What Fabric Do I Use for Rag Quilts? from the Pro Rag Quilt Maker A Vision to Remember

I think the question that I receive the most about rag quilts is:

What type of fabrics do you use in a Rag Quilt?

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The answer is: basically anything that will fray....

 Your next question I know is: How do I know if a fabric will fray?

Answer: on the bolt or online description of fabric it will say something like 100% cotton or quilters or flannel.

I like to use 100% cotton fabrics because they fray the best.

If the fabric has any polyester in the content, it will not fray.

That doesn't mean you can't use it, but just keep in mind that the frayed edges will not be frayed and fluffy.  In this case you may want to clip your edges a little closer than every 1/4 inch.  

Minky is a favorite fabric for baby blankets because it is so soft. Go ahead and use it in rag quilts if you want the softness. Just keep in mind that it will not fray because it is 100% polyester typically. The same thing with fleece. It makes a blanket really soft but it will not fray.

Whenever I make a quilt with minky, I use this method for adding minky to Rag Quilts

It makes it so that the frayed edges are bogged down by the polyester made minky, but you still get the soft effect of minky on your quilt.

Here is the lowdown on the fabric I use:
I mix and match fabrics. I basically use anything that is quilt worthy for the blankets but I really try to stick to high quality fabrics.  Sometimes, I need to use a lower quality fabric just for the look, but I steer clear of it if at all possible!

I use a lot of quilters cotton fabric.
Like, A lot!

This quilt doesn't have flannel in it except for the back of the quilt.  Every single fabric on the top is a quilters cotton.

Where do I purchase my fabric? 

Now that I have been making rag quilts for a business for 6+ years, I have several wholesale accounts with fabric manufacturers so I can keep my quilts affordable.

But at the same time I don't need 10-15 yards of 1 fabric, so I do sell many of the fabrics that you see in the quilts that I make

Other than that, I do buy fabric from Joanns and Hobby Lobby too.  They do have some really nice quality stuff, but they also have some pretty crappy stuff too.  I go by feel whenever I am there. If the fabric feels thick and nice, then I will use it. If it doesn't I pass it by.

For online I definitely go to Etsy, Amazon, and Petal fabric from Spoonflower.

But I REALLY, Really prefer to stick with the big name designer fabric manufacturers.  Like Riley Blake Designs (my personal favorite), Moda, Art Gallery, Cloud 9, etc

Their fabrics don't bleed, they don't shrink very much, and they last a lot longer than the cheap stuff.

Now, if you can't afford those big name fabrics, the cheaper fabrics will work just fine!  Just keep in mind they aren't the amazing quality, but depending on what your quilt will be used for, it might not matter.

Think about what you want for that quilt when you're finished.  If you want it to last until your baby is a little older, then choose the quality of fabrics accordingly.  If you want the quilt to last for ages, then choose your fabrics accordingly.

Will your quilt sit on the back of your couch and be used every time you sit down to watch TV?  Or will it be folded up nicely, and not used hardly ever? 

For the backs of the quilts I use solid flannel.   Most of the time I purchase the flannel on Black Friday from Joanns.  Because I can't beat that price, and I like to keep my quilts so that they are affordable.

EDITED: I no longer recommend joanns flannel. It started to get those stupid little balls on it after 1 wash. I now only use and recommend Robert Kaufman flannels. I have a wide variety in my supplies shop on etsy, but if I don't carry the right color I know you can find it from other etsy sellers as well.

Let me know if you have any questions. Where are your favorite places to shop for fabric online and off? I would love to know

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