How to Wash a Rag Quilt
If you are making a rag quilt, you will want the finished product to have an old and rustic appearance when done. If you cut the seams right, the edges of the rag quilt seams will fray just right when washed providing you with the rustic look that rag quilts are designed to have.
- Place your rag quilt on a flat surface such as a counter top so that you can easily work with the seams of the quilt.
- Mark a your seams a quarter inch in on all seams with a fabric pencil to mark the area where you want you seams to fray when washed.
- Cut along the making that you have made with your fabric pencil on all of the seams of your rag quilt. Be sure to stay on the lines that you have drawn so that you seams are even.
- Discard of the material that you removed into a garbage can or keep it for scraps if you prefer for another project.
- Place the rag quilt into your washing machine, and add the desired amount of laundry soap and fabric softener to the washing machine.
- Turn on the washing machine and set it to wash your rag quilt on the delicate cycle. Allow it to run through the load cycle until complete. You can choose a shortened load cycle if you like, since the quilt is already clean.
- Remove your quilt from the washing machine once the cycle has ended, and shake it out.
- Place the rag quilt into your standard dryer and dry your quilt on high heat. During the drying process the seams of your quilt will fry and puff out creating the look that you are going for.
- Remove the quilt once it has thoroughly dried, and cut off any loose stings that are hanging from the edges to complete your rag quilt.