Amy’s Standard Rag Quilt — Three Fabrics
from Fabric A, Cut:
4 4" x 36" strips
2 5" x5" squares
from Fabric B, Cut:
4 4" x 36" strips
4 5" x 37" strips
from Fabric C, Cut:
4 4" x 36" strips
2 5" x 5" squares
from Back, cut:
12 4" x 36" strips
4 5" x 37" strips
4 5" x 5" squares
Yardage:
fabrics A and C:
1/2 yard each
fabric B:
1 yard exactly (you might want to get 1 1/4 yards just in case)
Back:
2 1/3 yards
Directions:
Cut fabric. Match together strips in this pattern:
a
b
c
a
b
c
a
b
c
a
b
c
Use a 1/2" or 5/8" seam. Starting with A, put a back piece together with A, then B; sew strips together with backs together, so that the seam is on the front. (This means that you’re sewing through four layers of fabric, not two.) Continue until all strips are sewn. Sew one of the 5" x 37" strips (including the backing) onto the left side of the quilt (put the fabric into your machine with the quilt on the top and the side binding on the bottom, so that you can see the top seams when you sew over them; I pin the seams open but you can also have them lie to one side or the other); repeat with the right side. Trim any excess. For the top and bottom binding: lay your quilt flat on the floor; press the right seam toward the right edge of the quilt and the left seam toward the left edge, on both the top and bottom (you don’t have to press the entire seam if you don’t want to). Put the top binding strip and the back strip together. Starting at the top left EDGE of the strips (not of the binding, not of the seam), pin the fabric so it runs smoothly along the top (these are just temporary pins; you’re getting the correct length here). Run it all the way to the right edge of the strips (again, not of the binding, not of the seam, but the edge); trim away any excess. Unpin. (This part is hard for me to explain; when you get to this point I’d be happy to come and show you what I mean.) Put one of the 5"x5" squares together with a back 5"x5" square; sew to the left side of the top binding strip; repeat with the right side. Now sew the entire strip along the top of the quilt (again sewing with all seams to the front). Repeat for the bottom (starting at the bottom left edge). Sew a 1/2" seam around the entire quilt. Snip the seams, making cuts about 1/2" apart and about 1/4" into the seam. Wash and dry to rag. When you dry it, make sure to check the lint trap several times, as it will fill up with little frayed pieces of the flannel fairly quickly—I empty mine about three times during the drying cycle.
A note on fabrics: if you use a solid color on the back, it adds some contrast to the seams, so the ragging is more noticeable. You can also use a pattern for the back.