Hey everyone. Today we're making a cozy throw quilt, and I'll show you how one extra-wide floral can become both the front and the back — no piecing, no seam cutting through those pretty flowers.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric
This is the 108" Petal Play Pink Red Florals Cotton Wideback Fabric per yard from P&B Textiles.
It is cotton. It is 108 inches wide. And it carries florals in pink and red.
The product notes describe the look beautifully. It has a transparent feel, reminiscent of stained glass. I love that, y'all. The petals overlap and soften into each other, like light coming through colored glass.
Petal Play is offered in 7 colors. This pink and red colorway is the one we're sewing with today. Warm, cheerful, and full of garden color.
P&B says this print can stand on its own, and suggests table covers, shower curtains, and even apparel. A throw quilt is mostly print too — this fabric was made for that job.
And that width is the real gift. At 108 inches, one length cuts into a front and a back, side by side. No piecing a backing. No seam down the middle. Just like that, the hardest part is done.
The project: a cozy throw quilt
We're making a simple whole-cloth style throw. One big floral panel on the front, the same floral on the back, batting in the middle, and binding around the edge. Finished size is about 50 by 60 inches — just right for a couch or a reading chair.
Why this fabric? A throw this size normally fights you on width. Here, the 108-inch width does the work. The stained-glass floral looks best in a big, unbroken piece, so we are not slicing flowers into little squares. And cotton presses crisply and quilts smoothly.
My preference is all-over meander quilting here. It is forgiving, holds the layers evenly, and lets the print stay the star. Straight-line quilting in a soft grid works too, about 4 inches apart. Completely up to you.
Materials list
- 2 yards of this 108-inch wideback — enough for the front and the back, with a little breathing room for squaring up
- Batting cut about 52 by 62 inches — cotton or a cotton blend, your choice
- 1/2 yard of a coordinating cotton for binding, cut into 6 strips at 2 1/2 inches wide
- Thread to blend — a soft pink disappears nicely; a walking foot helps feed all three layers
- Safety pins or basting spray, a long ruler, rotary cutter and mat, and an iron
Cut math: cut two pieces, each about 52 by 62 inches. They sit side by side across the 108-inch width — 52 plus 52 is 104, with a little to spare. Trim after quilting to 50 by 60 inches finished.
Brief steps
- Press the fabric well. Smooth fabric cuts straighter. Take your time — it's not a race.
- Cut your two 52 by 62 inch pieces, floral direction running the same way on both.
- Layer it up: back piece face down, batting centered, top piece face up. Smooth from the middle out.
- Baste well. Pin every 6 to 8 inches, or use spray baste. A throw will shift if you skimp here.
- Quilt from the center out. I use a stitch length around 3.0 and keep my hands flat, guiding, not pulling.
- Square up all four sides to 50 by 60 inches.
- Join your binding strips, press in half, and sew around the edge with a 1/4-inch seam. Fold to the back and stitch in the ditch, or finish by hand.
- Tie off your ends, press, and drape it where everybody can reach it.
Slow down at the binding corners, folks. That is where layers love to bunch. Pivot with the needle down, fold a neat miter, and keep going. Ask me how I learned that one.
Practical tips from my couch
First, keep your quilting spacing even, whatever design you pick. Even spacing means even warmth and no puffy spots. Really really simple, and it works.
Second, label it. A little tag in the binding with your name and the year turns a quick throw into a keeper. Super duper easy, and folks treasure it.
And here's the permission part. It does not have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic. Your family will see pink and red flowers and reach for it on a chilly evening. They will not be measuring your meander.
If I can do this, y'all can do this. One wideback, one weekend, a throw everybody fights over.
Thanks for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the 108" Petal Play Pink Red Florals Cotton Wideback Fabric per yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
