Iwantasew

I wouldn't make a rag quilt- just sew squares together for the top and put on the fleece back.

illinois

Those knits won't rag, will they? What they are asking for is not what you'd like to do--or the way rag quilts are usually made so I think you can easily bow out on this, if that's what you want to do. If you do want to do it though, I'd suggest making a double layer to rag, make the x, sew that together as usual and then tie it to the fleece back. No batt.

(This may be one of those "sounded good at the time" projects??)

janjanq

Do they understand that the backside wouldn't be "ragged"? I think it wouuld look the same if you sewed the back on whole and then quilted the x's and 1/2 inch seams on the edges of the blocks as it would if you made the rag quilt in the traditional way! If you use three layers of fabric (flannel in the middle) and no batting then you could run them through the Accuquilt already layered and immediately sew the x's. That way you wouldn't have to align edges putting them together.

judykay

Do you rag the edges of your quilts also? If not you can do it the traditional way and use the burping method for the back and you edges will be enclosed and your backing will be one piece but with squares on the front.

Onebyone

You are nicer then I am to do this. To answer your question, I think the solid back will work fine. Make the front with the rag squares and then quilt around each square when sandwiched. Two pieces will rag enough especially if the cost to them is 0. I would rag the edges and not waste time on binding.

madamekelly

I would just skip the batting and just use the fleece as the bottom of each square, but that is me. The whole back would be fleece.

Rose_P

Are you sure they mean the same thing by "rag quilt" as you do? Maybe they're referring to the used clothing in that way from some notion of traditional quilts. I'm just thinking it would be much easier to piece squares (or whatever) and quilt it onto the fleece if you didn't have the raggy bumps to deal with, and I suspect that would make a quilt that would hold up better in the long run. You might ask if they want a lightweight quilt or a heavier one with both batting and fleece. If lightweight is okay, you could omit the batting and really make it simpler for yourself. I have made a couple of quilted throws for our warm Texas climate by machine quilting through a quilt top and fleece, and it's a quick process that worked out better than I would have expected. A friend of mine has been making some that way for a while and encouraged me to try. (Thank you, Abby's Mom!)

Editing to add that one of the nice things about a fleece back is that it usually comes in a 58" width, which helps to define (and restrict) the size of the item. I would not attempt to piece a back made of fleece.

DonnaC

Thanks ladies... all wonderful ideas, as always!

As of last night, I've got four hours invested in cutting the rag squares for Quilt #1. I only had a couple more shirts to cut, and lo and behold, a text arrives from Cousin #1 saying she found more clothes and can she please add them? LOL Always remember, no good deed goes unpunished!

At least I can cut while watching TV. The sewing is a whole different matter!

DonnaC

Can you ladies who don't use the Accuquilt die also comment on what brand/type of rag scissors you use for your quilts? I'm looking at the Fiskars online but they seem to get mixed reviews. Thanks!