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Kids Can Quilt! – Rag Quilt Day 2

Kimberlee Tanner

We are back for a second Kids Can Quilt! Series. This time, we are making a rag quilt.

Rag quilts are a perfect beginner quilting project, as they are quilted as you go. As soon as you finish sewing the blocks together and add the edging, it’s done! No need to worry about getting a back, layering, or quilting it. You don’t even really have to bind it. The best part of a rag quilt, is after you wash it for the first time, and all your seams get fuzzy. So, read on, grab your supplies, and join us for a fun week of quilting.

 

What to Expect

There are 4 videos in this series. We will be posting one a day, starting today and ending on Saturday. The breakdown is below:

Day 1 – Supplies and Cutting

Day 2 – Making Blocks

Day 3 – Sewing Rows

Day 4 – Sewing Rows together and finishing

Sewing the Blocks

Today we are sewing the blocks together. For the blocks, you are going to make a whole bunch of mini quilt sandwiches.

  • Start with a backing square. Place it right side down.
  • Layer a piece of batting on top of this square, centering it so that you have about 1/4″ all the way around.
  • Add a quilt top square, right side up. Line this square up with the backing square.
  • Using the back of a butter knife, line it up from corner to corner and press, marking a diagonal line on the block. Repeat with the remaining corners.
  • Sew on each of these lines, keeping them as straight as possible.

Repeat these steps until you have 80 completed quilt blocks.

Chain Piecing

These blocks are a perfect opportunity to practice chain piecing. That means that you simply grab the next block and keep sewing, without cutting your thread. Chain piece all the blocks in one direction, cut in between them, and then go back and sew the second line. You can make smaller groupings and do 10-20 at a time to avoid having one giant strip of blocks to deal with. Chain piecing can save both time and thread and is an easy way to get lots done quickly.

After your blocks are done, set them aside and tomorrow we will talk about sewing them into rows.

Don’t worry if it takes you a little while to get your blocks made. These posts and videos aren’t going anywhere, so just come back when you are ready to move on.


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