SusieQOH

NZ- I think it would be a pain to cut without those special scissors

mengler

Ruby2shoes when I use batting I cut the batt squares 3” smaller than the fabric square with 1” fringe. Yes I put an X in the square but I tend to make large blocks. You could do any kind of quilting instead of an X as long as it covers the block diagonal lines \\\ or /// would be ok too. If you were really feeling ambitious you could embroider the squares. I’ll try to post a photo. Another twist is to do a bound border instead of fringe. It can be fluffy and fun. I did both on this quilt and it came out really cute. This is the prefect quilt to experiment with fabrics and formats.

mountainwoman

I've made lots of rag quilts, and I love them. Initially, I used flannel of equal cuts for all three layers (3 - 6.5" or 8.5"squares for top, middle, and bottom). However, upon making a lap quilt for a dear friend who was quite large (she passed away a few months ago), I felt the quilt was too heavy. Since then, I've started using batting in the middle instead of flannel. You do NOT want to cut the batting the same size as the top and bottom; the batting square needs to be two inches smaller. For example, I typically, cut the top and bottom squares 8.5" and the batting square 6.5". Sandwich these together and then sew them together. I prefer to use a 1/2" seam, although many quilters prefer 1" seams. Once your quilt is together, clip the seams using SPRING ACTION SCISSORS. Wash (no fabric or conditioner), dry-be certain to clean the filter intermittently. (Oh, throw in a towel with the quilt; it seems to help balance the "load" and create less of a mess).

Snooze2978

The question about batting added is your choice. If using homespun I probably would but if using bluejean fabric, no as its going to be heavy enough in my opinion. As to the scissors, I don't think its necessary unless again using bluejean fabrics as that's alot of cuts around the seams. As to the washing to make it rag up, I took mine to a laundrymat as I didn't want all that thread going down my drains plus their machines are larger and the dryer much, much larger than mine at home. Homespun and flannel will fray easily enough so I think you might be able to forego the snipping the seams but someone that has used these fabrics could probably tell you best on the results.

Chester the bunny

All of the rag quilts that I've made I have used a 1/2" seam instead of 1". I found that it gave me a cleaner look, more like a chenille and probably less fluff. I've made them with flannel, blue jeans, cottons - in every combination. The only one I didn't use batting in was the blue jean one.
The other thing that I did differently is trim off the last 1/2" on the sides and put binding on the quilt. Spring scissors were very helpful.

MadQuilter

I used batting scraps in one and flannel in another. As for the cutting, yes - the spring-loaded scissors make it easier but regular scissors work too.

After I cut the row edges, I didn't want all of the threads in the wash (we have a front loader). So I got myself a stiff brush and brushed out the seam - block by block. I spritzed the seam with a little water and that worked well. Ended up washing and drying the quilt a few times. There will still be small threads shedding from time to time but not much.