Lap Rag Quilt Pattern

Perfect For All Ages


Are you wanting to make a lap rag quilt? 

Making a rag quilt is very quick and easy. I like to make mine out of flannel but you can choose any 100% cotton fabric. There is a fabulous variety of fabric colours and designs to choose from today. 


Also you don't prewash your fabrics as not only is flannel harder to sew once washed but more importantly all the fabric washing happens after the quilt is assembled & that is where the magic happens!

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 and some batting (make sure you use a batting that can be machine washed & dried). 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

twenty-five 7" x 7" squares of batting


Lap Rag Quilt Instructions


Step 1:

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


Step 2:

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


Step 3:

Cut twenty-five 7" squares from your batting


Step 4:

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


Step 5:

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.


Step 6:

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.


Step 7:

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!!!


Step 8:

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


Step 9:

Sew a 1" triple seam around the entire quilt.

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


Step 10:

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

Step 11:

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 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.

* If you'd like to add an applique to your rag quilt then click here for a great video tutorial.

My Amazon ads are my affiliate links. Thank you.

Sign up for my newsletter below!

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.
Share this page:
Enjoy this page? Please let others know. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.