Ragtime Quilt--Part 2 (done & done)

I finished my quilt, so now I feel like I can have my baby.  Although, it will be 90 degrees when she is born, so I am not sure we will be using this right away.  I LOVE how it turned out.  I love the big squares. I love the colors.  I love that it is soft and cuddly--just right for a baby girl!

Oh, if you missed Part 1, go HERE

Okay, once you have all your squares sewn together, lay them out in the order you want.  Find the pattern that you like best.  Once I figured out the pattern I wanted to use, I had my 4 year old help me lay the rest out.  Yes, it took a little longer, but I love involving my kids.  Plus, it was a good practice of patterns for him!

After your quilt is all laid out, start pinning the squares together.  I pinned all the squares in each row.  This gave me 9 long strips, 9  squares each. (Once again, pinning is SO important if you want corners to meet up correctly).

Then start sewing the squares together with a 1/2" seam.  Soon, your 9 strips will be all sewn together.

Now start pinning the rows together.  Pin first at the corners, then work back to the center of the squares.  You want your corners to line up.  You won't be able to tell on the "rag" side, but on the back the corners will show clearly. (I learned the hard way--PIN, PIN, PIN!)  Sometimes your squares won't match up exactly, but just make sure the corners line up.  Any puckers will not show because they will be hidden by the raggedy edges.

Next, sew your strips together.  Again, use a 1/2" seam.  Once all the strips are sewn together, sew along the outside edge at a 1/2" seam.

Now it's looking like a blanket, and you are LOVING it already! 

Okay, time to get your scissors out.  This is a good time to catch up on those tv shows you have DVR'd, or that movie you have been waiting to see.  The snipping takes a while.  You want to cut each edge every half inch or so.  In the corners, I cut as close to the edges as possible.  This doesn't have to be perfect.  

Ahh, LAST STEP!!!  Give the blanket a washing.  Note: Your washer and dryer will collect a lot of fabric and lint.  Before I had kids, I took mine to the laundry mat to wash mine (so all that fabric wouldn't do anything to my washer and dryer).  However, now that I have kids, I can't imagine dragging them to a laundry mat.  The good news, my washer and dryer are fine.  

Be prepared, when you pull it out of the dryer, it will be so soft and delicious!  Beautiful.  You may have loved it before, but you will REALLY love it once it is washed and done!  

The Back:

The Front: