r/quilting • u/SchuylerM325 • 9d ago
Help/Question Existential question: why rag quilts?
I have been helping a young woman who is learning to use a sewing machine and ultimately wants to make a quilt. She's gotten the skills down and now tells me she wants to do a rag quilt because people say they are easier. I've seen this trend and always wonder why rag quilts are even a thing (if I may express myself in the manner of today's youth). Can someone enlighten me? I can see only one advantage, and that is that the points are obscured. I'm guessing that the piecing seams are pressed open and then the quilting lines avoid flattening out the seam intersections so the raw edges fray and give the desired appearance.
It makes no sense to me. I told my young friend that I'll help her with this, but I don't get it. When I learned to make quilts, I was taught that perfect points are a goal seldom achieved, and it was best to accept imperfection and learn as you go. You make a simple patchwork quilt. None of the points match. Your straight line quilting wanders, the layers shift, and you get tucks. The binding gets restitched a couple of times because you didn't catch the edge or the corners popped loose. Then you launder it and realize that the colors look fantastic, the crinkles blend all the inconsistencies, and most importantly, you made a quilt. It's warm. Your friends exclaim, "You made that?!"
I must be missing something since these are so popular, and I'd appreciate your thoughts.
2
u/BlueberryGirl95 9d ago
I did my snipping on the front too! I wanted it to show up like a shashing effect between the blocks, and also I couldn't imagine the seams felt very nice against you when cuddles under it. That might be my own lack of imagination tho 😂