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I was going to try my first rag quilt soon and all these tips help, especially going to wash somewhere else.

I always used home- spun fabric for my rag quilts. Home- spun is usually plaid men's shirts. I get them cheap in very large sizes at Goodwill or thrift stores. Yes, take it to the laundramat for the first couple washings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninalea (Post 6503521)

...so would fleece ravel for the rag quilt?

No, it will not ravel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninalea (Post 6503437)

Now another question. Is fleece the same as flannel?

Fleece is a knitted product, almost always man made fabric, and for the most part, it's stretchy. It will not rag out like a woven will.

Flannel is woven and brushed to produce a soft feel. You can find flannel in several fabric contents and weights from very light weight for sleepwear up to heavier flannel for suiting and coats. All the weights and fabric contents will do an excellent job of ragging out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slbram17 (Post 6503515)

I am working on a rag quilt but it is a lot different this go round. I am basically just putting together squares and rectangles, and I am using flannel, cotton, and even poly/cotton blends. It will take me forever but I washed one row of it, and I like the result. Oh, and I am using muslin for the batting this time. And no 'X' in the middle. I am doing a little free motion quilting on most of the squares.

Serita

Mine are super simple. I use the width of the fabric for strips across. I have used all sorts of finishes and fabric contents, Different flannels, quilting cottons, duck, corduroy, denim, pillow ticking, tried some formal wear wovens but they are a pain in the patoot. Most of my rag quilts are from reclaimed fabrics. Sheets & curtains and dust ruffles. Right now I'm looking for a lime green corduroy to match a homespun pink & green plaid dust ruffle I reclaimed a couple weeks ago. going to be very pretty if I can find what I want for the other fabris.

I have used cotton to make rag quilts and it works fine. However, I do make my cuts closer together.

What size squares do you use on a baby quilt? And what size seams?

I've used almost all types of cotton fabrics, regular cotton, flannel, and my favorite is homespun or brushed cotton. I like the homespuns because they are the same color on both sides so when the quilt "rags" you don't see much if any of the white underside. Most of the time I use a 3/4 to 1 inch seam.
As to washing - well many- laundromats have signs saying NO to rag quilts. I wash mine at home. When drying I check the filter about every 5-10 minutes to clean it during the drying process.
My adult kids love the raggies they seem to be their favorite.

Just wanted to say that your black and white quilt is so sophisticated looking!

I made a rag quilt using the bottom parts and sleeves of T-shirts. I have made 4 bed-size t-shirt quilts, and saved the parts that were not used to make the rag quilt. I cut rectangles and sewed those together to made a good size lap quilt. I'm sure the seams will not frag like flannel might, but it was heave and comfortable for sitting on the sofa in the evenings.