Rag quilt. "Make it in a day", they said! Yeah, right!!!
09-09-2012, 05:06 AM
#21
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Elkton, OH
Posts: 28
THanks 
LOL
had a major snafu yesterday....
I buy my thread by the 1200 yard spool.... makes it so much easier. LOL Well, one of my kids (no one will own up to it, go figure) messed with the spool and had the ENTIRE THING strung out and tangled and ruined. And, of course I cant find my spare spool.... which I KNOW I have.
I had to switch threads, and this crappy thread I am using now may just cause me to lose my mind. Its so STIFF. Its 100% cotton, but it feels like it has some kind of coating on it, its like sewing with wire or something!!!
It keeps catching in my machine.
May have to drive half an hour to JoAnns just to grab another spool of "the good stuff" !!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!
LOLhad a major snafu yesterday....
I buy my thread by the 1200 yard spool.... makes it so much easier. LOL Well, one of my kids (no one will own up to it, go figure) messed with the spool and had the ENTIRE THING strung out and tangled and ruined. And, of course I cant find my spare spool.... which I KNOW I have.
I had to switch threads, and this crappy thread I am using now may just cause me to lose my mind. Its so STIFF. Its 100% cotton, but it feels like it has some kind of coating on it, its like sewing with wire or something!!!
It keeps catching in my machine.
May have to drive half an hour to JoAnns just to grab another spool of "the good stuff" !!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!
09-10-2012, 02:46 AM
#22
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Florida
Posts: 71
Ok, first off (as I mentioned in my Intro post) I dont "quilt". (The pretty, all-over sewing.) So when this rag quilt tutorial I found online said "quilt as you go", I was all 
AND, they said it could be made in a day!! Sweet!
Yeah. Well.... It took 4 days JUST to get all my fabric squares cut! Another day to assemble my front-batting-backing "sandwiches", and I am STILL trying to get all my squares quilted so they can FINALLY be assembled!
With school starting for my kids, I got sidetracked and let the quilt sit, but I would REALLY like to GIT ER DONE!!!! LOL!!
I went with patriotic colors (NO Patriotic PRINTS.... keep reading) but with a rustic twist.... Its almost ALL florals and other prints that evoke "old fashioned" or "pioneer" times prints/fabrics.... and there is NO WHITE fabric at all.
The top is all reds, maroons, creams, browns, and blues of varying shades. The back is plain neutral muslin, as well as other cream, tan, ecru, brown, etc squares.
I have ZERO intention of making a "pattern". I like the idea of throwing these squares together hap-hazardly.
But I fubarred. (I think) The "quilt as you go" part is what made me want to try it....
SO as I started quilting my sandwiches together, I alternated each stack (one stack=one row) with square quilting and X quilting... figuring on doing "every other row" on the finished quilt with little quilted squares and X's. I have not finished all my sandwiches, and Im second guessing my "every other" plan.
What is your experience with rag quilts?? May I see some pictures to refer to?
(Oh, and the other thing that sold me on this kind of quilt? No mitering corners! YAY!!!!) LOL!
AND, they said it could be made in a day!! Sweet!
Yeah. Well.... It took 4 days JUST to get all my fabric squares cut! Another day to assemble my front-batting-backing "sandwiches", and I am STILL trying to get all my squares quilted so they can FINALLY be assembled!
With school starting for my kids, I got sidetracked and let the quilt sit, but I would REALLY like to GIT ER DONE!!!! LOL!!
I went with patriotic colors (NO Patriotic PRINTS.... keep reading) but with a rustic twist.... Its almost ALL florals and other prints that evoke "old fashioned" or "pioneer" times prints/fabrics.... and there is NO WHITE fabric at all.
The top is all reds, maroons, creams, browns, and blues of varying shades. The back is plain neutral muslin, as well as other cream, tan, ecru, brown, etc squares.
I have ZERO intention of making a "pattern". I like the idea of throwing these squares together hap-hazardly.
But I fubarred. (I think) The "quilt as you go" part is what made me want to try it....
SO as I started quilting my sandwiches together, I alternated each stack (one stack=one row) with square quilting and X quilting... figuring on doing "every other row" on the finished quilt with little quilted squares and X's. I have not finished all my sandwiches, and Im second guessing my "every other" plan.
What is your experience with rag quilts?? May I see some pictures to refer to?
(Oh, and the other thing that sold me on this kind of quilt? No mitering corners! YAY!!!!) LOL!
09-10-2012, 03:39 AM
#23
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: north Alabama
Posts: 1,880
09-10-2012, 03:41 AM
#24
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: north Alabama
Posts: 1,880
I've made a lot of them. The last one I finished a few weeks ago was a little time consuming as it had certain pieced blocks. I can make regular 8" squares rag quilt in a day if I use the rag die (Accuquilt Go) I won't make a rag quilt without the real rag snips. I use these. 
09-10-2012, 03:43 AM
#25
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 123
I make rag quilts a lot. I have had my friends do rag quilts before they do any other type of quilting because they are fast and easy. I never would do them till I got my Accquilt Go Cutter and the rag die. The hardest part for me was running the flannel thru the cutter. I have Lupus, Ra and As and the rag dies are hard to run thru because of the cutting of the fringes. I can make a queen size quilt in a weekend. They are fast and easy. My friends have had a blast making them. One did one for her Wedding Anniversary. Her husband ran the material thru the cutter and she sewed. They show off their quilt every chance they get.
They show off their quilt every chance they get.
09-10-2012, 03:44 AM
#26
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Seward Alaska
Posts: 319
Love this scrappy version will have to try that. I have made several of these mostly for gifts and the grandson who loves to run his hand over them. I also use flannel in the middle and if you stack all three strips as you will sew them before you cut them, they will already be in place and ready to sew/quilt as you go as long as you pick them up carefully. I usually try to snip somewhere between the 1/4 adn 1/2 inch mark.
I usually pick a size square for the big square and then for the alternate squares use a 4 patch sewn normally, alternating them as I sew the blocks together.
Most of mine are crib or lap sizes, not sure I want to snip a bed size one. The raq snips are a must, or I will use a seam ripper and go out from the line of stitching to the edge, then I don't have to worry about snipping the stitching. Make sure it is a heavy duty seam ripper.
I usually pick a size square for the big square and then for the alternate squares use a 4 patch sewn normally, alternating them as I sew the blocks together.
Most of mine are crib or lap sizes, not sure I want to snip a bed size one. The raq snips are a must, or I will use a seam ripper and go out from the line of stitching to the edge, then I don't have to worry about snipping the stitching. Make sure it is a heavy duty seam ripper.
09-10-2012, 03:56 AM
#27
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: New York City/Manhattan
Posts: 1,316
I put together the last one I made in an evening. It was a baby quilt so the size was either 5x7 or 6x6; I can't remember now. I used 8" squares of fabric, 7" squares of batting and sewed the layers together with an "X"--I chain stitched everything. After all was sewn, I joined DH in front of the TV to snip.
09-10-2012, 05:14 AM
#28
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Quilting, crocheting, sewing and crafting in my Sewing Room...Peaceful and wonderful !!
Posts: 5,317
I did go ahead and buy spring loaded snips, as I am NOT looking forward to that task. LOL This quilt, once finished will be APPRX 64 x 76 (Before I started it, I got strict instructions to make it a bit bigger than my tan/red one... his feet stick out the end of that one. LOL!)
The only reason I used batting (Its low loft, 100% cotton) is because I chose fairly thin, regular cotton fabrics... I have been collecting the different fabrics for nearly 6 months. LOL
Here is a collective shot of all the fabrics I used for it, and of the stacks of sandwiches. LOL
**In response to a thread about photo size, my apologies; Im still trying to figure out how to re-size
PLEASE NOTE, *NONE* of the fabric here is white... just an over-achieving flash on my camera. LOL
But ALLLLLLLLLL the fabrics you see here are just for the TOP of my quilt.... the back is a combo of neutrals, creams, tans, browns.... 304 squares per layer, 912 squares in all... WTH was I thinking??!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]361332[/ATTACH]
The only reason I used batting (Its low loft, 100% cotton) is because I chose fairly thin, regular cotton fabrics... I have been collecting the different fabrics for nearly 6 months. LOL
Here is a collective shot of all the fabrics I used for it, and of the stacks of sandwiches. LOL
**In response to a thread about photo size, my apologies; Im still trying to figure out how to re-size
PLEASE NOTE, *NONE* of the fabric here is white... just an over-achieving flash on my camera. LOL
But ALLLLLLLLLL the fabrics you see here are just for the TOP of my quilt.... the back is a combo of neutrals, creams, tans, browns.... 304 squares per layer, 912 squares in all... WTH was I thinking??!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]361332[/ATTACH]
Love the colors you must post a picture (s) when all done.
09-10-2012, 05:25 AM
#29
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 5,397
I love rag quilts. I think one reason is that before I made my first one I went to the LQS and tried out the Accuquilt rag die to make sure it was woth buying or cause me more issues keeping those little slits of fabric out of the way. Well, I got the cutter and it makes life so much easier. I also have a square die cutter the same size that I need my batting to be cut so I can do it all. What I like to do is I'll pick up flannel and then sit down and make up alot of blocks, quilted and ready to go. I store them in a tote and when I need a fast quilt I pull out the color/designs I need and within a few hours I'll have one done. The only reason it takes a few hours is because I get so picky at picking out just the right colors and placement of squares. Sometimes I applique something on the back side so that it is a two sided quilt which is great for a small child. The next one I'll do is instead of making the X in the middle I'll use my embroidery machine and put a design on it for the quilting part. If the slits you cut get in the way you can use the blue painters tape to hold them down out of the way. Then I always wash them first so that the person getting it won't think their quilt is coming apart. At the quilt show someone did one and made it into the shape of a turtle; that was nice.
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