to cut through. If you used flannel, you may need to cut only three layers at a time.

Cut through all fringed areas and all around the quilt edge.

Go outside. Lay your quilt on an ironing board. Comb the fringe until it resembles the picture below. Shake off the loose threads. Your washing machine will thank you! 

Wash and dry the quilt, making sure to empty the lint trap frequently.

For gifting:

Lay the quilt flat, bottom side up. Place a layer of tissue paper over the quilt. Fold the quilt. Tie with ribbon - I used stretch lace and a cute white bow.

Done!

Looking for more baby gift ideas?

Door Mufflers

Contoured Burp Cloths

Mini Burps

Party Time! You'll find me here: 


http://bowdabrablog.com/2014/05/10/crafty-showcase-link-party-may-10/
http://too-much-time.com/
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2014/05/link-party-palooza-and-shopping-spree-giveaway.html
http://www.the36thavenue.com/2014/05/best-diy-projects-recipes-9.html
http://www.dianarambles.com/2014/05/pin-me-linky-party-84.html
http://www.justusfourblog.com/2014/05/pinworthy-projects-party-33/#more-7603 
http://www.natashainoz.com/
http://www.raisingmemories.com/ 
http://angelshomestead.com/friday-frenzy-one-party-three-blogs-59/#more-15112 
http://sewlicioushomedecor.com/saturday-show-licious-craft-recipe-party-live/ 
http://willcookforsmiles.com/2014/05/show-stopper-saturday-link-party-6.html 
http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/skip-housework/ 
http://jembellish.blogspot.com/
http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/
http://www.apinchofjoy.com/2014/05/busy-monday-113/ 
http://www.sewcando.com/ 
http://carriethishome.com/2014/05/frugal-crafty-home-blog-hop-75/
http://madincrafts.com/mad-skills-party-206/ 
 

Looking for even more fun parties? Visit my Ultimate Link Party Directory!