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How To Make A Baby Rag Quilt

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Today on HappiestCamper, we have a fun new quilting project. We are going to show you How To Make A Baby Rag Quilt! This baby rag quilt is simple and easy to make, yet beautiful and warm. This would make an amazing gift for any new or expecting mom. It would also make a wonderful heirloom to pass down to your children. Rag quilts have exposed seams that are snipped into a fringe. The fringe created with the seam allowances adds a fun texture on the front of the quilt. If you have enjoyed our other quilting projects, you’ll love this one. This particular rag quilt uses Minky fabric as the backing and is soft and fluffy.  This is a great beginner project for those looking to increase their sewing skills and repertoire. You can customize this baby rag quilt to the size you like with your favorite soft and cuddly fabrics. This baby rag quilt finishes at approximately 30” x 40”. You can change the number and size of the strips to add color or adjust the size of the rag quilt to your liking. You can also add a personal touch to this cute quilt with some simple embroidery if you wanted. 

Baby rag quilt top photo

You only need a few basic supplies for this project. First off, you’ll need some quilting cotton. Quilting cotton is quite a bit stiffer than traditional apparel cotton. It is sturdy and will hold up against years of use and washing better than regular fabric. You’ll also need some backing fabric. I choose Minky for mine. The only other specialty item you will need is extra wide double-fold bias tape. Once you have these items, gather up your other basic sewing supplies and let’s get started!

How To Make A Baby Rag Quilt

What You’ll Need:

baby quilt supplies

How To Make A Baby Rag Quilt

Cut Your Fabric

Start this how to make a baby rag quilt sewing tutorial by washing, drying, and ironing your cotton fabric so it is pre-shrunk before sewing. Once your fabric is prepped, you can start cutting. This quilt uses two different fabrics that are different widths. 

Use the 1 yard of cotton fabric to cut 5 strips that are 6.5” wide by 30” long. Use the ½ yard of cotton fabric to cut 4 strips that are 3.5” wide by 30” long. Wait to cut your minky fabric until the quilt top is assembled. 

Assemble The Quilt Top

Next on this how to make a baby rag quilt sewing tutorial, we will work on the top quilt. The order that you are going to sew the strips together is big, small, big, small, etc. When you are done assembling the quilt top, you’ll have the wider strips at both ends. 

Start by taking a big strip and a small strip and place them wrong sides together. Line them up on a long edge and pin or clip them together.

use 1/2" seam allowance

Sew these two strips together with a ½” seam allowance. 

sew on strips to make top quilt

Repeat these steps with each additional strip until all your strips are sewn together.

sewing top quilt

Each seam allowance is ½” and the seam allowances are going to show on the top of the quilt top. 

finished top quilt

It should look like this when you are finished with this step.

Press Seams

pressing seams

After your quilt top is assembled, you need to press the seams. Using a hot iron, press all the seams one direction. It doesn’t matter which way they go.

press seams of top quilt

You want the seams pressed so the back of the quilt top is nice and flat. 

Trim Uneven Edges

trim edges

If, after your quilt top is assembled and ironed, you have uneven edges, trim them so they are nice and straight. Do this by using a quilting ruler, rotary mat, and rotary cutter and trim off the excess fabric. 

Attach Minky Backing

cut out minky fabric

Now on this how to make a baby rag quilt sewing tutorial, we need to cut the Minky fabric, but first, measure the size of your quilt top. Mine measures approximately 30” x 40”. Cut your Minky fabric to be two inches wider and longer. Mine is cut 32” x 42”. This will give 1 inch of extra fabric around the whole quilt top.  Now lay the quilt top onto the back of the Minky fabric so the wrong sides are together. Center the quilt top with the Minky fabric as best you can. 

pin together along edge

My minky fabric had straight lines that I wanted to be parallel with my seams on the quilt top. So I placed pins on one of the lines on the top and bottom of the minky fabric so I could make sure they stayed lined up. There are other minky fabrics that have dots or paisley designs that are not directional and don’t need to be lined up at all. Do what’s best for your minky fabric. 

pin top quilt and minky fabric together

Once your quilt top is in place with 1 inch of extra minky fabric on each edge, place pins all over to pin together the quilt top and minky fabric. Place pins in the middle of the strips. Avoid putting pins where the seams are. 

finger press open seams of baby rag quilt

Next, you need to sew the quilt top to the minky backing. To do this, finger press a seam open and sew right down the middle of the seam with a straight stitch. 

sew down seams

Now on this how to make a baby rag quilt sewing tutorial, repeat that process with all of the seams. Make sure to start sewing on the same side of your blanket every time. Don’t sew from left to right on one seam and then right to left on the next seam. This could shift your fabric in opposite directions. 

sew on quilting pattern

The minky fabric is very soft and might be hard for your machine to feed through at the correct speed. I pulled my blanket very slightly through the machine to help it along. A walking foot might be beneficial in feeding the fabric through with more ease. 

Binding Your Blanket

trim excess minky fabric

Once you have sewn your quilt top onto the minky fabric, trim all the excess minky fabric from around the quilt top. Before trimming, pin down the edge of the first and last strips so they don’t shift while you are trimming. 

determine how much binding you need

Next, you need to determine how much binding you need. Start by measuring the perimeter of your blanket by measuring all four sides and adding them together. Then add 10 inches for an overlap at the end. Take that number and divide by 12 to determine how many feet. Then divide that by 3 to determine how many yards you need. My blanket had a perimeter of 142 inches plus 10 inches equals 152 inches. 152 inches divided by 12 inches is 12.7 feet. 12.7 feet divided by 3 feet equals 4.2 yards. You can buy packages of extra wide double fold bias tape in 3 yard packages. You will need two packages and join the two together at the ends to make one continuous one. 

You can also use a binder maker and make your own bias tape. This is what I did with the same fabric as my thin strips. 

begin to attach binding

Next on this how to make a baby rag quilt sewing tutorial, we will work on attaching our binding. To attach the binding, open the bias tape all the way open and start lining up the raw edge of the bias tape with the raw edge of the blanket. Make sure the bias tape and blanket are right sides together. Start on one of the short edges of the blanket and place the end of the bias tape a third of the way from the corner. Clip or pin the bias tape in place until you get to the first corner. 

sew bias tape to first edge of baby rag quilt

At the sewing machine, sew the bias tape to this first edge. Do not start at the end of the bias tape. Start at least 6 inches from the tail of the bias tape. Sew in the crease of the bias tape closest to the raw edge of the blanket. We are about halfway through this how to make a baby rag quilt sewing tutorial!

sew bias tape

When you get to the corner, stop ¼” inch from the end of the blanket, pivot towards the corner and sew to the corner.

mark bias tape corner

You can mark with a pencil where you need to stop and pivot if that’s helpful. 

line bias tape up with edge of quilt

Take the blanket out of the sewing machine and trim the threads. Fold the bias tape up so the edge lines up with the next edge of the blanket. 

clip in place

Then fold it down and line up the raw edge of the bias tape with the raw edge of the blanket and clip in place all along the second edge. 

sew corner to corner

Now on this how to make a baby rag quilt sewing tutorial, head back to your sewing machine and start sewing again from corner to corner along the whole edge of the blanket. Sew in the crease closest to the raw edge. Repeat the previous steps to turn each corner and sew along each edge of the blanket. When you get to the last edge of the blanket where you originally started, leave the tails of the bias tape unsewn. 

trim bias tape tails

Trim the tails of the bias tape so there is a two inch overlap and each tail should have about 5 inches that are not sewn onto the blanket. 

fold both tails

Fold both tails up, so the right sides of the fabric are facing up. 

make a ninety degree corner with bias tape

Then place them on top of eachother, right sides together, creating a ninety degree corner. 

pin together and mark a line

Pin this together and then mark a line from the left to the right corner.

sew down line

Sew on the line you just drew, backstitching at the beginning and end. 

press open seam & sew

Trim off the excess fabric and finger press the seam open. You can now sew the rest of the bias tape onto the blanket. 

sew on bias tape

Once the bias tape is sewn onto the back of the blanket, the next step in this how to make a baby rag quilt sewing tutorial is to turn the blanket over so the quilt top is facing up. Make note that it doesn’t matter which direction the seam allowances of the quilt top are facing. We will be cutting the seam allowances at the end. 

fold raw edge of bias tape toward raw edge of baby rag quilt and fold

Fold the raw edge of the bias tape in toward the raw edge of the blanket and then fold again to enclose all the raw edges into the binding. Do this all around the quilt and use clips to hold everything closed. 

fold over to make nice mitered corner

When you get to a corner, fold the top edge down, and then fold the right edge over, and it will create a nice mitered corner.

clip binding in place

Use a clip to hold the corner in place. 

sewing binding

To sew the binding closed, there are a few options. You can hand stitch the binding closed which will allow you to hide the stitches and it will look very nice. You can also machine stitch the binding closed with a straight stitch or a decorative stitch. I chose to use a decorative stitch because I think it looks nicer than a straight stitch. 

sew binding of baby rag quilt

When machine sewing the binding closed, I like to have the back of my blanket face up. With my decorative stitch, I aimed to have the far left side of the stitching be about ⅛” from the inside edge of the binding. As you are sewing, remove the clips or pins and make sure the front side of your binding stays in place. 

Create The Fringe

trim edges

The last thing you need to do on this how to make a baby rag quilt sewing tutorial is snip the seam allowances. Using scissors, carefully snip the seam allowances every ½”. You don’t have to measure every ½”. You can eyeball the snipping. But be careful not to cut through your seams. Also, trim right next to the binding. Your blanket is now finished. 

fringe of quilt

Wash the blanket to get the fringe to start curling and fraying. Here is an example of what the fringe looks like after one wash and what it will look like after many washes. Good luck and enjoy your beautiful blanket. 

finished baby rag quilt

Now that you know how to make a baby rag quilt, you can make a beautiful piece to pass down to your kids or just give someone a nice gift. I love quilting and it has been nice to get back into it. Let us know what you are going to do with your quilt in the comments!

Simple Baby Rag Quilt Sewing Tutorial

If you liked learning how to make a baby rag quilt, make sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board or share it with friends on social media. If you decide to make this simple project on your own, make certain that you take a picture afterward and tag us on social media as we love seeing the fabrics and color choices that people use!

Yield: 1

How To Make A Baby Rag Quilt

Baby Rag Quilt Create Card

Sew this super cute baby rag quilt. This makes a wonderful gift. You can make this quilt in a few hours!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $20.00

Instructions

  1. Before cutting into your fabric, wash, dry, and iron your cotton fabric so it is pre-shrunk before sewing. Once your fabric is prepped, you can start cutting. This quilt uses two different fabrics that are different widths. 
  2. Use the 1 yard of cotton fabric to cut 5 strips that are 6.5” wide by 30” long. Use the ½ yard of cotton fabric to cut 4 strips that are 3.5” wide by 30” long. Wait to cut your minky fabric until the quilt top is assembled. 
  3. The order that you are going to sew the strips together is big, small, big, small, etc. When you are done assembling the quilt top, you’ll have the wider strips at both ends. 
  4. Start by taking a big strip and a small strip and place them wrong sides together. Line them up on a long edge and pin or clip them together. Sew these two strips together with a ½” seam allowance. 
  5. Repeat these steps with each additional strip until all your strips are sewn together. Each seam allowance is ½” and the seam allowances are going to show on the top of the quilt top. 
  6. After your quilt top is assembled, you need to press the seams. Using a hot iron, press all the seams one direction. It doesn’t matter which way they go. You want the seams pressed so the back of the quilt top is nice and flat. 
  7. If, after your quilt top is assembled and ironed, you have uneven edges, trim them so they are nice and straight. Do this by using a quilting ruler, rotary mat, and rotary cutter and trim off the excess fabric. 
  8. Now we need to cut the minky fabric, but first, measure the size of your quilt top. Mine measures approximately 30” x 40”. Cut your minky fabric to be two inches wider and longer. Mine is cut 32” x 42”. This will give 1 inch of extra fabric around the whole quilt top. 
  9. Now lay the quilt top onto the back of the minky fabric so wrong sides are together. Center the quilt top with the minky fabric as best you can. 
  10. My minky fabric had straight lines that I wanted to be parallel with my seams on the quilt top. So I placed pins on one of the lines on the top and bottom of the minky fabric so I could make sure they stayed lined up. There are other minky fabrics that have dots or paisley designs that are not directional and don’t need to be lined up at all. Do what’s best for your minky fabric. 
  11. Once your quilt top is in place with 1 inch of extra minky fabric on each edge, place pins all over to pin together the quilt top and minky fabric. Place pins in the middle of the strips. Avoid putting pins where the seams are. 
  12. Next, you need to sew the quilt top to the minky backing. To do this, finger press a seam open and sew right down the middle of the seam with a straight stitch. 
  13. Repeat with all of the seams. Make sure to start sewing on the same side of your blanket every time. Don’t sew from left to right on one seam and then right to left on the next seam. This could shift your fabric in opposite directions. 
  14. The minky fabric is very soft and might be hard for your machine to feed through at the correct speed. I pulled my blanket very slightly through the machine to help it along. A walking foot might be beneficial in feeding the fabric through with more ease. 
  15. Once you have sewn your quilt top onto the minky fabric, trim all the excess minky fabric from around the quilt top. Before trimming, pin down the edge of the first and last strips so they don’t shift while you are trimming. 
  16. Next, you need to determine how much binding you need. Start by measuring the perimeter of your blanket by measuring all four sides and adding them together. Then add 10 inches for an overlap at the end. Take that number and divide by 12 to determine how many feet. Then divide that by 3 to determine how many yards you need. You can buy packages of extra wide double-fold bias tape in 3-yard packages. You will need two packages and join the two together at the ends to make one continuous one. 
  17. You can also use a binder maker and make your own bias tape. This is what I did with the same fabric as my thin strips. 
  18. To attach the binding, open the bias tape all the way open and start lining up the raw edge of the bias tape with the raw edge of the blanket. Make sure the bias tape and blanket are right sides together. Start on one of the short edges of the blanket and place the end of the bias tape a third of the way from the corner. Clip or pin the bias tape in place until you get to the first corner. 
  19. At the sewing machine, sew the bias tape to this first edge. Do not start at the end of the bias tape. Start at least 6 inches from the tail of the bias tape. Sew in the crease of the bias tape closest to the raw edge of the blanket.
  20. When you get to the corner, stop ¼” inch from the end of the blanket, pivot towards the corner and sew to the corner. You can mark with a pencil where you need to stop and pivot if that’s helpful. 
  21. Take the blanket out of the sewing machine and trim the threads. Fold the bias tape up so the edge lines up with the next edge of the blanket. 
  22. Then fold it down and line up the raw edge of the bias tape with the raw edge of the blanket and clip in place all along the second edge. 
  23. Start sewing again from corner to corner along the whole edge of the blanket. Sew in the crease closest to the raw edge. 
  24. Repeat the previous steps to turn each corner and sew along each edge of the blanket. When you get to the last edge of the blanket where you originally started, leave the tails of the bias tape unsewn. 
  25. Trim the tails of the bias tape so there is a two inch overlap and each tail should have about 5 inches that are not sewn onto the blanket. 
  26. Fold both tails up, so the right sides of the fabric are facing up. 
  27. Then place them on top of eachother, right sides together, creating a ninety degree corner. 
  28. Pin this together and then mark a line from the left to the right corner. Sew on the line you just drew, backstitching at the beginning and end. 
  29. Trim off the excess fabric and finger press the seam open. You can now sew the rest of the bias tape onto the blanket. 
  30. Once the bias tape is sewn onto the back of the blanket, turn the blanket over so the quilt top is facing up. Make note that it doesn’t matter which direction the seam allowances of the quilt top are facing. We will be cutting the seam allowances at the end. 
  31. Fold the raw edge of the bias tape in toward the raw edge of the blanket and then fold again to enclose all the raw edges into the binding. Do this all around the quilt and use clips to hold everything closed. 
  32. When you get to a corner, fold the top edge down, and then fold the right edge over, and it will create a nice mitered corner. Use a clip to hold the corner in place. 
  33. To sew the binding closed, there are a few options. You can hand stitch the binding closed which will allow you to hide the stitches and it will look very nice. You can also machine stitch the binding closed with a straight stitch or a decorative stitch. I chose to use a decorative stitch because I think it looks nicer than a straight stitch. 
  34. When machine sewing the binding closed, I like to have the back of my blanket face up. With my decorative stitch, I aimed to have the far left side of the stitching be about ⅛” from the inside edge of the binding. As you are sewing, remove the clips or pins and make sure the front side of your binding stays in place. 
  35. The last thing you need to do is snip the seam allowances. Using scissors, carefully snip the seam allowances every ½”. You don’t have to measure every ½”. You can eye ball the snipping. But be careful not to cut through your seams. Also, trim right next to the binding. Your blanket is now finished. 
  36. Wash the blanket to get the fringe to start curling and fraying. Enjoy your beautiful blanket. 

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