Hey everyone. Today we're making a roll-up picnic blanket, and I'll show you how one extra-wide brown print can give you the top and the back with no seam down the middle.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric
This is the 108" Vitality Chic Brown Cotton Wideback Fabric per yard from P&B Textiles.
It is cotton. It is 108 inches wide. And this colorway is a rich, warm brown.
The product notes say this design exudes visual movement. I love that, y'all. It is not a flat, sleepy brown.
P&B calls it sophisticated and chic. Vitality is offered in 9 colors. This brown is the one we're sewing with today.
P&B says it is ideal for a quilt backing, and stylish enough for a duvet cover, pillows, or home décor. If it can carry a duvet, folks, it can carry a picnic blanket.
That width is the real gift. At 108 inches, one length cuts into a top and a back, side by side. No piecing. No seam to sit on. Just like that, the hardest part is done.
The project: a roll-up picnic blanket
We're making a simple picnic blanket. One big piece for the top, the same print for the bottom, a thin layer in the middle, and binding all around. Finished size is about 50 by 62 inches — room for two, a basket, and a good lunch.
Why this fabric? The print looks best big and unbroken. Brown is forgiving at the park — grass and crumbs do not show like they would on white. And cotton presses crisply.
My preference is a straight-line grid, about 4 to 6 inches apart. It is strong, flat, and easy to fold. An all-over meander works too, and it is softer. Completely up to you.
We will add two simple ties at one end. Roll it up, tie it, and go. Super duper easy.
Materials list
- 2 yards of this 108-inch wideback — enough for the top and the back, with room for squaring up
- Low-loft batting cut about 52 by 64 inches — thin rolls better
- 1/2 yard of coordinating cotton for binding and ties — 6 strips at 2 1/2 inches wide for binding, plus 2 strips at 2 by 18 inches for ties
- Thread to blend — a warm brown disappears nicely
- A walking foot, safety pins or basting spray, a long ruler, rotary cutter and mat, and an iron
Cut math: cut two pieces, each about 52 by 64 inches. They sit side by side across the 108-inch width — 52 plus 52 is 104, with a little to spare. The 64-inch length fits inside your 2 yards, which is 72 inches. Trim after quilting to 50 by 62 inches.
Brief steps
- Press the fabric well. Smooth fabric cuts straighter. Take your time — it's not a race.
- Cut your two 52 by 64 inch pieces, print direction running the same way on both.
- Layer it up: bottom 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.
- Quilt your grid from the center out. I use a stitch length around 3.0 and a walking foot, hands flat — guiding, not pulling.
- Make your ties. Fold each 2 by 18 inch strip, press, and topstitch. Pin both ties to one short end, on the top side, pointing inward.
- Square up to 50 by 62 inches, catching the tie ends in the edge.
- Join your binding strips, press in half, and sew around with a 1/4-inch seam. Fold to the back and stitch in the ditch, or finish by hand. Tie off and press.
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 for the park and at home
First, keep quilting lines a few inches apart. Closer quilting means the batting stays put wash after wash. Really really simple.
Second, shake it out before you roll it up. Roll tight from the end without the ties, and tie it closed.
And here's the permission part. It does not have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic. If a grid line wobbles, nobody at the picnic is bringing a ruler.
If I can do this, y'all can do this. One wideback, one afternoon, a blanket that actually gets used.
Thanks for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the 108" Vitality Chic Brown Cotton Wideback Fabric per yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
