SEW simple
Pack up a hamper and head out for the day with this easyto-sew picnic rug, complete with carrying handle
Enjoy an al fresco lunch in style with this classic striped picnic blanket, featuring a layer of soft wadding and a waterproof backing for comfort. It rolls up neatly, leaving you plenty of room in the car for other picnic goodies, and has a matching webbing handle for easy carrying to your chosen spot. There are lots of ways you could personalise it – try adding a longer shoulder strap, a fancy trim or even an appliqué slogan.
SHOPPING LIST
1.5m Karting Pink Striped cotton fabric, £29.50 per metre, The Stripes Company
1.5m Karting Pink Striped waterrepellent fabric, £30 per metre, The Stripes Company 1.5m 270g wadding, £6 per metre, Dunelm Fabric scissors Tape measure Dressmaker’s pins or clips
Sewing machine Knitting needle (optional) Iron Needle Matching thread 2m Backgammon webbing, £5 per metre, The Stripes Company String
1 Cut the striped fabric to measure 150 x 150cm, and then repeat for both the waterproof fabric and the wadding. Lay the waterproof fabric right side (RS) up on a flat surface. Place the striped fabric RS down on top, then place the wadding on top of that. Pin or clip the three layers together all the way around. 2 Sew all the way around the edge with a 2cm seam allowance, but leave a 50cm gap unstitched on one side for turning the blanket RS out in the next step.
3 Pull the picnic blanket through the 50cm gap so the right sides are facing out. Use a knitting needle, or your fingers, to push the corners out into crisp points and press with an iron. Turn the unsewn edges of the turning gap in towards the wrong side (WS) by 2cm, pin together, then slip stitch closed by hand.
4 Sew a line of topstitching on your sewing machine all the way around the blanket, 2cm in from the edge, to neaten.
5 Roll up your picnic blanket and hold it in place with a length of string. Measure the circumference of the rolled-up blanket with a tape measure. Ours measured 70cm. Add 6cm to this measurement for the straps. Cut two 76cm strips of webbing for the straps and one 39cm strip of webbing for the handle.
6 Form each 76cm length of webbing into a loop with a 6cm overlap. Place them approximately 27cm apart on your work surface with the overlaps facing up. Turn each end of the webbing for the handle under by 6cm and place it on top of the loops, directly over the point where the loop ends overlap. Pin into place.
7 Sew a line of stitching in a square shape, 5mm in from the edges of the webbing, to join the loops and handle together. Stitch two straight lines in a cross formation across each square for added strength.
8 Slide the carrying loops over each end of the rolled-up picnic blanket, to finish.