About Homespun Fabric

CATHEDRAL RAG QUILT
Sofa throw/small twin-size quilt
(79” x 60” final size)
About Homespun Fabric
Homespun fabric is highly recommended for this and most rag stitching projects. Other cottons simply will not fray as
well. Flannel will fray decently but it has a tendency to pill when washed. Homespun or Osnaburg must be used to
create the lovely shabby "fray" or "ragging" that you see in our pictures.
Homespun is a yarn dyed fabric meaning that the design comes from the colors of the thread. It is not a printed fabric
so it has no front or back side. Both sides are the same. The threads are often somewhat coarser than traditional
cottons and the weave is sometimes looser. These are the characteristics that make homespun so perfect for rag style
projects.
Although most homespun fabrics are manufactured internationally now, this type of fabric is called homespun because
the technique is very similar to the way that pioneer women used to create their own fabrics. The threads will
occasionally have nubs and imperfections in them which is the nature of the fabric.
After the first wash, homespun fabric will shrink about 10% and become very soft and supple and the loose weave will
tighten up. About ¼ cup of table salt in the first wash will help set the color in any 100% cotton fabric and prevent color
bleeding. A liquid fabric softener will also help loosen the strings for rag projects.
About Ragged Style Stitching
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Rag stitching can be totally addictive! Once you get the hang of it, you will realize that it’s fast, fun and simple. Even the
most basic sewing project can become totally cute and unique when it is done in rag style.
One of the most popular features of rag style stitching is it’s forgiving nature. In other words, it’s really hard to mess this
up! Most seams and stitch lines are covered over with the “fray” when your project is finished so no one will ever see
the crooked stitch lines or the uneven intersections. This makes rag projects great for beginners who will be very
encouraged to create such a great looking product so easily. It also makes rag projects great for experienced crafters
who don’t have much time and want to make something quick and easy.
Here’s some tips based on our years of experience sewing rag style with homespun fabric:
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Wear an apron. Those strings get everywhere and an apron will help when you need to clean yourself up fast.
Keep plenty of lint rollers handy. These will not only help clean the strings off your projects when you are
finished but they’ll clean the strings off of you that the apron left behind. Also use these to clean your cutting
table and even the floor under your chair when you’re done. They are a great time saver.
Don’t try to do too much clipping at one time. Your hand will get really tired. Space it out if you have a big
project.
Use spring loaded scissors if possible. It’s not necessary but does help with hand fatigue on the big projects like
throws and tablecloths.
Put the kids to work! Clipping seams on big projects is not hard. Just teach them to not cut too close to the
stitch line.
If you do cut into a stitch line, restitch the area immediately and put just a touch of a liquid fray preventer on the
area to secure it.
Don’t stress over getting everything lined up just perfectly. As you can see from our tutorial pictures, we believe
that when you are rag stitching, “Close enough is good enough”. 
MATERIALS NEEDED
This quilt has soft cream and blue plaid colors, for an Americana look:
10 yards Osnaburg Muslin
4 yards Americana 6 plaid
Available at www.jubileefabric.com
Twin size cotton batting (72” x 90”)
cotton thread—Taupe on the top/front, and Cream on bottom/reverse.
Fray Not—or similar product (notions department)
Walking foot (optional)
Sewing machine, scissors, needles, pins, 6” x 24” quilting ruler.
Not required, but you’ll be glad you have:
9 ½” or larger square quilting ruler;
Rotary cutter and cutting mat; and
Rag scissors.
TIP: The Osnaburg fabric was prewashed, dried, and ironed before cutting, as this soft fabric has quite a bit
of shrinkage. The Americana 6 was not prewashed. After the quilt was done, a small amount of blue dye
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transferred to the Osnaburg, muted the cream color with a slight blue tone, and made an attractive
antiqued look. However, if using homespun for both fabrics, the prewash is not necessary.
NORMAL QUILTING EQUIPMENT
Not required, but you’ll be glad you have:
9 ½” or larger square quilting ruler;
Rotary cutter and cutting mat; and
Rag scissors.
CUTTING FABRIC/LAYOUT
Osnaburg circles: You will need 63, 13” circles. I used a wooden pizza board for a round cutting template. With the
fabric as it comes off the bolt, place circle on selvage edge and cut 22 (doubled) circles, 44 total. Then, refold fabric
in opposite direction and cut 9 (doubled) circles, (18), and 1more single, totaling 63 circles.
Americana 6: From the Americana 6, cut 63, 8 3/4” squares.
Batting: From the batting cut 63 8 ¼” squares.
ASSEMBLY OF UNIT
Place and center batting square on top of Osnaburg circle. On top of batting square, place Americana 6
fabric, matching squares together. Center batting and fabric squares onto circle. This is the quilt
“sandwich”. (see image below) For help to centering squares on circles, fold circles and squares into
quarters, and iron. Match up ironed folds of squares on ironed folds on circles. Pin into place.
STITCHING UNITS
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Stitch an “X” through unit. Position quilt sandwich at one corner. Hold opposite corner of sandwich, and
stitch towards your position. Repeat from other corner to its opposite corner, to make an “X”.
If you can adjust the pressure of your presser foot, you will want to lighten the pressure. Otherwise, a
walking foot will come in handy when stitching all these layers.
Either backspace ½” or lockstitch the “X”—this part won’t be rag cut.
STITCHING UNITS TOGETHER
COLUMN ASSEMBLY (VERTICAL):
Put 2 circle units together, back sides to back sides. Line up squares so that top and bottom squares match.
With squares matching, stitch 2 units together, and sew just OUTSIDE the fabric/batting square.
Stitch entire column, 9 sandwiches together to make a column.
Fold back Osnaburg edges of circles and press open. Stitch on inside of each curved edge, approximately ½”
on inside of arc on one side. Then, rotate column, and sew on inside of other circle edge, as below.
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ROW ASSEMBLY (HORIZONTAL):
Once 9 columns are complete, place 2 columns together, back to back. Pin columns together, starting with
center circles, and working outwards towards edges. Match seams, and pin each circle together at seams.
Osnaburg has some give, so if circles don’t match exactly, you can stretch the circles, from seam to seam,
and ease the larger into the smaller, by pulling the circles to match. Stitch 2 columns together in a straight
stitch that follows along the edge of the Americana 6 fabric.
After sewing columns together, check back of quilt. If there is a hole at the intersection of the unit seams,
go back and restitch that point to secure the seam.
After 2 columns are sewed together, open up the circles, fold them back and press open. Then sew around
each arc the entire length of the column, as before, except sew right arc, then swivel to the left. Then
reverse your quilt column and sew down the other side (like sewing an “S”)
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Continue to stitch the columns together and then stitch the Osnaburg ovals down in the same way until all
the columns are joined.
We suggest stitching 2-column units together, add last remaining column to the last 2. You will end with
units of 2, 2, and 3 columns. Stitch 2 of the 2-column units together for a 4-column unit. Then stitch the 4column unit to the 3-column unit.
CLIPPING THE EDGES
You can either clip each row now, or later after quilt is complete. My preference is to clip each 2-column
unit now, rather than wait to clip the entire quilt. Have your Fray Not handy if you should happen to cut
into the stitching. See instructions below for standard rag style clipping of the edges.
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The front and back of your quilt should look like this:
FINISH OUTER EDGES
Fold down the Osnaburg ovals on all the outer edges. Press and pin into place. A yard stick can help you get a nice
straight edge.
Stitch around all the ovals as you did with the column assembly. If you need to restitch some bad joints, please do
so. After the quilt is washed and frayed, the stitch lines will be hidden by fluffy fray.
Check around once more to make sure all of the exposed raw edges have been clipped.
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Here’s some close-up pictures of the fray in Photos 1-3 below. If you’re used to double layer fabric fray, this fray
may be a little less fluffy but the Osnaburg frays very nicely.
Please note that the quilt (with 1 layer of backing) is a lightweight quilt. So, if you like more fray, and a heavyweight
quilt, you certainly could double up the backing fabric as is common with many rag style quilts.
LAUNDERING QUILT
Machine wash in cold water, gentle cycle with:
1/2 cup salt to help set colors;
Liquid fabric softener to help the edges rag; and
Minimal amount of laundry detergent.
You'll want to take this outside and shake it before moving to the dryer to reduce the strings in the dryer. Dry on
low/medium, cleaning dryer trap several times during drying cycle. Shake outside again to remove loose strings.
Enjoy!
By: Marguerite Niven,
Fresno, California
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Addition photos of this pattern using two coordinating homespun plaid fabrics:
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