For my daughter A.’s 9th birthday, I planned to make her a rag quilt. My husband wisely remarked that while she would cherish what I made for her, wouldn’t she be much more excited about being able to make her own quilt? So, we instead gave her a rag quilt kit. I purchased four different fabric prints for the tops from the fabric store (shown below). For the middle layer and the backing, I used sheets from the thrift store — a big blue floral cotton sheet for the backing (shown in the above picture tying the kit together) and a pink gingham flannel for the middle layer (not shown).
A. chose this layout for her rag quilt.
I know you’ll love giving a Rag Quilt Kit to a young girl you know. This is such a doable and satisfying project for girls ages 9 and older. If you do put together a kit, won’t you share your experience and/or pictures of the kit or the finished quilt with me? You can reach me at wardeh@christianhomekeeper.org. I always welcome success stories, comments, questions, or suggestions.
Here’s my A. laying out her squares, choosing just the right layout for her rag quilt.
BUILD A RAG QUILT GIFT KIT
Recommended for young girls (ages 9 and above)
1. Find Fabric
You’ll need to find three types of fabric:
- Assorted printed or solid cotton fabrics for the top
- Flannel for the middle layer
- Printed or solid cotton fabric for the backing
Fabric can be purchased by the yard at a fabric store, or can be bought inexpensively in the form of sheets. Used sheets are readily available from thrift stores or you can purchase inexpensive or on-sale new sheets from department or discount stores, such as Wal-Mart, Target or JC Penney.
Purchase enough of each type of fabric to cut out (36) 11-inch squares. If you’re using a number of different prints for the top, you’ll need to buy enough so that the total number of 11-inch squares from all of them equals 36.
2. Cut Out Squares
- Cut (36) 11-inch squares of the top fabrics.
- Cut (36) 11-inch squares of the middle layer fabric.
- Cut (36) 11-inch squares of the backing fabric.
Make precise cuts using a rotary cutter and cutting mat, or a ruler and sharp sewing scissors. The more precise the cuts, the less frustration your young maiden will experience in piecing the rag quilt together.
Tie all the squares up prettily. Use raffia, a pretty ribbon, or an extra length of leftover fabric.
3. Prepare Directions
Cut and paste the directions (below, beginning with “Rag Quilt Instructions” and ending with “Enjoy your rag quilt!”) into your word processing software.
On a PC, highlight the text. While holding down the “Ctrl” key, press C once. Release the “Ctrl” key. In a blank word processing document, while holding down the “Ctrl” key, press V once. Release the “Ctrl” key. The instructions will appear in the new document. Save this document to your computer.
Fill in the descriptions of the three types of fabrics so the young girl who receives your kit will know which fabrics are for which parts of the quilt. These appear underlined in the “Supplies Included” section of the instructions. Remove the underlining.
You may wish to make some formatting adjustments before printing, based on your printer’s specifications or your own preferences. When you’re satisfied with the document, print a draft before printing the final copy on pretty paper. Include the instructions with the tied up fabric to complete the gift.
4. Give the Rag Quilt Gift Kit
Watch your young maiden’s face fill with delight!
Cut and paste the following instructions to include with the Rag Quilt Gift Kit:
Rag Quilt Kit Instructions
Finished Rag Quilt Size: 60 inches by 60 inches (or 5 feet by 5 feet)
Note: All the sewing will seem backward because you are going to sew stacks of squares together and the top squares will be facing right side out. All seam allowances are 1/2-inch.
Supplies Included
- (36) 11-inch squares of assorted (fill this in with a description) prints for the quilt top
- (36) 11-inch squares of (fill this in with a description) flannel for the middle layer
- (36) 11-inch squares of (fill this in with a description) print for the backing
Other Supplies You Will Need
- Sharp sewing scissors
- Thread to match or coordinate
- Pins
- Sticky notes
- Pen or marker
- And possibly… a parent or grown-up who knows how to sew and can help clarify directions or words that are confusing
1. Lay Out Quilt
On a clear floor space, lay out the 36 top squares in 6 rows of 6 squares each in your desired pattern. You may wish to make a pattern out of your squares, or you may wish to spread them out randomly. Take your time. Try to balance out the colors in the fabrics so that lights and darks are spread out evenly throughout what will become the top of your quilt.
Turn all top squares to the wrong side. Put one middle square, right side facing down, on top of each top square. Then put one backing square, right side facing up, on top of each middle square. Each stack, starting from the bottom, should now be in this order:
a. top square, right side facing down
b. middle square, right side facing down
c. backing square, right side facing up
Using the marker or pen and the sticky notes, label the stack of squares on the left of each row as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (1 being placed on the left stack of the top row, 2 being placed on the left stack of the 2nd row, and so on…). These sticky notes will not only label the rows, but they will also tell you which stack is in the 1st position in each row. For instance, the stack labeled #1 is the 1st stack of the 1st row, the stack labeled as #2 is the 1st stack in the 2nd row and so on.
If possible, leave the all the stacks of squares out until you are done sewing the quilt. If you need to clear the floor space, pile up the stacks in order in rows. The sticky notes will help separate the rows so you will be able to lay the stacks out when you are able to return to work on your quilt.
2. Construct the Rows
Set up your sewing machine on a clean work surface, such as a sewing desk or a dining room table. Thread the machine, making sure the bobbin is full. Ask a grown up to help you, if you need it. Set out your pins and sewing scissors so they will be available when you need them.
Set the 1st stack of the 1st row (it is the stack labeled #1 with a sticky note) to the right of the sewing machine. Set the sticky note aside for later. Grab the 2nd stack in the 1st row, turn it over in your hands and set it on top of the 1st stack. Since all the fabric is cut in squares, you only need to worry about whether it is facing up or down. Make sure that the 2 stacks placed together are in this order, from the bottom up:
a. 1st stack — top square, right side facing down
b. 1st stack — middle square, right side facing down
c. 1st stack — backing square, right side facing up
d. 2nd stack — backing square, right side facing down
e. 2nd stack — middle square, right side facing up
f. 2nd stack — top square, right side facing up
When you’re sure they’re in the right order, use pins along the right edge to secure the stack together for sewing. Sew through all 6 layers, using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Trim threads.
Open up what you’ve just sewn so the backing squares, right sides facing up, are facing you. Place the 3rd stack, top square right side facing up, on top of the 2nd stack and pin the right sides of the 2nd and 3rd stacks together. Sew them together, through all 6 layers, using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Trim threads. Repeat with all the remaining stacks of the 1st row.
Put the finished 1st row back in place with the other stacks of squares that haven’t been sewn yet. Make sure you put it back so the 1st stack of the row is on the left side again. Retrieve the sticky note labeled #1 and put it back in place.
Sew the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th rows together the same way as the 1st row. Set each one back in place as you finish it, making sure to put the 1st stack of the row back on the left side of the laid out rows.
3. Sew the Rows Together
Now that all the rows are sewn together, they should all be laid out on the floor in order, with the backing sides facing you. Grab the bottom of the 2nd row and flip it up on top of the 1st row. The top side of the quilt in the 2nd row should be facing up now. Pin the 2 rows together along the bottom of the 1st row (which is lined up with the top of the 2nd row). Pin them so all the seams from before are opened up. Sew these rows together using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Trim threads.
Open up what you’ve just sewn and lay the 1st and 2nd row back down with all the other rows, backing side facing you and back in the proper position. Flip the 3rd row up on top of 2nd row. Now the 3rd row should be right side facing up. Pin the 3rd and 2nd rows together along the bottom of the 2nd row (which is lined up with the top of the 3rd row). Pin all the seams from before open. Sew these rows together using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Trim threads. Add the 4th, 5th and 6th rows in just the same way.
Now pin open the seams on all the outer edges of the quilt. Sew a 1/2-inch seam around the entire outer edge.
Tip: When all sewn together and opened up, the top should have all the raw edges visible, while the back doesn’t have any raw edges visible.
4. Finishing Up
Clip all the raw edges of fabric. Cut straight into the fabric, making the cuts point directly at the seams (but stopping the cuts after they are three-quarters of the way from the edge to the seam). Space the cuts 1/4-inch apart. Each cut should go through all layers. Clip the seams around the outer edge of the quilt, too.
Wash in the washing machine and dry in the dryer with other household items that are the same color. After the first washing, the edges will begin to ravel. The edges will ravel more and begin to look even more natural and cozy with more washings and dryings.
Now that you are all done, you can cuddle up in your rag quilt with a favorite book.
Enjoy your rag quilt!
© Copyright 2006 by Wardee Harmon. Used with permission from the author.
Hello and welcome! I'm Sylvia Britton, and I've been online since 1996 offering encouragement and help in the spirit of Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 at Christian Homekeeper. CHK is the original Homekeeping site on the internet
