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DK Quilt Guild: Ragtime Quilts or What to Do With All Those Worn Out Jeans [1]

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Date: 2023-01-08

Happy New Year!

Well, my New Year’s resolution is to get back to the sewing room because I now have at least 3 quilts lined up. But since I haven’t quite got there yet (due to obsessing over current events) I thought I’d put together a mini tutorial.

DK Quilt Guild: A place for quilters to gather, share ideas, projects, and to make the world a better place, one quilt at a time. Join us and share your thoughts, projects, questions, and tips. Quilters here are at many different levels of skill. Beginners and non-quilters are welcome, too.

Ragtime Quilts: The traditional quilt uses flannel on both sides layered with batting in between to make the blocks into a warm cozy quilt. If you want to get creative you can incorporate 4 patch or half triangles into the design.

Christmas quilt with ½ square triangles

I have have used panels and strips. Sometimes I use corduroy for the backing. The possibilities are endless.

“Cabin Quilt” for the family cabin on the lake. A little free motion sewing on the panel.

But my favorite are jeans backed quilts. I started using old jeans when my kids and their friends were in High School. They wanted something for Spring Training games when they would sit on the lawn behind the outfield. Then they started using them for camping. When my son went to college in a cold climate he asked for a bigger one so he could really cuddle up in bed.

“I Think I’m Going to Need a Bigger Quilt” for my son to take to college (8 inch squares)

People started passing their old worn out jeans to me and I would cut them in squares and have them on hand. They still pass on their old jeans so I have a pretty good supply as you can see above. I can usually get about 12-16 blocks per jeans depending on the size of the blocks and jeans. Thrift stores are also a good places to pick up nice soft old jeans pretty cheap. *The rest of the jeans can be used for other projects.

Anyway, on to the tutorial:

This is a super easy quilt, if you have the ingredients on hand. You can make the blocks any size, just add an inch so you would cut 7 inches to make a 6 inch blocks (9 inches for an 8 inch block). If you use a 6 inch block it pretty easy to figure out the size. Use 2 block to make a foot so 5x4 feet would need 80 blocks.

1) Layer the block wrong sides together.

2) Sew corner to corner so there will be an X sewn on each block. This is pretty quick when chain sticking them.

3) Always sew ½ inch seams. Sew 2 block together, jeans side together so it makes the jeans side smooth. This way you don’t end up with grass and dirt ground into the frays. Then sew into rows. When sewing the rows together to make the full quilt, nestle the seams so you aren’t sewing through more than four layers. Sew ½ inch all the way along the outer border.

4) Cut about every ½ inch to the seams (this is what makes it raggedy). I use the pictured scissors because it helps keep me from cutting too deep. Mom used to say that it took about as long as a baseball game to do the snipping.

5) This is the most important step… Go to a Laundromat to wash and dry. When you pull it out of the dryer you will see the frayed flannel side. You do not want to do this in your own dryer, the lint will really clog up the works.

I made one last summer with the help of my next-door granddaughter. She picked the fabrics, stacked the squares, cut the chained blocks, and help lay out the pattern so no 2 blocks repeated. We started with Girl Power flannel that she saw in the store. The others bits and pieces she found in my stash which is why it’s such a hodge podge. I think she’s got a pretty good eye in coordinating fabrics for an 8 yr old. At first we thought that 6x6 feet would be a good size but it was way too unruly so we made it 5x5 feet and used the extra blocks to make another smaller quilt for their dog and 2 sit-upons. The girls love them for picnics under the backyard maple tree.

Girl Power Quilt for granddaughters

And there you have it. A quick, easy quilt that is fun and durable. You won’t be afraid to take them outdoors. You can use them for picnics, camping, dog quilts, car quilts in case of emergencies and ideas I haven’t thought of yet.

*Reasons for repurposing denim jeans and just a few ideas that use pockets and tops.

Another long diary, I hope you enjoyed and someone might find it useful.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/8/2146049/-DK-Quilt-Guild-Ragtime-Quilts-or-What-to-Do-With-All-Those-Worn-Out-Jeans

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