washing flannel
 

I bought some flannel today to make one of those blankets that you sew all around the blocks and then use your scissors and clip all around the blocks after you sew the rows together. Sorry I dont know the name of it. But the lady that cut it for me, I told her what I was making and she told me that the first time I wash it that its going to have a bunch of thread pieces that will come from it the first time its washed and to wash it seperately. Is this true?

Its called a rag quilt and yes I would think she was right, best to wash seperately, after it is completed, it will fray from all the little cuts you have made - one big tip I can give is make sure you don't clip through the seams!!

Thank you Janedee for both the name and the tip. I have all the squares cut and im headed to youtube to watch the video one more time to make sure I do it right.

I made a rag quilts a couple of years ago. I did not wash fabric until quilt was completely sewn and clipped my was queen size and then as was suggested I went to a local laundramat (where a large industrial type washer were available) I washed and dryed my quilt there. Was I ever glad I did. There was a huge amount of thread and lint…I would not have wanted all that in my home washer. Much easier to clean at laundramat

I got all the squares cut out and sewn around the squares. Its now 3 am and I had to make myself quit. But tomorrow, I hope to get it sewn and clipped.

Using spring handle scissors will make the clipping go much faster and easier on your hands. It can be very tiring to clip a rag quilt, but they are so cuddly! Enjoy and be sure to show us a picture. I have finished mine in my home washer and dryer, but I clean out the lint trap many times during the dry cycle. Also I always prewash the flannel. It does not keep it from ragging, but it does eliminate some of the lint later on, and it shrinks the flannel before it's in the quilt and lets you know if the flannel is going to pill.

Don't try to cut the edges all in one day. When you hand gets tired and aches, quit or you'll end up with a very sore hand.

If you find you like making rag quilts invest in spring loaded scissors or rag quilt snips. your hands will thank you

Yes, those spring loaded snips are the best for clipping rag quilts. And I agree with Dunster, go to the Laundromat to wash it. They can clean those machines out better than you can at home. I just made sure to tell the person working there that the dryer vent would need cleaning before it got used again. You will get more when you wash it at home the second time but it will be more manageable. Love my rag quilt.

My avatar is a rag quilt and the hardest part is the clipping. Now I sew a row of blocks together and clip it then. Its nice to have just the edges to do when you finish the sewing.