Mine all mine

My first sewing project for me. Well, it's for all of us, but it's still a first. I bought these Sandi Henderson fabrics from her Meadowsweet line long ago thinking it would make the perfect picnic blanket. I added a few of my own fat quarters from the stash and it came together nicely.

I forgot to take pictures of the back which is a "vintage linen" (aka old bed sheet) from my mother-in-law. They are perfect for this project. It was unbelievably simple (and free).

To estimate, this project took a little over $20 (I only buy fabric on sale!) and about 6 hours to complete. I started using Sew Mama Sew's tutorial but did not even attempt to cut my batting to size (61" square?! Not even possible for me) . I'm more of a "make it bigger and then trim the excess" gal. Here's how I did it:

*Make blanket top by sewing 16 fat quarters together

*Spread out on top of batting

*Cut batting about 3" larger than the blanket top on all sides

*Now tape batting on ground with blue painter's tape, stretching it taut

*Put blanket top on top of batting (right side up), smoothing out wrinkles and ensure fit

*Baste with safety pins, about 8" apart

*Stitch in the ditch with sewing machine (or lovely hand stitching if you are crazy - I mean, accomplished), sewing top and batting together. Now trim the batting to size, and be sure to save all your batting scraps!

*Spread "vintage linen" (backing) on floor, right side up, pull taut and tape.

*Baste top/batting combo on top of backing, batting side up (so that backing and top are right sides together)

*Sew around perimeter, leaving about a foot unsewn. Clip corners. Turn right side out, and top stitch all the way around, being sure to close the hole in the topstitch.

It's worth every minute of effort when those kids jump and run and play on it. My only regret is not making it big enough to cover the entire lawn.