Weekly Photo Challenge — Unique

newest “leaf” on the family “palm tree”

For more Weekly Photo Challenge: Unique go to the WPWPC page.

& Baby Rag Quilt

I said I would post when I got the rag quilt finished so here it is.

Pink flannel remnants

It started as a pile of remnants that were smaller than .85 yard. Usually I can make a baby receiving blanket with a remnant that is .85 to a yard in size. If smaller, the remnants can be cut up and sewn together. Woo hoo! More work! But sometimes worth it…

Cut up on this Accuquilt-Go cutter thingie

blocks for a rag quilt

I used a 10-inch rag quilt block template. It saves a lot of elbow (and wrist) grease, cutting all those bazillion little snips around the edges. You position 2 layers of flannel on the template, right sides of both facing out and wrong sides facing each other.

Sew blocks together with 1-inch seams, fringe on the right side

You can cut 6.5-inch blocks of batting or muslin to insert between the two blocks, or not. I chose not to, because here in Florida it doesn’t get that chilly. You don’t want the poor infant sweating to death at nap time underneath her rag quilt. If you don’t stuff anything between the layers, with right sides facing out, once you’ve run them through the cutter they are ready to be sewn to the next block. Oh, I almost forgot: you sew the front and back block together with a big “X” from southwest to northeast and northwest to southeast. Then you sew one block to the next with a 1″ seam.

Easy little Florida baby rag quilt

Then after you’ve sewn the blocks together and rows together in an orderly sequence, top stitch around the edge of it and machine wash and dry it to fluff up the rag edges. This ends up being rather small. For a larger-than-newborn baby, I’d add another row or two. And wash it a couple of times and shake out all that fiber debris from the raggy edges. But it was so super easy, and cute, and economical (once you figure the Go gadget has paid for itself) and it kept some flannel remnants from going into the landfill!