Stripped Rag Quilt

I've seen those rag quilts made out of squares all over. But when my friend Marni (who, if she actually blogged, would put our current craft world to shame) showed me her rag quilt, done in strips and bound, I fell in love! She showed me how to make one, and I just recently drew up a simple pattern to share with someone else. I thought I'd share it with you today. Because, ya know, I want to.

This quilt was done in flannel, with three layers. My friend that I just showed how to make the quilt used cottons, and it turned out the same- just a heck of a lot lighter. We live in Arizona, remember :) I "quilted" it just by sewing a zig-zag stitch down the strips. You can see my stitching in the above pic.

And if you are wondering... I have a tiny seam allowance, so my "ragging" didn't rag so much. This was my first. blanket. ever. so forgive me :)

Marni taught me that in order to have a visually interesting blanket, you need to use a mixture of large patterns (like the pastel argyle on my blanket), solids, and small patterns (like polka-dots or stripes). And she is totally right.

When assembling the blanket, after cutting all the strips, I put the three layers together and pinned those together before I sewed the strips together. It made it easier to keep everything in line and even. Just a tip.

The finished size is perfect for covering up older babies who are still on a crib mattress, or for putting on the floor for little ones to play on. Thanks, Marni, for teaching me this quilt! The pattern and instructions can be found here. Just let me know if you have questions!