Amy's Modern Fray

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Ortonville, MI
Amy's Modern Fray

I design fun and frayed rag quilts and quilt patterns. Clean lines, soft textures, and a modern twist. Thanks so much for stopping by! 🩷
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09/09/2025

Hi friends! I’m getting an early start gathering ideas for handmade Christmas gifts made with scraps and love ❤️

I thought I’d share what I made last year in case you're looking for ideas too. I made lavender sachets with scrappy fronts, decorative stitching, ribbon hangers, and little buttons from my jar. The backs were simple white linen, and I packaged them in clear cellophane bags, tied with string and dressed up with a tiny pine bough and pine cone. 🌲

This year, I’m gathering ideas for small scrappy gifts. Little projects that make use of odds and ends while still feeling thoughtful and handmade. What scrappy gifts do you love to make (or receive)? I’d love to hear your ideas!

09/07/2025

Every new tutorial starts with a pile of fabric on my sewing table. 🩷

First, I settle on an idea for the quilt, then I move on to the fun part—pulling fabrics! I haul options out of my dark storage room into my sunny sewing space and start seeing what really works together.
🩷💙❤️💛💚💜🧡

This time I’m going for bright, colorful prints that play well together. Do you usually let fabric inspire your design, or pick a design first and then hunt for the perfect prints?

09/04/2025

Hi friends! I often get asked if all the layers in my rag quilts are flannel. Not quite! I only use one layer of flannel in the middle with quilting cotton (or bleached muslin) on the top and bottom.

The flannel inside gives the seams that fluffy, full look, while the cotton outside keeps the quilt looking fresh and gift-ready, even after several washes.

I found that flannel on the outside tends to pill and attract lint, so by keeping it in the middle, I get the best of both worlds: Soft texture and long-lasting beauty.🩷

09/01/2025

Let’s talk quilt borders!

One of my favorite little “secrets” for rag quilts is adding an extra ragging strip around the edges. It’s such a simple step, but it makes the borders look just as full and fluffy as the inside seams. I get asked about this often, which is why I always include it in detail in my tutorials, but here’s a quick peek at how it works!💕

I've included some photos in order of my steps:

1️⃣ Cut 3 layers of fabric to match your main quilt layers (fabric only, no batting). These strips should be twice the width of your rag seam and long enough to go all the way around your quilt.

2️⃣ Stack the layers together and sew a quick basting stitch down the center to hold them in place and provide a sewing guide. If you run out of a length of strip, just slightly overlap another piece and keep basting!

3️⃣ Sew the strip around the quilt border, following right along your basting stitch. Be sure to open your quilt seams as you sew over them.

4️⃣ When you've completed the border, cut the strip and the quilt border on both sides using the same spacing as the inner seams (closer snips give fluffier results) .

5️⃣ Wash, dry, and admire your quilt with a full, fluffy border that blends beautifully with the inside seams! 🥰

This simple step makes such a big difference—it’s one of my favorite rag quilt finishing touches! If you have any questions, let me know!

08/31/2025

Hi Friends!
One of my favorite parts of designing quilt patterns is seeing what others create with them! This Beautiful Day quilt was made by a fellow rag quilter, Karen at Kazza’s Crafts and I’m in love with how it turned out. Each version has its own charm, and this one is just beautiful! 💕

If you’d like to make your own, the Beautiful Day rag quilt tutorial is available in my Etsy shop, The Modern Fray. And right now, you can take 20% off with code NEXTUP20 as part of my newest tutorial release celebration! 🎉

https://themodernfray.etsy.com/listing/4303528858

08/30/2025

Let's talk quilt photos: they're easier said than done!

This quilt set in particular—the darling print with soft white and blue chenille—just refused to pop and kept falling flat. These before-and-after photos show my best efforts with extra lighting and tweaking my phone’s settings. They’re better, but still not true to life. Sometimes quilts just have a mind of their own when it comes to photos.

Maybe one day I’ll finally cave and get a “real” camera. Until then, it’s just me, my phone, and chasing the window light. 🌞

📷 Anyone else fighting with quilt photography too?

08/26/2025

🩷 Quilt Tip for Chenille Lovers! 🩷

I love the soft, fluffy texture of vintage chenille bedspreads in quilts, but they’re so hard to find!

My solution? Terry chenille from Amazon. It’s soft, affordable, and comes in lots of colors. My current collection is white, ivory, pink, and blue.

It’s a great way to add that classic chenille texture to your quilts without hunting for vintage bedspreads. Perfect for all kinds of projects! 😊

Edit to add the link for the white version on Amazon, but there are many other colors as well. Just something to note, the fabric comes 57" wide, so more than standard fabric!
https://a.co/d/cXVVAoo

Address

Ortonville, MI

Website

https://themodernfray.etsy.com/

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