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Sunday, December 26, 2010

End of the Christmas stay-cation

Snow fell on Stars in Georgia (making fun of license plates which say "stars fell on Alabama").
I am probably the only quilter alive over the age of 50 who had not made a "rag" quilt.
Not any more!  I just finished one.
Here is the back story:  Mother was cleaning stuff out and came across a big box of flannel squares she'd cut to make a rag quilt, but then she lost interest (who knows how long ago), so she set the box aside for me.  I brought it home last summer and also set it aside.
Yesterday I got it out and started sorting.  Some squares were in pairs with batting between, so I began stitching those first.
The directions were for 9 inch blocks with smaller 4-patch groups alternating.  Well, that wasn't going to work, since I had 8 inch squares to start with.  Maybe she'd been working from a different pattern?
She had the soft sides of the flannel layered together, so I reversed that to put the soft side out. Marked a big old X to stitch on (note the sandpaper under the fabric helps it stay put to mark on).
I kept it simple and went with the 8 inch blocks with 5 1/2 inch batting between and 1 inch joining seams.
You make a LOT of squares.  My rag quilt is 9 blocks across by 11 down.  I think that is a nice 1 person throw size, so that is 99 x 2 squares!
These are the rows laid out. I resorted to marking the rows with a Sharpie so I wouldn't get them out of order.
This is the BACK side once they are all stitched together and stitched 1 inch in all the way around.
I still have to do all the clipping and then take it to a laundromat to wash.  I have listened to quilters talk about the shedding this quilt will do, so I know not to clip seams indoors or to wash (initially) in my own washer.
Here are the unclipped seams.  The instructions said to stitch them open.  I don't really know why.
Neither does Kitten.
Nor this silly guy (son #2)


Nor does son #1
We missed you #3.  Hope to see #3 soon.
MIL update: She was out of the hospital and back at her sister's house yesterday afternoon. Evidently these "things" happen, and they had happened to her before. She'll see a doctor in town sometime this week.

6 comments:

WoolenSails said...

I have never made one either;)
I hope your MIL gets better soon.

Debbie

Kris said...

I made a couple of those rag quilts for my brothers a few years back, and they love them! Glad your MIL is okay.

Unknown said...

Great quilt Karmen. I have never made a rag quilt either.
Love all those plaids.
Handsome sons, such good men.
Happy MIL is doing better. That happened to grandma once.

Magia da Inês said...

♫°° Amiga,

°º♫ Para você em 2011:

° • ♫ "Os sonhos realizados...
°º ♫°° ♫♫ O amor esperado...
° ·. •*• ♫ A esperança renovada..."

Bj♥s
Brasil °º♫
°º
° ·.

antique quilter said...

I never made a rag quilt either...would love to own one not sure I would enjoy all that cutting!
Hope your MIL gets better quickly...
Happy New Year!
kathie

Pat / Silver Thimble Quilt Co. said...

Don't clip those seams until you borrow my rag scissors..They make a HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!

Pat

PS catching up on posts...is that phone in the post with the pins real? does it work? who has a real dial phone in this day and time? oh you I guess!