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Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom by Jamie Sanders

Inspiring you to sew, cook and create.

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Home / quilts / Red White and Blue Bandana Quilt Tutorial

Red White and Blue Bandana Quilt Tutorial

Bandanna projects, crafts, Patriotic Projects, quilts, Sewing, Tutorials

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

Learn how to make a super quick and easy picnic quilt from bandanas!  This Bandana quilt pattern is double-sided, has no binding and makes the perfect quilt for summer picnics and patriotic holidays.

Bonus: you can have this quilt completely put together in just a few short hours!

bandana quilt

First Things First… Is it Bandana or Bandanna?

Ok, so I googled the answer and still am not clear, lol. Spell check keep trying to correct the spelling to bandanna, but almost everywhere on the web it is spelled bandana. If you look the words up in the dictionary or thesaurus, the definitions are exactly the same and the other spelling is listed as a synonym for each.

What do you think is it bandanna or bandana?

Red White and Blue Bandana Quilt.

(Update: this post was originally published in 2013, but this bandana quilt is such a fantastic quick and easy quilting project for this time of the year, I decided to update the photos a bit and reshare it with everyone today!)

Every Fourth of July, our family heads down to the little festival and firework display put on by our city.  In the past, I’ve always brought along an old comforter for everyone to sit on while hang out and wait for the fireworks.  This year, I decided to get a little fancy and make a special picnic quilt out of red white and blue bandanas. (Plus it’s only June 24th, how ahead of the game and I, the procrastinator extraordinaire?)

Easy Bandana Quilt patterns

Why this Bandana Quilt Method is So Great!

One of the reasons this is such a great quilt to make is that it is just so darn easy!

You are basically sewing together Nine bandanas for the font of the quilt and Nine bandanas for the back.

There is just a bit of straight line quilting. And you then use a “cheater” no binding method to finish the edges of the quilt.

Since no binding is needed on this easy bandana quilt pattern, it has a very casual look and comes together in just a few hours! (It’s a bit different from the other cheater quilt method I showed off on this quilt.)

bandana quilt

I do wish I had thought a little bit more ahead when planning the colors of the quilt.  It is double-sided, so I could have done the back side in different color bandanas that the quilt could be used for different occasions.  (Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20 right?)

The photo below is the quilt after 7 years… Looks great doesn’t it?

how to make a bandana quilt

One of the questions I get most often is, Do the bananas bleed in the wash? The red bandana did bleed just a bit on to the white the first time I washed the quilt, but it’s not super noticeable. I used Shout Color Catchers in all subsequent washings and had no trouble with bleeding. (I just didn’t have them or even think about it the first time.)

easy bandana quilt

Other Fun Bandana Project Ideas:

I actually love making projects with bandanas.  Since their edges are already finished, it makes the projects come together so much quicker!

  • Bandana Tablecloth
  • Shirred Bandana Dress
  • Bandana pillowcase dress
  • Bandana Bracelets
  • Headbands
  • Table Runner

 

How to Make a Bandana Quilt (in just a few hours.)

To make this Quick and Easy Bandana quilt, you will need:

Materials Needed:

  • 18 Bandanas (9 per side make a great picnic quilt) Amazing bandana variety pack here.
  • Quilt Batting
  • Safety pins
  • Scissors, ruler, Basic sewing supplies

Red White and Blue Bandana Quilt Sewing Instructions:

1.  Start by laying out your bandanas into a pleasing pattern.

Red White and Blue Picnic Quilt. How to Make a Quilt from Bandanas in just a few hours. (No binding method.)

2. Line up the bandanas right sides together and sew along the edge using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Sew all the bandanas together in a row and then sew the rows together.

Don’t stress too much about lining the bandanas up perfectly or matching up corners, because this will not happen!  Bandanas are never cut straight!

3.  Repeat the steps above for the other quilt side.

4.  Iron all the seams flat.  (You really could just stop here and have an adorable tablecloth to use for your family celebrations.  Like my bandana tablecloths here.)

5. Lay one side of the quilt flat on the ground with the wrong side up and top with the quilt batting.  If you need to trim the quilt batting to fit, be sure to leave 3 to 4 inches around the entire quilt in case the bandanas or batting shift when quilting.

6.  Use safety pins and pin the quilt batting in place.  Sew a couple of quilting lines down the quilt to hold the batting in place.  Remove all the pins.

7.  Make your quilt “sandwich” by laying the quilt back out on the floor with the batting side down and and place the 2nd quilt side on top with the  wrong side facing up.

8.  Sew along the edges, leaving a 10 inch opening so you can flip the quilt right side out.

Red White and Blue Picnic Quilt. How to Make a Quilt from Bandanas in just a few hours. (No binding method.)

9.  Trim the edges to a scant 1/4 inch.

10.  Flip the quilt right side out.

11.  Hand or machine sew the opening closed.  You could iron the edges flat and topstitch around the edges, though I chose not to do this for time sake.

12 Add a couple more lines of quilting to hold the quilt front and back in place.  You can really do as much or as little quilting as you want.

You are done!

Patriotic Picnic Quilt from bandanas

My “assistant” could not wait to give the quilt a test run…

Red White and Blue Picnic Quilt. How to Make a Quilt from Bandanas in just a few hours. (No binding method.)

Want more easy quilt patterns?  be sure to check these out:

Make a Chevron Quilt the easy way

Super Easy Zig Zag Quilt w/ Charm Packs
 
Fat Quarter Picnic Quilt
 

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July 2 · 47 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jennifer Lachman says

    June 24 at 6:36 pm

    I love the quilt. We go to a local lake for fireworks every year. It is quite a big event in our small town. I'm fairly certain that everyone who lives in the county shows up. The few benches are always taken hours before the fireworks start. I can't believe I've never thought to bring a quilt before. Especially a beautiful handmade quilt like this one.

    Reply
  2. [email protected] Cupboard says

    June 24 at 6:40 pm

    Super cute! My daughter and I made a quilt top like this last year, but I haven't finished it! I'll have to use the shortcut method you used to make it go faster and actually finish it 🙂

    Reply
  3. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    June 25 at 2:56 am

    This is just awesome. I see we were featured together today on Sugar Bee Crafts! I'm honored to be next to your beautiful project. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Ana Lopes says

    June 25 at 6:52 am

    Super cute and creative project! Love it!Thanks so much for sharing this idea!
    Have a fabulous week!
    Hugs from Portugal,

    Ana Love Craft
    http://www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

    Reply
  5. Steph says

    June 25 at 12:26 pm

    That is so cute and very festive! Great idea.

    Reply
  6. dijahenry says

    June 27 at 1:29 pm

    Wow! This is a super cute idea! I love it! I think it will make a great gift this summer for a little girl I know!
    Dija
    theinspiredcafe.com

    Reply
  7. Love that Party says

    June 27 at 1:44 pm

    Visiting from the girl creative. This diy really caught my eye. So simple and effective.

    Reply
  8. Four Marrs and One Venus says

    June 27 at 4:13 pm

    You are amazing at what you do! This is just awesome lady!

    Reply
  9. Chelsea @ Making Home Base says

    June 28 at 3:33 pm

    I love what you did! What a perfect quilt for picnics and 4th of July!! Love it!

    Reply
  10. Heidi @ Moms Crafty Space says

    June 28 at 7:43 pm

    What a great idea!

    Reply
  11. becky says

    June 29 at 2:33 am

    Bandana quilt was the first project I tackled a few years back I back mine with fleece much simpler for me I like easy people really enjoy them and there are a lot of designs out there. Thank you for sharing and I now have another great blog to follow

    Reply
    • Judy says

      June 4 at 11:36 am

      I love the idea for a lightweight quilt in the summertime! Thank you for all the ideas!!

      Reply
  12. Rebecca Garcia says

    June 30 at 4:21 am

    Love this idea and thank you for the picture tutorial – I'm so visual it is a great help when people take the time to share!

    Reply
  13. Kimberly Paradiso says

    June 30 at 11:12 pm

    Love the simplicity of this! I like picking up cute and whimsical bandanas and I was just going through some of my stash earlier this week and now have a great use for them! I'm thinkin I'll make a quick summery quilt to take to the beach and put those cuties to good use! Thanks for sharing a great idea!

    Reply
  14. Emily says

    July 1 at 2:37 am

    Super idea! Pinned!

    ~Emily
    A Tossed Salad Life

    Reply
  15. Heather SettingforFour says

    July 1 at 11:29 pm

    Fun idea for summer! Thanks for sharing at Project Inspire{d}!

    Reply
  16. Lisa says

    July 2 at 2:14 pm

    We had a quilt made from red and blue bandanas when I was a little girl. My mom had made it and I always wanted to make one too. Thanks for showing me what to do!

    Reply
  17. Kara @ Simplistically Sassy says

    July 3 at 8:55 pm

    I love, love, love this idea SO much. I will make one. 🙂 I added it to my Quick and Easy 4th of July ideas today!

    Reply
  18. The Pin Junkie says

    July 4 at 4:41 pm

    Great idea! I pinned!

    Reply
  19. Justine/ Sew Country Chick says

    July 12 at 6:25 pm

    A perfect project for summer when I'm super busy!

    Reply
  20. kristi dominguez says

    June 16 at 8:41 pm

    So fun! Great idea!

    Reply
  21. Cheri, the Quilting Nanny says

    June 18 at 3:29 pm

    Cool idea. I see these bandanas in unique colors and designs all the time and think "what can I do with that?" I haven't thought of anything…until now! I will start collecting! This would be great for a male/boy theme. I found you on INspire Me Wednesday!

    Reply
  22. Karen says

    June 18 at 8:35 pm

    Your quilt is so colorful and turned out gorgeous! Perfect for the 4th. Thanks for sharing your great idea!

    Reply
  23. Amanda Corbet says

    June 19 at 2:40 am

    This is so fun a beautiful! What a great use for bandannas! You did a great job! We would love it if you linked up with our party this week!

    Reply
  24. Mel {MamaBuzz} says

    June 19 at 6:36 pm

    This is so pretty! And so festive. Thanks so much for sharing with Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in next week's issue.

    Reply
  25. Burlap and Babies says

    June 20 at 2:32 am

    Lovely quilt! Would love it if you shared it at our Motivational Monday link party on Burlap and Babies!

    Reply
  26. Melissa @ My Recent Favorite Books says

    June 20 at 7:45 pm

    I love your quilt! =) Its so pretty and festive. I'm a new bloglovin follower from "Party on the Porch"!

    Reply
  27. Kimberly Lewis says

    June 23 at 9:33 pm

    This is adorable! Pinned. Hugs! Lou Lou Girls

    Reply
  28. malia says

    June 24 at 12:44 pm

    This is plain old amazing! Thanks for sharing at Project Inspire{d}, it's featured this week!

    Reply
  29. Kristi Wolff says

    July 23 at 8:53 pm

    Thank you thank you! I have some random bandanas at my house that I have been trying to put to use. This would be a great project for me & my daughter to work on!

    Reply
  30. Bonnie H says

    May 20 at 3:26 pm

    This is so cute! It's perfect for sitting under the fireworks on the 4th of July.
    ~Bonnie @ Behind the Seams Sewing

    Reply
  31. Ginx Craft says

    May 20 at 5:18 pm

    What a great idea.

    Reply
  32. Jerusha T. says

    May 28 at 12:37 pm

    This is the best idea ever! I'm totally swiping this idea… 🙂

    Reply
  33. USS Crafty says

    June 15 at 4:13 am

    I love this bandana quilt!!

    Reply
  34. ella ruth says

    January 7 at 9:31 am

    I have a habit of collecting bandanas. This would be a good project to start with. Thanks so much for sharing. : )

    Reply
  35. Theresa says

    March 11 at 4:58 pm

    This is so cute.. I have never made a quilt, but have been wanting to learn. I think this will be
    a great one to start learning! Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
  36. Susie says

    June 4 at 2:51 pm

    Have you tried rinsing the bandanas in vinegar? I remember doing that when we tie dyed shirts to set the colors. Just wondered if it would work here.

    Reply
  37. Dawn says

    June 27 at 9:32 am

    I’d love to do this with a water resistant backing…Hmm, wonder if I could sew through oilcloth?

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      June 27 at 9:55 am

      I am sure you could with the correct needle…

      Reply
    • Meg S says

      June 15 at 9:46 am

      Yes you can, however you should use a DENIM – size 16 sewing machine needle for its weight and sharpness.

      Reply
  38. Louise Stensland says

    January 11 at 10:00 am

    How many bandana’s do we need for a full size quilt?

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      January 12 at 8:56 am

      not sure, you would just have to do a little math.

      Reply
  39. Angie Jerrell says

    June 1 at 12:28 pm

    Thank YOU! This a perfect project! I am so excited about it. EASY instructions! LOVE IT

    Reply
  40. Meg S says

    June 15 at 9:42 am

    I made this as a tablecloth for our 4th of July celebration. I needed a few extra inches so I added a two inch cotton lace in between… I really like the way it turned out. THANK YOU for your great ideas!!!
    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/315322411411456547

    Reply
    • Jamie Sanders says

      June 15 at 9:51 am

      love that!

      Reply
  41. Serena L Jones says

    June 21 at 5:59 pm

    I’m an easy quilter wanna be. I want to make sure I understand a clue things. When being instructed to see the batting on the 1st side; I’m using a sewing machine sewing a straight line from one side to the other, right? Also the last instruction to quilt a couple more lines is sewing machine again, right? If so, do you see along the line of the joined bandanas? I’ve been wanting to make one of these for quite a while. Thank you

    Reply
    • Jamie Sanders says

      June 22 at 9:37 am

      Yes, use your sewing machine and you do see the line of joined bandannas like you do on any pieced quilt, The seam edges will be on the inside of the quilt.

      Reply

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