What I did with "Mistakes"

          A while back I made a quilt for a friend's baby.  I knew she liked chevron stripes which is very popular now and I thought it would be cinchy since I had made a Charlie Brown zigzag previously.  I made big mistakes on that quilt which I wrote about here but I wasn't about the throw those "mistakes" away.  I thought someday I will use them so I tucked them away in my fabric storage shelf.

"Mistakes"

        Then the other day I was browsing through Pinterest as I always do (I love Pinterest!) when I saw this quilt.  I fell in love with it and I thought I could use my mistakes to make a similar rag quilt.  And that's just what I did.

Front

Back

           I'm not sure if I'll ever do another heart rag quilt quite like this again.  I encountered major problems.  If I ever do it again I would not use minky so widely although I had to on this one since the "mistakes" had minky in them.  If I did this same look I would use white flannel or cotton instead of the minky.  Another thing I would definitely NOT do is put fleece in the middle.  This rag quilt is very plush but that plushness made it a bear to sew!  I actually broke 5 needles sewing through the layers especially at the points of the heart.  The one thing I would do again is add the binding.  It was the first time I ever added binding to a rag quilt and I wasn't quite sure how to do it.  I had seen others bind their rags so I knew it could be done and I just love how it turned out.

           This quilt was a lot of work but I'm proud that I re-used "mistakes" from another quilt, used up scraps from another quilt and turned out a finished rag quilt that I have fallen in love with!

First Blog - My three mistakes

I have been sewing for a while and never considered myself a great seamstress.  I've learned that I like straight seams, clean line patterns, bright colors, especially greens and pinks.  When I first discovered rag quilting I fell in love with the design and look.  My cousin taught me how to make one and I made a bunch for everyone in my family.  Unfortunately I did not make them very well.  Sorry Family!  I made 3 mistakes.

     1.  I only used 2 slices of flannel fabric instead of 3
     2.  I did not sew the "traditional X" to secure the slices of fabric
     3.  I cut the seams way too big -   so big that after 6 years they still haven't frayed nicely.

I wish I could take those quilts back and replace them with the quilts I am doing now.  All my quilts now have 3 slices with an X and are super fluffy!  I also double stitch the perimeter which give the quilt a very finished look.  I've learned to cut the seams to less than 1/4 inch.  I've been pleased and proud of my work.  I still don't consider myself a great seamstress but I'm absolutely positive I can make a beautiful rag quilt.

one of my first rag quilts