Rag Quilt Tutorials with Raewyn Stewart

Rag Quilt Tutorials with Raewyn Stewart Textile artist ♡ Rag quilt designer ♡ Creator of the Caterpillar construction method ♡ Etsy ♡ Blog ♡ Patreon ♡

To join The Caterpillar Club https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecaterpillarclubnz/

One of the most common questions beginners ask is, “What do I need to start rag quilting?”The good news is that you don’...
01/06/2026

One of the most common questions beginners ask is, “What do I need to start rag quilting?”

The good news is that you don’t need a room full of expensive equipment to get started.

My absolute basics are:

🧵 A sewing machine
I have three vintage Bernina machines. Everything I’ve made in recent years, including ruffles, has been sewn on these machines. You don’t need the latest model with hundreds of stitches. A machine that sews a reliable straight stitch and zigzag is enough.

✂️ Rotary cutter, ruler and cutting mat
Some people will argue these aren’t essential, and technically you could get by with scissors and a ruler. However, they make cutting faster, more accurate and much easier, especially when you’re cutting lots of pieces.

✂️ Good scissors
For trimming threads, cutting fabric and all those little jobs that pop up along the way.

📌 Pins (and clips)
If you use them. Some quilters love them, some hardly touch them. It’s personal preference.

🪡 A seam ripper
Because nobody gets through quilting without one.

♨️ An iron
I press with an iron rather than finger pressing and I press creases as my X stitching guide.

✂️ Good ragging snips
This is one area where I wouldn’t cut corners. I use Heritage VP7 snips and they’ve served me well over the years.

That’s really it for the basics. The rest can be added as you go.

Have I missed anything?

R x

This one slipped into my memories this morning. Paua - a design created exclusively for The Caterpillar Club. Paua are s...
30/05/2026

This one slipped into my memories this morning.
Paua - a design created exclusively for The Caterpillar Club.

Paua are similar to Abalone with beautiful iridescent shells. R

There was no handbook when I started doing many of the things I do today.A lot of it was trial and error. Sometimes the ...
30/05/2026

There was no handbook when I started doing many of the things I do today.
A lot of it was trial and error. Sometimes the trial worked. Sometimes the error was spectacular.

I’ve made rag quilts that taught me which fabrics behave beautifully and which ones have a mind of their own. Quilts that taught me that a tiny adjustment to a seam allowance or stitch length can completely change the finished result.

Looking back, I don’t regret the mistakes. They were often the reason I discovered a better way of doing something.

If you could give a beginner one piece of advice what would it be?

Hi everyone, a question for fellow quilters.How do you store your finished quilts?Any dos and don’ts we should know abou...
27/05/2026

Hi everyone, a question for fellow quilters.

How do you store your finished quilts?
Any dos and don’ts we should know about when storing them long term?

P.S. Not my cupboard unfortunately… I wish it was! R x

We’ve come a long way in five years.Back in 2021, my non traditional rag quilts raised quite a few eyebrows. Today, in 2...
26/05/2026

We’ve come a long way in five years.

Back in 2021, my non traditional rag quilts raised quite a few eyebrows. Today, in 2026, techniques like inlays, one colour seams and 1/8” snips are far more recognised, but at the beginning they certainly were not the norm. I spent a lot of time explaining that what I was teaching was not traditional rag quilting, but a completely different approach to construction and finishing.

The “caterpillar seams” my granddaughter named after the fat fluffy seams climbing over each other at the intersections quickly became something people were curious about. Some loved them immediately, others were unsure what to make of them, and there was definitely some criticism along the way. New ideas often make people uncomfortable before they become familiar.

I think some people assumed I was simply repackaging generations old quilting skills into subscriptions, without realising many of the techniques themselves were newly developed through experimenting and testing. From introducing inlays, to refining methods that changed the way seams could look and behave, this non traditional quilting journey has been built on creativity and persistence and along the way, I’ve met some truly incredible people. R x

Fabrics and batting washed, cut, and ready to go!I’m making the smaller stroller sized quilt using Meg’s upcoming tutori...
25/05/2026

Fabrics and batting washed, cut, and ready to go!
I’m making the smaller stroller sized quilt using Meg’s upcoming tutorial, and I’m going to time myself too, because her method is a quick make.
The photos from this quilt will be added to the completed tutorial.
No pressure! R x

The inlay look has become one of the most talked about techniques in rag quilting and now you can learn how to create it...
24/05/2026

The inlay look has become one of the most talked about techniques in rag quilting and now you can learn how to create it yourself in a simple, beginner friendly way.

This step by step tutorial teaches you how to achieve a soft layered inlay effect using straightforward construction and fluffy rag quilt seams. An optional bulk reducing method is also included to help smooth out seam intersections.

If you can cut a square and sew a straight line, you can make this quilt.

Finished size approximately 28” x 35”

A wonderful technique to add depth, texture and interest to your rag quilting projects. 🍂 🍁

Looking for a rag quilt you can make in an afternoon? Meg is working on a new Etsy tutorial. This one is ultra-easy, a b...
20/05/2026

Looking for a rag quilt you can make in an afternoon? Meg is working on a new Etsy tutorial. This one is ultra-easy, a brilliant scrap buster, and gives you the fluffiest ragging, with flannel or batting inner, your choice.

Keep an eye out for this one 🌸🌷🌺💐🌼

Fabric names? They don’t travel well across borders!When I launched The Caterpillar Club in 2022, one of the first thing...
20/05/2026

Fabric names? They don’t travel well across borders!

When I launched The Caterpillar Club in 2022, one of the first things I noticed was how differently fabrics are named around the world. The same fabric can go by completely different names depending on where you live, and if you’re following tutorials or patterns from another country, that can get confusing fast.
So here’s how our New Zealand names stack up against what you’ll likely find in the US:

What we call Homespun here (a 100% woven cotton, I use the Spotlight brand), you’ll know as Quilter’s Cotton.

Our Flannelette is your Flannel, particularly the 112cm wide version.

Our Calico is your Muslin. I also use Calico occasionally as a middle layer when I can’t find a flannelette colour to match, and the unbleached version when I want an antique look. It rags beautifully and goes incredibly soft after washing and drying.

And here’s one that trips people up: our Muslin is not your Muslin! Ours is a lightweight gauze, very soft, commonly used for baby wraps.

I was lucky enough to be able to compare these side by side, thanks to my friend Amy Limbacher from Amy's Modern Fray, who kindly sent me a selection of US fabric swatches so I could see the differences for myself.

One thing that needs no translation though? Gutermann 100% Polyester thread. Consistent quality wherever you are in the world. 😉
I hope this helps if you’ve ever been puzzled reading an international pattern or tutorial. R

All new teaching content has moved to Patreon, with a mix of free and paid content available.
[https://www.patreon.com/RaewynStewart]

Prewashing fabric.I did a deep dive and there is a lot to unpack.I’ve shared everything over on Patreon, and the best pa...
18/05/2026

Prewashing fabric.

I did a deep dive and there is a lot to unpack.
I’ve shared everything over on Patreon, and the best part? It’s free to read, no subscription needed.
Link in comments.

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