Lap Rag Quilt Pattern

For All Ages

Making a lap rag quilt is very quick and easy. I make mine out of flannel. There is a great variety of fabric colors and designs to choose from. Also you don't prewash your fabrics as flannel is harder to sew once washed. All the fabric washing happens after the quilt is assembled.

These rag quilts are great to use in the winter while watching a movie. The elderly love them as they not only keep them warm while sitting but any spills etc are easy to clean off.

To make a lap rag quilt you need a selection of flannel fabrics. I have used 12 different fabrics but you can make a simpler one using 2 fabrics. The quilt is made up of:

twenty-five 9" x 9" squares for the back

thirteen 9" x 9" squares for the top

twenty-four 9" x 5 1/2" rectangles for the top

Cut thirteen 9" x 9" flannel squares for the top of your quilt

Cut twenty-four 9" x 5 1/2" flannel rectangles for the top of your quilt

Cut twenty-five 9" x 9" flannel squares for the back of your quilt

Cut twenty-five 7" squares from your batting

Sew rectangles together in pairs using a 1" seam allowance. Remember to place the rectangles wrong side to wrong side!

Place batting between flannel layers. If your backing fabric has a one way design check that the design is facing the right way up. Now, place one backing square (wrong side up), position a batting square centrally and another top square (right side up) on top, making a fabric sandwich.

Arrange squares into desired pattern.

Sew each square on the diagonal or on the vertical through all three layers from batting corner to batting corner. You can see this on my quilt above. Repeat this step till all the pieces are completed. You should have 25 sandwiches ready to sew together into your lap rag quilt.

Now comes the exciting part - joining the squares into rows

First - lay out your squares into the desired pattern

Next - begin with the top row and sew each square to the one next to it. Remember to have all raw edges facing towards the front!!!

Join the rows together. Again Remember to have all raw edges facing towards the front!!!

Sew a 1" triple seam around the entire quilt.

Well done!! Your lap rag quilt is nearly finished!!

Clip each raw edge at 1/2" (1 1/2cm) intervals and stay at least 1/8" from the seam.

You are now ready to machine wash your quilt and then dry your quilt in the dryer using a hot setting. After washing and drying your quilt be prepared to clear out the lint and thread that gets left in your washer or dryer. I sometimes need to dry my quilt twice as the seams can take a little longer to dry.

When using a more loosely woven fabric you may need to tidy up the raw edges by pulling out or trimming any loose threads.

Congratulations on completing your lap rag quilt!!!

Tips & Techniques

* To personalize/theme your quilt, applique a shape onto the center of the square in a contrasting fabric eg a heart, ball etc

* You can substitute batting with another layer of flannel fabric. If you choose to do this then cut all squares 9". This will make the cut edges very fluffy - this is what makes the quilts so unique!

* I clip my seams after the quilt is assembled but you can also clip the seams as you sew the squares together.

* I call these quilts 'quilt in a day' quilts as they can easily be made in a day including the washing and drying time.

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