Raggedy, Raggedy, Raggedy Man!

This is an interesting piece of Americana.  The inspiration for Raggedy Ann and Andy. Check it out. But for right now, we just need to create the raggedy, raggedy, raggedy seams on our lap throw!

You will have noticed as you put them together that you now have pretty bulky layers of fabric at each four way intersection.  This is especially true of the multiple layers of these types of textiles.  In this particular case, the off-white denim twill wasn’t particularly thick on its own.  When I have made other throws with actual recycled blue jean fabric, they are much thicker and this next step is particularly critical.

I’ll bet when you first looked at the list of equipment you wondered about the hammer!  Here’s your chance to get out a little aggression.  

You’re going to lay the throw, with the standing seam side up, on a firm, stable surface and pound each four way intersection.  You’re not going to hurt anything, you’re just trying to get the bulk of the layers to be mashed into submission!  Open the seam up as fully as you can so that you’re pounding as close to the stitching of the seam as possible.  Work your way systematically across the entire throw, pounding each intersection.  As you go, you could also finger press each long flat seam open.  This will help get some of the fur out from being caught in the seams.

Next, you’re going to clip all the seam allowances.  If you are comfortable doing so, you could fold the throw along each seam line that you’re going to clip ( as shown above) and be able to clip both sides of the seam allowance at the same time.  Or, to stay on the safe side, you can just work along either side of each seam and clip them individually.  The most critical concern you have during this step is to be careful NOT to actually clip the stitching of the seam.  You want to clip as much of the seam allowance as possible in order to have material that will fray and create the “ragging” that you want but you certainly don’t want to deconstruct your throw!

I have shown two different types of quilt ragging shears here in this photo.  The top one, with the blunt nose, works best for thicker layers and general snipping.  The one below, with the long slender nose, is good for getting into the corners of the four way intersections and the edges of the throw where the seam allowance has been caught into the perimeter stitching lines.

This is a tedious and messy process.  For all of these types of throws I have made, I don’t think I have ever done all the seam snipping in one work session.  My hand gets tired and I get bored.  Take your time and do this in an area that you won’t mind having to vacuum or clean up with a lint brush after you’re done!

The worst part of making these denim/fake fur throws is that the area you work in during their construction will become absolutely COVERED in the fuzz and fluff of bits and pieces of the fake fur.  In this case, it looked like it had snowed in my sewing room!  This is true when you first cut the squares, it continues throughout the assembly process but at no time is it as terrible as when you’re snipping all the seams!

This is how you can get the long nose ragging shears into the corner of where the open seam has been caught into the perimeter stitching.  Carefully insert the end of the shears into this corner at a 45 degree angle and snip.  You will also snip the outside perimeter of the whole throw.

Remember, DO NOT actually clip the stitches of your seams.

The shears I am showing you here are great for this process because they are honed so that they cut accurately all the way to their tips.  Treat them well, store them thoughtfully and they will serve you for many years.

This shows me cutting into the multiple layers of one of the four way intersections.  Again, work carefully at a 45 degree angle into the corners and be sure to cut all layers.

Phew - all the cutting is done!  Next step is washing and drying.