I just finished my first rag quilt today. I washed it and put it in the dryer, as I've heard is necessary to get the seams to rag.

The good news is the seams look wonderful... just the way I would have expected.

The bad news is there is a significant amount of lint on the flannel (flat part of the quilt). It is sticking to the flannel, and so far has not come off in the dryer (well, a lot came off in the dryer, but there's still a lot left on the quilt). They also don't shake off very well.

Has anyone had this happen and know how to get the lint off the quilt without having to pick off every piece? This would take forever!

Thanks.

Try drying it again and keep the lint filter CLEAN - so you don't burn up the dryer

Sometimes, mine do that depending on the quality of flannel used. I just take a sticky lint brush(the kind with tape) and run it over the quilt to remove it.

A dryer sheet, maybe?? I've only made one in a crib size, 36x45, and didn't have that problem.

I always take mine to the laundrymat for the first drying because of all the lint. I don't know if because the commercial dryers get so hot or what, but I've never had that problem. I think a lint brush will work as someone suggested.

I would wash and dry a couple of times.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I tried them all.

I washed and dried a second time, and it improved somewhat.

I rolled it with sticky tape (until I ran out of tape!) and that helped even more. I'm going to pick up more tape tomorrow and roll it again. I am hoping it is reasonably presentable at that point.

Thanks again. ;-)

When you dry a rag quilt at home, it's a good idea to set the timer for 10 minutes and clean out the trap as many times as it takes to keep it from clogging. I'll do that even if it's the 2nd or 3rd time I've washed it.

When it's the first wash, I don't put it through an entire wash cycle. I put it through a rinse cycle only, by itself, then dry in 10 minute intervals. The second time I wash it, I put it through a regular wash cycle but with my towels. That way, if there is any lint released in the wash cycle, it will come off my towels easily in the dryer.

If you still have lint on your flannel, it's probably the flannel. I use the wide scotch type packing tape to get the fuzzies off.

Awhile back someone posted that they used one of those lint shavers on their flannel. I have never tried it, but it might be worth it to give it a try.

I've made several rag quilts, and what I find works for me is to first dry it to get the main threads off (checking the lint trap often). Then I run it through the washing machine three times (again, checking for floating threads and scooping them off the top of the water) and then a final drying. It's always worked great, and the fluff at the seams looks good.