Rag quilts are a fun alternative to traditional quilt patterns. Similar to regular quilts, rag quilts are made up of different sized blocks comprised of a variety of fabrics. The difference is that rather than hiding the seams on the inside of the quilt, they’re left and exposed on the outside and clipped to create a cuddly textured blanket.
Rag quilts are also great for beginning quilters. They go together easily, and you don’t have to worry about being too technical or matching up your seams perfectly because the lines don’t really show. You can use a variety of fabrics, but soft ones such as flannel, cotton, fleece and minky yield the most snuggly quilts. Just make sure you wash all your fabrics before you start cutting since some of them will shrink up!
These beautiful blankets make great, handmade gifts and can be constructed pretty quickly. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the top rag quilt patterns so you can get to stitching and clipping your very own!
Wouldn't you love to make one of these???
Square Rag Quilt
This pattern takes the basic quilt made up of equal sized squares and adds a bit of interest with the exposed rag seams. This is the perfect introductory rag quilt. Just grab some fabric, cut it all into squares that are the same size, and sew together. There’s less math and figuring involved, yet this simple pattern results in a beautiful blanket. The lovely ladies over at So Sew Easy will show you how to get started with a step by step tutorial.
Square Frame Rag Quilt
The frame quilt is similar to the square rag quilt pattern except the color squares are arranged so that they create a series of frames that radiate out from the center. The square frame pattern also allows you to incorporate a specific color template making it an easy and ideal way to add an accent piece to a room. This how-to by Creations by Kara shows us how to make a baby-sized quilt, but the pattern can be expanded by adding a couple frames.
Four Patch Rag Quilt
While we’re on the subject of squares, let’s take it up a notch with the four patch rag quilt pattern. About Home will show you how this quilt uses a combination of larger and smaller squares display a more dynamic design by allowing you to incorporate a variety of colors and square sizes.
Combination Rag Quilt
If you’re looking for a bit of a challenge, try your hand at the combination rag quilt which uses small and large squares and rectangles to make up each quilt block. This pattern takes a little more figuring at the start, but it’s easier than you think. Luckily, Jenna at The Flip Flop Barnyard is here to help you through it with some easy-to-follow instructions that break this quilt down into simple steps.
Strip Rag Quilt
Ah the strip quilt, rescuing fabric scraps from waste bins everywhere. This rag quilt is an awesome way to make use of those little bits that are too small for other pieces. It’s also amazingly easy to construct. You can literally take these strips from the fabric store cutting table straight to your sewing machine without cutting them yourself. The strip quilt pattern produces an eclectic and fun blanket, and this tutorial will show you how to make one like a pro.
Half Square Rag Quilt
Creating the triangles that make up the half square quilt looks complicated, but is actually pretty simple. Plus, each seam you sew gives you two quilt blocks, a sort of kill-two-blocks-with-one-seam scenario. With the added texture of the rag quilt seams, this blanket looks very technical while being easy to construct (but we’ll keep that our secret). Melissa at Happy Quilting while help you make your friends think you’re a quilting wizard.
Chevron Rag Quilt
Much like the half square, the chevron rag quilt pattern looks more difficult to construct than it really is. You can click here for a free pattern, but as you can see by the photo on the site, it’s really just a series of half square blocks rotated and arranged so that they create a chevron design. The rag quilt seam that acts as a border between each color zig zag adds a fun touch to this quilt pattern.
Rag quilts are a fantastic way to add a fun textural touch to the classic quilt, making a unique, cuddly blanket. Which of these patterns will you make to snuggle up?
Of course, you'll need a quilt label to attach to your rag quilts!
