Easy Rag Quilt

My girls had so much fun making this rag quilt












If you can cut squares and sew straight lines you can make this quilt.

Check out these easy directions

Repairs- that inevitable hanging button

Isn't it the little foxes that spoil the vine? I kept pushing that one shirt with the hanging button to the back of the ironing pile simply because I didn't want to take the time to make the necessary repair. Well today is the day and like Darcy "I will conquer".




First up- to the sewing box. I hope you have fully stocked sewing kit/box. These are so nice and mine is off limits to everyone else. This is the only way I can be certain my supplies are well my supplies:).



Next clip off and pull out the old threads on your hanging button. Many times a button sewn on unreinforced fabric will begin to tear at the fabric with time. Yes, that had happened in my case. And as you can see my shirt was never reinforced to begin with.








Now the plot thickens, my simple button sewing on project has grown into a repair project as well. Not to worry. Cut a tiny circle of white soft fabric to place on the wrong side of the fabric and hold in place while you sew on the button.





Threading the needle- a little quick trick I love and makes button sewing even faster. Double your thread so you are threading two strands through your needle. This leaves a loop at the long end of your thread.

Insert your needle in the underneath side of the fabric through your white fabric and up to the top and through the button while inserting your pinkie in the thread loop on the underneath side.While you pull the thread up to the top your pinkie keeps the thread from slipping through. Next, come down through the button and to the underneath side stick your needle through the thread loop and pull firmly. This step saves you from having to knot the thread on the underneath side and enables you to reattach your button with double strand thread (meaning fewer times in and out of the holes on the button- works for me).


Last step, continue coming up from the underneath side through the button you are holding firmly in place while being careful to observe the pattern in which the other button on the opposite side was sewn on in. Is the other button sewn on in a crisscross pattern or up and down pattern? Mine was crisscross. After you have completed four or five up and down repetitions in each direction and you can tell your button is sewn on firmly you are ready to "tie off". With your needle and thread on the wrong side of the fabric catch a few threads in a small stitch being careful not to let your stitches show on the right side. Do this three or four times and your ready to cut your thread off right next to the fabric.
Congratulations you're done!!

Learn To Sew- Understanding the Terms

This is the first in a series of simple basic sewing lessons.




These instructions are designed for those with little or no sewing experience.We'll help you understand the terms and walk you through some easy fundamental steps- soon you'll be making projects of your own or tackling those simple repairs you keep putting off. (watch - your own seeds will begin to grow!)

Preparing to Sew- Understanding the Terms

Fabric width- most fabrics fall into one of three widths- 45 inches, 54 inches, or 60 inches. Remember that fabrics sold on the bolt are folded in half. The width measurement is the total width when the fabric unfolded or from selvage to selvage.

Selvages of fabric- these are the edges along the width that are machine finished. Sometimes the selvages may not be the same design as the fabric. They are usually an half inch or so wide. They can be compared to the margins on a sheet of paper you don't want to use the selvages. When the fabric is folded in half the selvages will be on top of each other.

Grain of the fabric-follows the length (not the width) of your fabric. When you lay out a pattern on your fabric you line the arrow on the pattern with the grain of the fabric (parallel to the selvage). Note- fabrics with a border design are meant to be cut crosswise or against the grain.

Nap- fabrics such as corduroy and velvet have a direction to their weave. If you brush down it looks a certain way and if you brush up it looks different. It is important to place all your pattern pieces in the same direction if you are using a fabric with a nap.

Seam Allowance-tells you how far in from the edge of the fabric to sew. If you are using a pattern and they have not indicated otherwise the seam allowance is 5/8 inch. When I sew without a pattern, which is quite frequently, for simplicities sake I use 1/2 inch. Beware seam allowances can change and make sure you read all the instructions before you start to sew.