I wanted to give something special as a wedding gift for a special couple. They weren’t registered for gifts at any stores so I decided to create a picnic tote and blanket.
My first consideration was the fabric, I wanted to use a traditional picnic print for parts of the tote and blanket but I wanted it paired with a more modern look. I also wanted the underside of the blanket to be water resistant so needed either a laminated fabric, oil cloth or vinyl. The tote had to be roomy, durable, and have a lot of pockets to hold wine, flatware, plates, cups, napkins and anything else that might be needed at a picnic.
I waited for Fabric.com to have a sale on laminated fabric and did some searching, matching, and designing and decided on the Moda Glamping series. What’s more traditional than red and white gingham for a picnic? And I thought the matching “Miss Polka Dance” was perfect along with a nice blue denim and cotton webbing for the handles. I also used insul-bright sandwiched between the layers to provide a little bit of insulation for the bag and wine bottle pockets.
Then to make it even better, I found the perfect matching picnicware at Target. Love Target!
I also picked up a couple bottles of wine that had cute labels at ABC Liquor in Crystal River. Love that store, too. I especially appreciate that they always have someone on staff to help me pick out a good wine at a good price. They’ve never steered me wrong.
I personalized the blanket with an appliqued heart and the tote with a hand-written appliqued patch. (My handwriting is so bad that the newlyweds will definitely know it’s handmade!)
I think it turned out really nice. And now I should be telling you how to make it but that’s going to be another day! I had some issues–like working with laminated fabric is kind of tricky. And the new design for the tote was a little off. So I’m planning to make another set to work the bugs out–as soon as Fabric.com puts laminated fabric on sale again! That stuff is pricey! And then I’ll have to decide who to give it to! Decisions, decisions.
But just in case you want to start your own picnic set before I get the next one finished, here are some websites that I did check out. I also did a search on Pinterest for picnic totes and picnic blankets and there’s a lot of tutorials out there. I didn’t actually follow any of the instructions exactly, but everything I read did help with the final design.
Amy Butler’s Picnic Blanket
Tips for working with vinyl fabric from Amy Butler
Some help from Sew4home for the blanket
Also from Sew4home, instructions for an insulated tote
Then there was the toss into the toilet…
