How to Make a Rag Quilt (Beginner Sewing Tutorial)

Video byFleece Fun

Difficulty: Easy
About 4 hours, plus 1 hour 30 minutes to dry or set
6 steps

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Steps written out by Crafting Step by Step from Fleece Fun's video (opens YouTube) (5:19). Published May 5, 2026.

Also in:Crafts Sewing

Rag quilts are the easiest entry point into quilting. No binding, no precise piecing, no ironed seam allowances. Sew everything with seams facing out, snip the edges, throw it in the wash, and the snipped seam allowances bloom into the soft rag finish that gives the quilt its name.

The example uses Shannon Fabrics Cuddle Cakes (precut 10-inch squares of plush minky-style fabric) plus three yards of flannel for the inner batting layers. Two cuddle squares plus two flannel squares make one block, and the example quilt is four blocks wide by five blocks tall (a generous lap size).

What you need: Shannon Fabrics Cuddle Cakes (2+ packs), three yards of flannel, thread, scissors, ragging shears (optional but speeds up the snipping), rotary cutter with ruler and mat, and a walking foot for your sewing machine.

Credit to Angel at Fleece Fun for the source video.

Choosing fabric for a rag quilt

The fringe only forms on fabric that frays. That rules some things in and some out.

Flannel is the classic. It frays into a soft fuzz and stays cozy wash after wash.
Quilting cotton frays more thinly. Pair it with a flannel middle layer for body.
Minky and cuddle fabrics barely fray, but they shed a fluffy edge and feel great. Use flannel inside, as the video does.
Denim makes a heavy, rugged rag quilt for a picnic or a truck bed.

Prewash flannel and cotton. Both shrink, and a block that shrinks after sewing will pucker against its neighbors. Minky does not need it. For more on weights and fibers, read how to choose quilting fabric.

Block counts and sizes

With 10-inch squares and a 3/4 inch seam, each block finishes at about 8.5 inches.

Size	Layout	Blocks	Finished (approx.)
Baby	4 x 4	16	34 x 34 in
Lap (the video)	4 x 5	20	34 x 43 in
Throw	6 x 7	42	51 x 60 in

Every block uses two outer squares and one or two inner squares, so count fabric per square, not per block. Accurate cutting matters more than you would think - see how to cut quilt fabric.

Why the seam allowance is so wide

A regular quilt seam is 1/4 inch. Here it is 1/2 to 3/4 inch, because that extra fabric becomes the fringe. Narrower and the rag is skimpy. It can also pull out when you snip close.

Snipping and washing

A quilt this size has hundreds of cuts. Spring-loaded ragging shears open on their own, and your hand will thank you after the first row. Snip every 1/4 to 1/2 inch and stop about 1/8 inch from the stitching.

Wash on a normal cycle and dry on medium. The fringe blooms in the dryer. Clean the lint trap halfway through, then again at the end. A new rag quilt sheds a lot, so the first wash should go by itself.

Common mistakes

Snipping through a seam. It opens a hole. Restitch over it before washing.
Seams that do not line up. Pin at every block intersection before sewing the rows together.
Seams on the wrong side. Place blocks back to back, not face to face, so the allowance lands on top.

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Quick answer

Easy rag quilt for beginners using Cuddle Cakes and flannel. An easy project: about 4 hours, plus 1 hour 30 minutes to dry or set. Materials cost about $50 to $90. You need 10 things, including Shannon Fabrics Cuddle Cakes, flannel and thread. The 6 steps: cut 10-Inch Squares from Flannel, layer Each Block, sew an X Through Each Block, lay Out the Quilt Design, sew the Rows Together and snip the Seams and Wash.

Step-by-step guide

6 steps, about 5 minutes. Tap a picture to jump to that step. Your progress saves automatically.

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Step 1: Cut 10-Inch Squares from Flannel
Watch this step · 1:45
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Pre-wash and dry the flannel before cutting so it shrinks before assembly. Use a rotary cutter with a quilting ruler to cut 10-inch squares from the flannel. You need two flannel squares per block - they sit between the two cuddle squares as the inner batting.
Cuddle Cakes come pre-cut to 10 inches, which is why this project moves so fast. The flannel is the only fabric you cut from yardage.
Tip:
Stack three or four layers of flannel together and cut them all at once. The rotary cutter goes through several layers cleanly with one pass.
Used in this stepRotary Cutter Quilting Ruler Cutting Mat Flannel Fabric
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Step 2: Layer Each Block
Watch this step · 2:00
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Build each block in this order from bottom up: cuddle square, two flannel squares, cuddle square. Four layers per block, with the soft cuddle on the outside and the flannel as the inner batting.
Brush your hand across both cuddle squares before stacking - the nap (the direction the fibers lay) should run the same way on top and bottom. If they pull in different directions, the finished quilt feels strange to cuddle under because half of it is brushed one way and half the other.
Used in this stepShannon Fabrics Cuddle Cakes
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Step 3: Sew an X Through Each Block
Watch this step · 2:25
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With the four layers stacked, sew a diagonal seam from one corner of the block to the opposite corner, then a second seam across the other diagonal to make an X.
The X locks all four layers in place so they can't shift while you assemble the rows. Without it, the cuddle and flannel layers slide independently the moment you try to sew a row seam.
Used in this stepSewing Thread Walking Foot
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Step 4: Lay Out the Quilt Design
Watch this step · 2:55
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Spread all your assembled blocks on the floor or a large table in the layout you want. The example is four blocks wide by five blocks tall (20 blocks total). Vary the colors and patterns so similar fabrics aren't sitting next to each other.
Confirm the cuddle nap is going the same direction across every block. This is the only chance to rearrange before the quilt is sewn together.
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Step 5: Sew the Rows Together
Watch this step · 3:15
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Sew blocks into rows using a 3/4 inch seam allowance. Important: orient the seams so the seam allowance ends up on the OUTSIDE of the finished quilt - that's the part that gets snipped and fluffed into the rag finish.
A walking foot is worth installing for this. Four-layer cuddle blocks are bulky and a regular foot will fight you. Once all the rows are sewn, sew the rows together with the same 3/4 inch seam allowance, then sew once around the entire outside of the quilt so you can rag those edges too.
Used in this stepWalking Foot Sewing Machine
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Step 6: Snip the Seams and Wash
Watch this step · 3:55
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This is the fun part. Use ragging shears or sharp scissors to snip the outside seam allowances every quarter to half inch, all the way around every block AND around the perimeter of the quilt. Stop short of the seam line so you don't cut the stitches themselves.
Toss the snipped quilt in the washing machine and dryer. The snips fluff into the soft fringe finish. The rag effect gets better with every wash from here on out - the cuddle blooms and the flannel tendrils get fluffier over time.
Tip:
Ragging shears have spring-loaded bent handles that make hundreds of small cuts much less painful on your hand than regular scissors. Worth the upgrade if you make more than one rag quilt.
Used in this stepRagging Shears
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Products Used

Rotary CutterView Quilting RulerView Cutting MatView Flannel FabricView Shannon Fabrics Cuddle CakesView Sewing ThreadView Walking FootView Sewing MachineView Ragging ShearsView

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Question 1 of 5

Where does the seam allowance face on a rag quilt?

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Key takeaways from How to Make a Rag Quilt (Beginner Sewing Tutorial)

5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.

1.Where does the seam allowance face on a rag quilt?
Answer: Outside, exposed
Rag quilts sew with the seam allowance facing OUT. That exposed seam is what gets snipped and fluffs in the wash.
2.Why pre-wash the flannel before cutting?
Answer: Shrinks before sewing
Flannel shrinks the first wash. Pre-shrinking before cutting means the quilt won't pucker after its first laundry trip.
3.How many layers stack in one block?
Answer: Four layers
Cuddle, flannel, flannel, cuddle - four total. The two flannel squares act as the inner batting between the soft faces.
4.What does the X-shaped seam through each block do?
Answer: Holds layers steady
Without the X, the four layers slide independently the moment you sew a row seam. The X locks them in place first.
5.What seam allowance does the rag effect use?
Answer: 3/4 inch
3/4 inch gives enough fabric to snip and fluff. Smaller allowances don't bloom much in the wash.