Flannel Rag Quilt Without Batting

A Vision to Remember got its start with creating rag quilts. We've been doing it for over 12 years. Many more if you count that my first quilt that I made was while I was in junior high!

We've sewn many quilts with batting and many quilts without batting. 

Easy Peasy Rag Quilt Pattern

 

The vast majority of quilts we sell in our shop are made without batting. But for those that are looking for batting, look no further! We did an entire blog post about making rag quilts with batting and how to choose the type of batting to be used. 

But for those of you looking for a flannel rag quilt without batting, we've got you covered. These are our favorite types of rag quilts. But first let me give you a lowdown on our process.

Sports Rag Quilt Pattern

We typically use a mixture of cottons and flannels for the fronts of quilts. It is so hard to find the prints we want in flannel fabrics. So we use a quilting cottons if we are unable to find the flannel print we're on the hunt for. But every single quilt we make has flannel in it. Without the flannel the exposed seams would just not be..well...fluffy!

Easy Peasy Rag Quilt Pattern

That's the entire reason for making a rag quilt, right?! We're looking for the cozy fluffy seams

When making a flannel rag quilt without batting we stick to 2 layers of fabric. The top, as we mentioned, is a combination of flannels and cottons, and the back is solid flannel fabric. This is the case for us 99% of the time.

Easy Peasy Rag Quilt Pattern

As always, leave a comment or email us with questions about all thing rag quilting!

Bobbie@avisiontoremember.com

 

Best Fabrics for Rag Quilts

The type of fabric you choose for your rag quilt is very important. The frayed edges, and washing the quilt AFTER you’ve assembled and BEFORE using it, make rag quilting very unique. So here are a few tips on choosing the right fabrics, and why. 

To choose the best fabrics for rag quilts, or to see if you have the right fabrics for your rag quilts here are a few characteristics of good rag quilt material: 

• 100 percent cotton. Cotton fabric frays. Polyester fabric does not. If you want your exposed seams to fray and get really fluffy, then you will want to choose 100 percent cotton fabrics. How do you know if the fabric is 100 percent or not? Look at the top of the bolt for the fabric content. If it says 100 percent cotton, you are good to go. If you love a fabric that is not 100 percent cotton, it will be ok! But keep in mind that wherever that fabric is in your quilt, it will not fray. The flannel underneath it, and the cotton fabrics surrounding it, will all fray and get really fluffy. But the non-cotton fabrics, especially polyester, will not. This includes Minky, fleece, and broadcloth fabrics. They will not fray at all, but if you don’t mind that your exposed seams are not fluffy, then go ahead and use these fabrics. If you REALLY want a Minky back to the quilt, check out the best method for adding one. 

• Softness. When I am snuggled up under a quilt, I want it to be soft and cuddly. When choosing fabric in your local quilt shop, make sure to get a feel for the fabric, and not just the looks of it.

 • Colorfast fabric. I can’t tell you how many quilts I have ruined over the years because I bought a cheap fabric, thinking I needed to save a buck, then saw that one fabric bleed into all my other fabrics after my beautiful quilt was sewn together and washed. Red fabrics are the worst! But I will tell you my little secret for avoiding the dreaded fabric bleed: Buy designer fabrics. Riley Blake is my favorite, but you can also use Cloud 9, Moda, Art Gallery, Windam Fabrics, Robert Kaufman and others. They are all amazing quality, but more important, when I’ve used these fabrics, they have never bled. Not once. 

If you are shopping in a big box store and find the fabric that you can’t live without, give that fabric a couple of good prewashes before you put it in the quilt. After the quilt is finished, throw in a color catcher when you wash it, especially the first two or three times. 

 • Flannel or cotton? Contrary to popular belief, flannel fabric is not the only fabric one can use to make a rag quilt. Flannel frays amazingly well, but quilting cottons also fray pretty darn well too.
For all of my rag quilt tops, I use a combination of flannels and cotton fabrics for the top layer of the rag quilt. I actually prefer to use only cotton fabrics for the tops of rag quilts. Flannel fabrics that have designs on them seem to look dull after a few washes, and begin to look not as bright as the rest of the cotton fabrics in the top of the quilt. I’ve seen flannel fabrics (especially discount flannel fabrics) begin to look very worn after being washed only a handful of times. After putting in all that time and money to make a beautiful quilt, I would get discouraged if the quilt began to look old after using it only a couple of times. So I try to stick with quilting cottons for the top of the quilt.

For the back of the quilt, I use solid flannels. I’ve found that the majority of the time, even inexpensive solid flannels hold their colors and don’t fray or peel as much as the flannel prints. Plus, flannel solids are available in a huge assortment of every color of the rainbow, with many colors in between. My absolute favorite brand is Robert Kaufman for flannel solids and we carry them in our online fabric shop.

• Quality. I am sure you’ve heard a million times that it is best to buy designer fabrics from your favorite quilt shop. I tend to lean to this opinion. I have made so many quilts over the years, and the quilts with the designer fabrics from the brands we all know and love have held up the best.
But, I have also found some very beautiful, quality fabrics at the big box stores, and these also have held up through the years. When you are choosing fabrics, take time to run each fabric through your fingers and make sure it feels nice. Look at how tight the weave is; if it is loose it will not hold up very well. Hold the fabric up to see how well it drapes. If it is really stiff and doesn’t drape well, then it probably will not be comfortable to snuggle up with.

Choosing the right fabrics for your rag quilt is very important if you want a long lasting quilt to treasure for yourself or to give to a special person, especially when you put so much time, effort, and money into making such a unique and beautiful quilt. 

Make sure to check out all of the rag quilting resources on our blog, including which scissors to choose, walking feet, how to wash a rag quilt, rag quilting seam allowances, a wide variety of quilt patterns, and more!

Dandelion Mother's Day Gift from Grandkids

Isn't the best gift from a small child, a handpicked bouquet of wild flowers. Even if they're dandelions! They're so bright and cheery and sometimes make the most beautiful carpet...even though they're weeds

That is why we created this fun wooden bouquet holder for all wildflowers and dandelions. It will be a favorite each year to pick a special flower selection for a special mom and grandma.

Reading to Keep Away the Winter Blues!

I don't know about you, but about the middle of January (now that Christmas is over) when the cold settles in the frozen tundra of Idaho, I start to not want to EVER leave my house! Like Ever...

Reading a book has definitely helped me to chase away the winter blues over the years. There isn't much better than snuggling under warm blanket (our favorites can be found in our shop) with a good book.

This winter, I have been taking advantage of our small town Public Library. For it being in a teeny tiny trailer, they have done an amazing job of stocking it to the gills with wonderful books for everyone in the family.

But when I read a library book, there can't be any of my lazy book reading ways...like folding over the page corner, laying the book upside down to hold the page, or finding whatever is nearest to me to hold the pages open til the next time I am back to reading.

 My solution....These beautiful chunky paper clips! They have been so wonderful to use as bookmarks. They don't fall out easily, they are really quick and easy to insert into the pages whenever I am needed elsewhere, and they're cute! 

They are also the perfect gift for another reading fanatic. Perfect to hold your favorite recipe in the recipe book. Or marking any other page, or keeping a stack of papers together. 

Even though I make them in our cute little shop, these are one of my most used things in my house. I really love them that much!

I am a historical fiction kinda reader. I like to feel like I am learning something while also just enjoying relaxing and reading, without having to think too much. 

My guilty pleasure in reading lately has been regency romance novels. Amazingly (and thankfully) there is an entire sub genre of good, clean, love stories. Deseret book, Cove Fort Publishing, and others have many of these types of books.

 Sarah M Eden has got to be one of my absolute favorite authors in this genre. She has a couple series that have been amazingly spun of 2 different families. But those series also intermix with its characters and stories. Along with the series there are a few standalone books that also can be read alone or together with the series. I have read these series several times and have even bought the books...cause they really are that good! There are so many nuances of little things that I pick up on each time I read them.

The first is the lancaster series  along with the Jonquil Brothers Along with these series she is starting another series called the Gents which also goes along with the first 2 series. 

One of my biggest pet peeves, when reading novels, is that the characters begin and end. With these series that Sarah has masterfully crafted, we are able to learn and grow with each of the characters as they build throughout the series. Each book focuses on a different main character, but the other characters are consistent throughout all the books. I love it. My 15 year old loves the series just as much as I do. 

The best part...I don't have to worry about her reading things not appropriate to her age and experiences. Plus, If I don't want her reading those things, then I probably shouldn't be reading it either.

 

Unique Valentines Day Card! A fun puzzle for Gifting for Kids in Classroom, Grandparents, Mom and Dad

With valentines day right around the corner, we are on the hunt for the perfect cards for Valentines Day! I don't know about you, but it is always fun to come up with a unique styled valentines day card 

The puzzles come in a large variety of styles and each one can be personalized with a name, date, or any word that you would like. If you have custom requests make sure to let us know by messaging us on etsy, or emailing us at bobbie@avisiontoremember.com and we will get your custom request take care of!

The puzzles are so much fun to color with markers or paint. They are perfect for classrooms, for gifting to parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, or anyone else you can think of! 

I especially love the idea of gifting to the special someone for them to leave on their desk for those that come visit to take a minute to put it together. 

To purchase yours please visit our etsy shop or our website