Rag Quilt Kit

We have had many requests over the years for kits for you to sew your very own rag quilt. We have listened and offer a wide variety of kits in our supplies shop (avtrfabrics.com)

 Below is a small sampling of our most popular quilt kits. Make sure to check them out. 

Clicking on the pictures will take you directly to the quilt kit on etsy. 

 

 

More quilt kits are available by going to our supply shop on etsy

How to Wash a Rag Quilt

Washing a rag quilt can be so daunting. If you've heard the horror stories, then you've heard that washing machines have been destroyed. Dryers have burned to the ground. Laundromats have banned all rag quilts.

 

(all the above are EXAGGERATIONS! and a bit silly)

But, in reality rag quilts shed.  A lot! 

But we have come up with a few simple steps to help with the shredded lint. 

1. Give your quilt a quick shake before throwing it in the wash.This will get rid of the fibers already falling off. I would make sure to shake it somewhere you don't care if you end up with flying fibers. Outside, in a garage, in the living room followed by a quick vacuum. Whatever works for you
2. Throw it in the washer with other things. I like to wash with towels. I also like to do a rinse only to start with. Just to get the quilt wet. This also helps with clogging the drain pipe. You'll remove most of the fibers in the dryer.
   
3. Throw it in the dryer with wool dryer balls and a couple towels. The balls and towels help to remove more of the lint and to catch it as well.
4. Check your lint catcher OFTEN. In a 60 minute dry time I check 2-3 times. More if its a big quilt. 
5. Rewash quilt if you want to wash with detergent, followed by another dry time. 
6. After 2-3 wash/dry cycles your quilt shouldn't shed too much anymore. 
   

I often am asked if the quilt will shed past the sewing and the blanket fall apart. I personally use this quilt daily, and have for almost 10 years. I love it. I even added minky to the back of the quilt so its perfect all winter in cold snowy Idaho. It is still going strong. No holes. No falling apart. 

There may be types of fabric that will shred past the sewing, but I wouldn't recommend using it in the first place. It is most likely a very thin or loosely woven fabric to begin with. But in making rag quilts since 2009 professionally, I haven't had a quilt fall apart due to shredding past the seam

 

How to Clean Rag Quilts after Washing

You've created a beautiful rag quilt by picking out the perfect fabric, it's clipped, it's washed and dried (using our tips and tricks), but now it is out of the washing machine and dryer and it COVERED in fuzzy little lint pieces. 

 

Gah! No fun right?

Nope! You've got this. It's easy.

All it takes is a lint roller. 

So quick and easy. It picks up those annoying little fibers.

They are pretty cheap. They can be found at the Dollar Store, Amazon, Walmart. I am sure you could even find them at your local grocery store!

 Now a word about lint rollers. We use them a lot. I have found these lint rollers to be my absolute favorite for everything lint roller worthy

 

   

These lint rollers come with a handle that is more like a paint roller. It rolls smoothly and lasts through all 12 of those refills, plus many more. My only grief is that I have tried to purchase just the refills, but haven't found a place to only get the refills and not the handles. I've got quite the stockpile of handles these days but they seriously last forever and are such great quality. The lint roller itself is sticky enough that it picks up the fibers, but not so sticky that its hard to roll. 

I highly recommend them!

 Now a word about this video. Its a quick one. Around 1 minute. It walks you through washing a quilt from start to finish, including the final cleaning of the rag quilt with a lint roller. So if you're only interested in the lint roller part, head to the last 30 seconds or so.

 

  

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Finishing a Rag Quilt Edge

Have you every wondered how to finish a rag quilt? We hope that this post you will find helpful in finishing a rag quilt edge.

Rag quilts are a fun and unique type of quilt. They are quick to assemble, and do not require quilting. There are times though that I like to change up the way I finish my rag quilt. Some of these methods are not standard for finishing a rag quilt, but they can make adding minky to the back much easier.

 

Adding minky to the back or a traditional cotton/flannel quilt back is another way to finish the quilt. We use the inside out method and then top stitch around the edge of the quilt to create a beautiful edge. For more info check out this blog post on adding a minky back to a rag quilt

The traditional, and easiest, way to finish a rag quilt is to stitch around the entire perimeter with a 1/2'' seam allowance. Then clip the outer edge of the quilt, just as you have clipped the seam allowances. This is the method that I use the most, and is the standard way to finish your quilt. If you want this type of finished quilt to be more than a lightweight quilt, then make your quilt with the batting layer

This is also a fairly common way to finish a rag quilt. For this method, fold the outer edge of the quilt 1/2'' over the front of the quilt, and then topstitch 1/4'' from the fold. You can clip the 1/4'' seam allowance or leave it to fray without clipping.

You can use the traditional way to finish a quilt, with binding, for a rag quilt. This method will give a you a nice, clean finished edge like a regular quilt.