Hello, sewing friends! Are you dreaming of sunny days at the park or a fun blanket for ball games? What if I told you that you can sew a water-resistant picnic blanket all by yourself? Yes, you can! It might sound like a big job, but I’m here to show you how easy and fun it can be.
Maybe you’ve seen cool fabrics like oilcloth and wondered what to do with them. Well, they are perfect for making a blanket that keeps you dry, even if the grass is a little damp. We’ll go step-by-step, and soon you’ll have an amazing blanket that’s ready for any adventure. Let’s get our sewing machines ready!
Why Make Your Own Water-Resistant Picnic Blanket?
Making your own things is always special, right? When you sew a water-resistant picnic blanket, you get more than just a blanket.
First, you can pick your very own fabrics! Want bright colors, fun patterns, or something calm and cool? You choose! It’s your creation. Second, a homemade blanket, especially with water-resistant fabric, is super useful. No more soggy bottoms if the ground is a bit wet. This kind of blanket is also tough and can last for many fun trips.
Plus, imagine telling your friends, “I made this!” It feels great. This project is perfect for using those neat fabrics that keep water away, making your outdoor fun even better.
Gathering Your Special Tools and Cool Fabrics
To sew a water-resistant picnic blanket that looks great and works well, we need a few special things. Don’t worry, they are easy to find and use!
Here’s a little list of what will help us:
| Item Needed | Why It’s Helpful for This Project |
|---|---|
| Water-Resistant Top Fabric | Like oilcloth or laminated cotton. It keeps water out! |
| Batting | Makes your blanket soft and comfy. |
| Backing Fabric | Knit fabric is soft, or choose another sturdy one. |
| Sewing Machine | Your trusty sewing partner. |
| Teflon Foot | Helps “slippery” or “sticky” fabrics glide smoothly. |
| Wonder Clips (or similar clips) | Holds layers together without making holes like pins. |
| Jeans Needle (or Denim Needle) | Strong and sharp to go through thick layers. |
| Rotary Cutter & Mat | For cutting fabric straight and easy. |
| Large Ruler | To use with your rotary cutter. |
| Good Quality Thread | Strong thread makes strong seams. |
Fabrics like oilcloth can be a bit sticky under a normal sewing machine foot. That’s why a Teflon foot is your best friend here – it just slides right over! And pins? They can leave little holes in water-resistant fabrics. So, we use clips instead. They hold everything tight without any damage. A jeans needle is tough enough to sew through all the layers without breaking.
Getting Started: Prepping Your Fabric Pieces
Before we start to sew a water-resistant picnic blanket, we need to get our fabric pieces ready. This means cutting.
First, decide how big you want your blanket to be. A good size for a picnic is about 50 inches by 60 inches, but you can make it any size you like!
You’ll need to cut three main pieces to this size:
- Your water-resistant top fabric.
- Your batting (the fluffy middle layer).
- Your backing fabric.
If you want to make a fancy top with strips of fabric, like a quilt, you’ll cut those strips now too. The video this guide is based on shows a cool way to do this with diagonal strips. For that, you’d cut strips of fabric about 2.5 to 3 inches wide. Their length should be longer than the diagonal of your batting.
Sometimes, starting with a smaller practice piece is a good idea. This helps you get used to how the fabric feels and how the Teflon foot works.
Let’s Sew the Top! (The Fun Part)
If you’re using one big piece of water-resistant fabric for your top, you can lay it over your batting and smooth it out. You might want to use some clips around the edges to hold them together for now.
But, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try the strip method shown in the video, here’s how you can sew a water-resistant picnic blanket top that looks super cool:
- Mark Your Batting: Take your big piece of batting. If you’re doing a diagonal design, draw a line from one corner to the opposite corner with a fabric marker.
- First Strip: Place your first fabric strip right side up along one side of this line (or along one edge if not doing diagonals).
- Add Second Strip: Place your next strip right side down on top of the first one, matching up the edges.
- Sew: Using your Teflon foot, sew along that matched edge. Remember to do a little backstitch at the start and end to lock your stitches.
- Flip and Press: Open up the second strip and fold it over. Now, here’s a key tip for oilcloth or similar fabrics: Do not use a hot iron! It can melt the fabric. Instead, just use your fingers to press the seam flat. Give it a good, firm crease.
- Keep Going: Add your next strip, right side down, onto the edge of the strip you just flipped over. Sew, flip, and finger-press. Keep doing this until your whole batting piece is covered with your pretty fabric strips.
The Teflon foot is really important here. It stops the oilcloth from sticking to the foot and bunching up. This helps you get nice, smooth stitches.
Smart Trick: Trimming Your Strips Perfectly
You might notice your fabric strips are hanging way over the edges of your batting. That’s okay! The video shows a clever timesaver. Instead of cutting each strip to the perfect angle before sewing, you sew them on long, and then trim them all at once.
Once all your strips are sewn, flipped, and finger-pressed:
- Flip your whole layered piece over so the batting is on top.
- Carefully fold back the batting along your original marked line (or the straight edge of the batting). You’ll see the extra fabric from your strips sticking out.
- Line up your big ruler with the edge of the batting.
- Use your rotary cutter to neatly trim off all that extra fabric. Voila! All your strips now have a perfect edge. Do this for all sides.
Adding Pretty Topstitching
Topstitching is a line of stitches you see on the outside of your project. It looks nice, and it also helps keep the layers from shifting.
When you’re ready to topstitch along your strip seams:
- Make your stitch length a little longer on your machine. A longer stitch looks better for topstitching.
- You can often use the edge of your presser foot as a guide. Line it up with the seam you just sewed, and your topstitching will be nice and straight.
Adding Borders and Making Corners Neat
If your design includes borders (strips of fabric around the edges) or corner pieces, now is the time to add them. You’ll sew them on much like you did the strips: place them right sides together with your main piece, sew, flip, and finger-press. Add topstitching if you like.
Once all your top pieces are on, it’s time to “true up” the corners. This just means making sure all your edges are straight and your corners are perfectly square.
- Lay your blanket top on your cutting mat.
- Use your square ruler to check a corner. Line it up with one straight edge.
- If there’s any little bit of fabric sticking out or an edge isn’t quite straight, use your rotary cutter to trim it away. Do this for all four corners. This step makes sure your do it yourself picnic blanket will have a really professional finish.
Time for the Backing Fabric!
Your beautiful blanket top is ready! Now, let’s get the backing on. The video suggests using knit fabric for the back because it’s soft and feels nice. But you can choose any fabric you like for the back. Maybe a sturdy cotton or even another layer of a water-resistant fabric if you want extra protection.
- Lay your backing fabric right side up on your table.
- Place your finished blanket top onto the backing fabric, with its right side down. So, the pretty sides of your top and your backing should be touching each other.
- Line up all the edges carefully.
- Now, grab those Wonder Clips! Instead of pins (which would leave holes in your water-resistant top), use the clips all around the edges to hold the top, batting, and backing layers together.
Sewing It All Together (Almost Done!)
This is where your sew a water-resistant picnic blanket project really comes together.
- Switch to a Walking Foot: If you have one, a walking foot is amazing for sewing thick layers. It has extra feed dogs on top that help pull all the layers of fabric through the machine evenly. This stops them from shifting around.
- Leave an Opening: You need to sew almost all the way around the edge of your blanket, but leave an opening of about 8-10 inches on one side. This is how you’ll turn the blanket right side out.
- Backstitch: When you start sewing, and when you get to the opening, and when you start again after the opening, and at the very end – remember to backstitch! This locks your stitches so they don’t come undone.
- Corners: When you get to a corner, stop with your needle down in the fabric. Lift your presser foot, turn the blanket, put the presser foot back down, and keep sewing. This gives you sharp, neat corners.
Tips for Big Blankets: A picnic blanket can get quite big and bulky as you sew.
- If you can, use a large table so your blanket is supported and doesn’t pull or hang off the edge too much.
- You can roll up the part of the blanket that’s already sewn to make it easier to handle as you sew the remaining sides.
- If you’re using a stretchy fabric like knit for the backing, the video suggests putting the knit fabric on the bottom when you sew. The feed dogs (the little teeth under your needle) will help grip the knit and guide it smoothly.
The Big Reveal: Turning and Finishing Your Blanket
You’re so close to finishing your waterproof picnic blanket tutorial steps!
- Clip Corners: Before you turn it, snip off the very tip of each corner, being careful not to cut your stitching. This removes a little bulk and helps your corners look sharper when turned out.
- Turn Right Side Out: Carefully reach into the opening you left and start pulling the blanket right side out. Be gentle!
- Poke Out Corners: Once it’s all turned, use your fingers or a dull point turner (like a chopstick or a special tool) to gently push out the corners so they are nice and square.
- Press Seams: Again, no hot iron on that water-resistant top! Run your fingers firmly along all the seams to make them as flat as you can. You might need to kind of roll the seam between your fingers.
- Close the Opening: Find that opening you left. Neatly fold the raw edges of the fabric inside, so they line up with the rest of the seam. Use your clips to hold this closed.
- Final Topstitch: Now, you’re going to sew one more time, all the way around the very edge of the blanket, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the edge. This is called edge stitching or topstitching. It will close up that opening neatly, and it gives your blanket a lovely finished look. It also helps keep all the layers together at the edges. Your jeans needle will be great here, as it can pierce through all the layers easily.
Caring for Your Awesome New Blanket
Most water-resistant fabrics like oilcloth are easy to care for. Usually, you can just wipe them clean with a damp cloth if something spills. Check any instructions that came with your specific fabric. Try to let it dry completely before folding and storing it.
FAQs
Can you put a waterproof blanket in the dryer?
It is usually not a good idea. Heat can hurt waterproof fabrics. It is best to let it air dry. Always check the fabric care tag first.
What are picnic blankets made of?
Picnic blankets can be made of many things. The top part is often soft, like cotton or fleece. The bottom part is often a fabric that stops water. This could be nylon or oilcloth.
What can I use as a picnic blanket?
You can use a big towel. An old quilt can work too. A regular blanket is fine for dry days. For wet grass, a blanket with a waterproof back is best.
What makes a blanket waterproof?
Some fabrics stop water all by themselves. Nylon is one such fabric. Other fabrics have a special coating. This coating keeps water out.
Are foil blankets waterproof?
Yes, foil emergency blankets are usually waterproof. They are made of a thin, plastic-like material. This material does not let water pass through.
You Did It! Enjoy Your Handmade Picnic Blanket!
Take a moment to admire your work! You’ve learned how to sew a water-resistant picnic blanket, tackled some special fabrics, and made something beautiful and useful. You’ve used special tools like a Teflon foot and a walking foot, and learned tricks like finger-pressing and using clips.
This blanket is ready for so many adventures – picnics in the park, days at the beach, concerts under the stars, or just a comfy spot in your backyard.
I hope you enjoyed this guide and feel proud of what you’ve made. Learning new sewing skills is always exciting, and now you have a wonderful item to show for it!
What will you do with your new picnic blanket first? Or do you have any questions about the steps? Let me know in the comments below. Happy sewing, everyone!
