DIY Waterproof Picnic Blanket

I have been on a hunt for some time now for the perfect picnic blanket. In order to obtain "perfect" status, said blanket would have to meet the following criteria: It had to be huge...the bigger the better, machine washable (obvi.), waterproof and easy to store. 

I absolutely LOVE this Kate Spade blanket and at $28 it is pretty affordable...I just don't know how comfortable my family would be on a sweltering July afternoon sitting on tyvek. I feel like that would become a sweaty slip n' slide real quick. No thanks. Also, it's only 48" square. Too small for my needs. I shopped around on Etsy and found several fairly good iterations, but at $175 for some, I knew I could do better. 

Last summer I picked up this beautiful Liliac Edison fabric at Tonic Living to make some Roman shades for my bedroom. I changed my mind at the last minute and thus had three metres of this gorgeous fabric at my disposal. I patched together pieces of polyester and acrylic blackout liner to make the waterproof backing for the blanket. I recommend using oilcloth, vinyl or an outdoor tablecloth to make your blanket waterproof. PUL fabric would also work, but is considerably more expensive.

You will need:

                         

1. Fabric cut to the size you want your finished blanket to be plus one inch on either side. I wanted my finished blanket to be 50" x 70" so I cut a 51" x 71" rectangle to allow for 1/2" seam allowance. 

2. Waterproof backing fabric cut to the same size as the front piece (51"x71").

3. Two strips of fabric 3" x 30" for the blanket ties

Step One:

Starting with the strips of fabric, fold in half lengthwise with right sides facing. Press and stitch a 1/4 inch seam down the long side. Repeat with the other piece. Turn the strap right side out and press. Fold the top (short) edge of the first strip down 1/4 inch and press, then fold it down again 1/2 inch and press again. Top stitch in place. Repeat with the second strip. Your ties are finished! Press them and top stitch all the way around the edge if you're feeling ambitious.

Step Two:

To determine placement of your straps, fold the blanket in half lengthwise once, then fold it in half again. Find the middle of this quarter of the fabric (closest to the edge) keeping in mind that there is a 1/2 inch seam allowance. With the raw edge of the strap lining up with the raw edge of the blanket place the first strap down where you want it, right sides facing. Pin in place. Place the second strap on top of the first, overlapping it halfway. Line up the raw edges just like you did with the first. Pin in place. I recommend pinning the bottom of the straps in place as well so they don't wind up sewn into the seam of your blanket.

Step Three:

Pin the front fabric (with the straps now pinned) and the waterproof backing together right sides facing. Starting in the middle of any of the four sides, stitch a 1/2 inch seam around the perimeter. Be sure not to close up the blanket all the way. Leave about 4 inches open to easily turn the blanket right side out. Be sure to back stitch a few times over the straps so they are extra secure.

Step Four: 

Turn your blanket right side out and press, folding the 4 inch raw edge inside the blanket. Use a point turner or a skewer to get the corners nice and pointy.

Step five:

Carefully top stitch around the perimeter of the blanket, closing up the hole in the side. If you're feeling ambitious, you can do a double top stitch. It looks really fancy for not much extra effort.   

Step Six: 

Picnic Time!!

To roll it up, fold it in half lengthwise twice and roll from the bottom (the side without the straps) and tie it up with a pretty bow! 

Happy Picnicing!