How to Make Picnic Blankets Out of Drop Cloths
You guys, it’s officially picnic season! As if you needed another excuse to drop everything and go outside. If you’re over your bedsheet-turned-picnic-blanket phase but it’s not quite the right time to spring for that gorgeous Pendleton or Love Taza x Let’s Playground number, we’re here with a solution — hand-painted drop cloths! These blankets are a cinch to make, super affordable and even washable, meaning they’re an awesome option for us penny-pinchers out there. Scroll on to see how we did it!
Materials:
— canvas drop cloth
— pencil
— fabric paint
— paintbrush
— iron
— sewing machine
— sewing pins
Instructions:
1. First, sketch out your design on a piece of paper. We’re kind of having a fruit moment right now, so we went with a pineapple, a grapefruit and a watermelon.
2. Cut your drop cloth to size if necessary.
3. Use a pencil to outline your design on the drop cloth. Paint over your design, then let dry.
4. Once dry, flip over your drop cloth and iron over the painted sections. Most fabric paints suggest you iron every section for one minute to seal the paint.
5. Hem your picnic blanket with a sewing machine. That’s it!
We’re are loving all of the fruit prints on the market right now, so we made picnic blankets with a pineapple, a grapefruit and a watermelon.
First, sketch out your design on a piece of paper. (Yours truly got a little carried away while planning this one — chances are your sketches will be less complicated :)
Cut your drop cloth to size if necessary. Use a pencil to outline your design on the drop cloth, then start painting.
Here’s another reason we love fabric paint — it’s way easy to fix mistakes. If you mess up, let the spot dry and paint over it again.
Lastly, add watermelon seeds and other details.
Pro Tip: Use the darkest colors last, if possible. They’re the hardest to paint over if you mess up!
Ta-da! Once you’ve finished painting, let your blanket dry completely. We let ours dry overnight, just to be safe.
Seal the fabric paint by ironing the back side of the drop cloth. If some of your paint bled through the canvas, lay down parchment paper between the iron and the fabric so you don’t ruin your iron. That’s parchment paper, NOT wax paper!
If necessary, hem the sides of your drop cloth. You’re done!
PICNIC TIME!
The only thing missing from this spread is our favorite mason jar cocktail ;)
We gotta say, Turkey was really diggin’ this blanket.
Three cheers for adorable picnic gear!
Will you be trying out this DIY yourself? If so, we want to see the results! Share photos with the hashtags #britstagram and #iamcreative so we can take a look.