How to Make a Polar Fleece Rag Quilt

Making quilts for your children can be very fun with all of the novelty fabrics that are available today. Polar fleece is no exception. This polar fleece rag quilt is made using novelty printed polar fleece and old blue jeans. It is perfect for kids to lounge on while playing video games, watching television or cuddling under in bed. The most time consuming step in making this quilt is snipping the seams.

Things You'll Need

• 2 yards polar fleece
• Several pairs of old blue jeans
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Disappearing ink pin
• Thread to match fleece
• Scissors
• Straight pin
• Sewing machine

Instructions

1. Measure and cut 10-inch squares from the polar fleece. You will need a total of 42 squares. Cut the legs from the jeans and open them at one seam. Measure and cut 10-inch squares from the blue jeans. Again, you will need a total of 42 squares.

2. Place a blue jean square wrong side up on your work surface. Place a polar fleece square with the wrong side down on top of the blue jean square and pin the pieces together. Draw an "X" across the surface of the polar fleece square using the disappearing ink pin and a ruler. Top stitch the "X" on the sewing machine using thread that matches the polar fleece. Place the rest of the polar fleece squares and blue jean squares together and repeat the stitched "X" on all of them.

3. Arrange the polar fleece rag quilt squares on your flat work surface, 6 squares across and 7 squares down with the blue jean side up. Since the polar fleece is all from the same fabric, there is no need to arrange in any specific order. The blue jeans, however, will have multiple shades. By having them facing up, it will give you the opportunity to move the squares around, perhaps creating a pattern or balancing out the shades.

4. Sew the top row of squares together. Place the first two squares with the blue jean sides together and sew a 1-inch seam allowance. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end of the seam to prevent the seam from coming undone. In a rag quilt the seams are on the outside, so the seam just sewn will be visible. Place the remainder of the squares on the top row together in the same way and sew. Repeat for the remaining rows of the polar fleece rag quilt.

5. Place the top row on top of the second row with the blue jean sides together. Pin the intersecting seams and sew the rows together using a 1-inch seam allowance. Repeat by attaching the remaining rows together. You will now have a polar fleece rag quilt with the seams on the polar fleece side. Top stitch, 1 inch from the edge on all sides of the polar fleece rag quilt.

6. Snip the exposed seams on every square of the polar fleece rag quilt. These snips should be approximately 1/2 inch wide. Snip on all four sides of the polar fleece rag quilt, being careful not to cut through the top stitching line. Place your polar fleece rag quilt in the washer and dryer to rag the edges. Note: The quilt will have a lot of frayed strings from the blue jeans. When it is dry, it is recommended to take it outside to shake it before using.