Rag Quilt Tutorial

I have photos for most of the steps and will verbally walk you through the other steps.

Time investment: approximately 8 to 12 hours.

Step one: Cut 42 squares of lightweight batting into 6 inch squares.

Step 2: Cut 84 squares of high quality flannel into 7 inch squares.

Step 3: Sandwich the batting between two squares of the flannel so that it leaves a 1/2 inch gap all the way around the batting, and the pretty sides show when your "sandwich" is closed.

Step 4: Sew an X in the middle of the flannel square so that the sandwich is "quilted together." Repeat on all 42 squares.  

Hint: The first rag quilt I did, I mixed the front and back pieces so that they were not the same, so when I laid out my quilt, I had to think of what the front and back side would look like.  This created quite a conundrum. I had to do a lot of flipping of fabric and flipping in my brain.  So I got smart and decided the next on that I did (like this pink one) that I would do the front and back side of the quilt with the same fabric so that I wouldn't have to worry about both sides as I lay out my squares.  It would also be cute to do solid on one side and patchwork on the other side.  

Step 5: lay two of your X quilted squares on top of each other. 

Step 6: sew them together on one side, leaving a 1/2 inch seam. 

Step 7: Now add a third square and sew so that the seam appears on the same side. 

Continue this process until you have a row of 7 squares.  

Step: 8 Now make 5 more rows of 7 squares for a total of 6 rows. 

Step 9: Now seam together the rows so that the seam appears on the same side as each square seam. You should now have your basic blanket with 6 rows of 7 squares.

Step 10: The Binding...you can do this several ways. You can simply leave 1/2 inch raw seam around the quilt and sew the seam twice for good measure. Or you can choose a fancy edge like the triangle edge I did for this quilt. (I know there is an official name for this...but I am not a quilter {yet} so I don't know the specific term.)   

Triangle edge: cut 52 6-inch squares of flannel. Fold each square in half diagonally.

Now fold each triangle in half again creating a smaller triangle.  

 Your triangle will have an open end.  Use that open end to insert the neighboring triangle. 

 Evenly space a row of 12 triangles so that they expand the same space as the top of the quilt, and secure with pins.  Make a second set of 12 pinned triangles to expand the bottom of the quilt. Now make two more rows of 14 pinned triangles to expand the same length as the sides.  

Sew through the triangles with a 1/2 inch seam on the edge.

Attach your triangles to the quilt...now I opted to reverse the side where my raw seam would appear...so that there was a fluffy edge on the opposite side of the quilt.  You can opt to keep all of your raw seams on the same side though.  To attach, lay flat on the quilt and line up your straight edges. Make a 1/2 inch seam to attach the triangles to the quilt. When you have attached all 4 sides, go around on that 1/2 inch seam one more time with your sewing machine for good measure.  

Clipping your seams:  Now that your quilt is all attached and sewn together, you are left with an ugly bunch of half inch raw seams. We are going to make them look fantastic by cutting into the seams with 1/4 inch snips that go nearly all the way to the thread of your seam. Do this step carefully through all the seams, just continue to snip in 1/4 inch increments. Be very careful not to snip through the thread on your seams...just cut up to that point. If you do happen to catch a thread with your scissors...just bring the quilt to your sewing machine, and seam that edge again. 

Washing the Quilt to "rag" it: When the entire quilt has the raw edges snipped (including your binding seam edge) then you will put the whole quilt into your washing machine.  Do not wash this with anything else in the machine at the same time, unless you want the other items to be lint and thread ridden.  After you wash the quilt, empty the lint trap in your dry. That step is very important, as you will fill your lint trap when you put your quilt in the dryer until completely dry. Remove from dryer and enjoy your fun fuzzy rag edges.  

I tried a different binding than I did last time I did one of these rag quilts.  I really like the way it turned out.  I'm still not sure if I should have just left all the rag edges on the same side, but I opted to do a reverse rag edge with the binding so that the ragged edge showed on the "clean" side.  I may try it the other way around next time.  I still like how this turned out, though.

New logo...New Outlook

This past year has been a year of "awakening" and growth for me in my designs. I've had my share of "growing pains" in the past with my art where things didn't always work out how I hoped--I was busy juggling other good things, and my art was constantly taking a back seat. Which is not bad, as I was busy with my two beautiful babies which I had practically back to back in 2006 and 2007. Between 2003 and 2006, I went through a period of infertility and miscarriage between my oldest son and my middle daughter, which made me think that I wouldn't be so lucky to get pregnant right away if I tried for a third. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out I was pregnant with my little boy, Colin, just one month after we started trying. Go figure! You can imagine the excitement I had, and the nervous feelings of inadequacy in reaction to my fast growing family.

Besides my focus changing dramatically, there really are numerous reasons why I felt stuck in such a rut with my art. Number one, not knowing the computer well enough as a design tool (I was known in college for my thick impasto oil paint style, the computer was truly my nemesis. However, oil painting is not exactly kid-friendly, so learning the computer seemed necessary.) Number two, not getting out enough to explore for inspiration. I think I missed what was going on beyond the walls of my own home and neighborhood for a good 2 years. Number three, being diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) and battling whether or not to try medication as a means of help. Number 4, not practicing drawing on a regular basis--you ever hear of the concept: you don't use it, you loose it? Well, rusty was what I was becomming for sure! Numbers 5-100... just so many things going on in my life during that time, that my art was starting to lack a certain freshness.

But this year, I have come to know that there truly is a time and season for all things, and perhaps now, I am starting to come into a season of art discovery. That is one of the beauties of art and design...it is flexible, it will be there for you when you are ready for it, it will evolve, grow and change over time, and is naturally an expression of the many things that influence you in your life. My little ones are now a little older (2 and 4), and are better at self entertaining...allowing me a little more Mommy time. I have also forced myself to learn the computer and discover what it has to offer as a design tool--I'm actually liking it a lot, and do I dare say that my nemesis is now my best design friend? I have been able to get out a whole heck of a lot more with my little ones being older...I'm able to see what's going on in the outside world...and when I'm not able to get out as much as I would like in a week, I treat myself to an "internet exploration trip," and see what hot trends are creeping up into popular culture--this can be dangerous though, as this practice has fed my shoe addiction all too well. As for my ADD, after a long inward battle, I decided to try ADD meds, and have been pleasantly surprised at how well they allow me to focus and organize my life, while I still attain my creativity and imagination. Heck, I don't know why I was so apprehensive about going that route, as it really has been such a Godsend to me (and my family.) I have also been practicing my drawing skills on a daily basis with all of the digital dies I do for the Silhoutte Store each week. This single activity has probably contributed to the largest amount of growth I've seen in my art in the last year. It's fun to create little images, without having to commit to the whole concept of a product line...and ironically, by making little drawings and images every day, I am OVERFLOWING with ideas and concepts for my other larger projects. Making little pictures has literally taken out the intimidation of getting started on a paper or fabric line, so much so, that my little notebook is full of little notes, more than an year's worth of ideas planned out...just waiting to escape and leap onto my Adobe Illustrator art board. Yippee!

I am so grateful for all the experiences that I have had over the past few years which have brought me through this growth in design. With the literal evolution in my creative processes, I thought that it was high time to celebrate it with a brand new look in my logo. I am changing my plain black and white signature logo to a colorful logo that symbolizes creative freedom (through the bird and olive branch), and the belief that art exploration should be continuous and is good (this is symbolized through the curling swirls extending beyond the frame which hint at this out-of-the-box continuous creative exploration) also the idea that I should "keep it fun, but real" which is symbolized in the playful color scheme grounded with brown. I am excited to unveil my new logo which epitomizes my new outlook on design and art.

Old logo...

After coming off a HUGE string of deadlines...I've finally come to the eye of the storm where there is a calm before the next string of deadlines. Don't get me wrong...there is plenty of stuff to do on my "to do" list--even in the eye of the storm...but this week, I am taking a little break from design work and just doing the minimum...but I'm maximizing on Family time.

On Sunday, I went for a walk with my kids, then visited my parents, then went to a family dinner at my in laws. On Monday I painted my daughters toe nails and organized her room while searching for my wedding ring (that's the last place I remember seeing it 2 weeks ago, but I didn't find it...sniff sniff.) Yesterday I volunteered at my 8 year olds school and then perused through the book fair and brought home way more books than I care to admit (hey, it was buy on get one free...and for a great cause!) Then in the afternoon, I read books to the kids--almost all of them that I purchased, but not the chapter books. I've also started studying scriptures at night before bedtime with my 8 year old son. I made dinner from scratch three nights in a row...and I contemplated organizing my pantry--it's evolved into one of those cartoon scenes where the character quickly opens the door, grabs what they need, then shuts it before the whole closet comes down on them...(I'm not there yet with organizing the pantry...but the idea is heavily brewing.)

The start of this week has been full...but I have only worked a few hours...so it makes me wonder...how do I get it all done on weeks where I work 40-70 hours. One thing's for sure...I've learned that sleep is overrated...I do some of my best work between the hours of 9pm and 2am. I've reinvented what the word weekend means...my husband usually works weekends, so I kind of forget it's the weekend until I wake up Sunday morning and frantically realize that I need to get moving if I want to get to church on time with the kids. Today...I got my hair done--it hadn't been cut or colored since January...I think that may be a new record for me for shortest time between beauty shop visits--I typically put it off until the very last possible minute (usually the day before CHA, and I look in the mirror and realize that I'm a little too grey and shaggy.) Then I browsed on e-bay for a new purse (typically, I only do shopping on line unless it's groceries, Costco, or my favorite thrift store) My current purse is so gross...let's just say my kids have lived in it with their banana peels and snacks, and diapers, and candy wrappers, and mystery items that need not be discussed. It's been nice to unwind a little.

In my unwinding, I also perused through the Silhouette Flikr group and found some wonderful creations using my designs. It's designs like this one by Eva Dobilas that motivate me to design. She made this amazing little birdhouse using my Silhouette birdhouse die, and Ippity stamps. The detail on this project just amazes me! That's why I have to share it with all of you! I love seeing what people do with my designs. It motivates me to make more stuff. The thing that thrills me is that 3 crafters can use the same fabric, paper, die, or whatever, and come up with a totally different project than the other crafters. The possibilities of what to do with the designs is virtually endless, and in turn...so inspiring.