A Roll-Up Picnic Blanket in Cream Bouquet Cotton Wideback

Hey everyone. Today you'll learn how to make a roll-up picnic blanket from one wide cotton fabric, front and back, with simple quilting.

Here we go.

First, let's talk about this fabric.

This is the Cream Bouquet Cotton Wideback Fabric per yard from Marcus Fabrics.

It is cotton.

It is 108/110 inches wide.

That width does a lot of work for you.

The designer is Delores Smith.

It comes from the Franklin House collection.

The color is a soft, warm cream.

Beige and natural tones sit in the background.

And the print is bouquets and flowers.

Pretty, gentle, and classic all at once.

Because it is a wideback, you skip piecing.

No seam running right down the middle.

Just like that.

Why This Fabric Suits a Picnic Blanket

A picnic blanket has to earn its keep.

It gets spread on the grass.

It holds the basket, the plates, and you.

Then it rolls up and goes home again.

This cream floral is a lovely fit.

The bouquet print feels right outdoors.

It looks like it belongs under a tree.

And that wide width covers a blanket easily.

My blanket here finishes about 50 by 66 inches.

That is room for two people, comfortably.

Want it a little smaller for one person?

Trim your pieces a bit narrower.

Want it squarer for a group?

Cut your piece longer and trim less width.

Completely up to you.

My preference is using the bouquets on both sides.

Front and back match, so there is no wrong side.

We're not reinventing the wheel here.

Materials List

Cream Bouquet Cotton Wideback — 2 yards; the 108/110-inch width gives you a front and a back from one cut
Batting — one piece about 54 by 70 inches, low-loft cotton or a cotton blend you like
Binding fabric — 1/2 yard of a coordinating quilting cotton, cut into 2 1/2-inch strips
Thread — a good quilting thread in cream or a soft natural that blends with the bouquets
Your usual tools — rotary cutter, large mat or a cleared floor, long ruler, pins or clips, safety pins for basting, and an iron
Optional — two short strips of leftover binding fabric to make simple roll-up ties

Here are the numbers I use.

Your 2 yards give you 72 inches of length.

And you have 108/110 inches of width.

Cut a piece 70 inches long first.

Then split that piece down the width.

Now you have two pieces, each about 54 by 70 inches.

One becomes the front.

One becomes the back.

Quilt it, then trim the finished blanket to 50 by 66 inches.

For binding, you will need about 232 inches.

That is about six 2 1/2-inch strips joined together.

Brief Steps

Press your fabric well. Wide fabric folds deep, and those folds can throw off a cut.
Lay it flat on the biggest surface you have. A clean floor works just fine here, folks.
Cut one piece 70 inches long, then split it across the width into two pieces about 54 by 70 inches.
Layer them: back wrong side up, batting in the middle, front right side up on top.
Smooth from the center out, then pin-baste every 4 to 5 inches so nothing shifts.
Quilt simply. Try straight lines about 6 inches apart, first one direction, then the other, for a soft grid.
Keep your quilting about 8 to 10 stitches per inch, steady and relaxed, with a size 80/12 needle.
Trim the blanket to 50 by 66 inches, square the corners, join your binding strips, and bind all the way around.
If you like, stitch two short fabric ties to one short end, then roll the blanket up and tie it closed.