I've made several rag quilts. They are fun and easy. I use old jeans and old flannel shirts. If the jeans have a hole I run a stay stitch around it. If I don't have enough flannel I get it at Wally World super cheap I use that because it frays so nicely and I don't have to spend time clipping. What a chore that is. And I use a low loft batting. They are extremely warm and heavy. We travel in our 5th wheel, quite often in cold spots. We drag it out for our bed. It's warmer that a sleeping bag. I use 7" and 6" blocks. It goes faster. Also, you don't have to use the X. You can use any design. It's just to hold your sandwich together. I've also used dishwasher degter to paint on a design. You have to rinse that out after a while so the bleach stops it's action. They are so fun. You can add to them any time because you have no borders or binding or you can break them up just by ripping a seam.