Friday, June 14, 2013

picnic blanket makeover

I made this very simple and quick picnic blanket/ giant outdoor tablecloth almost a year ago and while we used it a few times as a tablecloth while camping, we never really used it as a blanket. So, I had a "brilliant" idea of giving it a makeover.


Since I used no batting and the two layers were tied together in the original blanket, it was pretty easy to rip it all apart and start from there. I never really liked the old curtains I used as backing, so I decided now was a good chance to make a new, matching one.


Not bad, right? I used some of my very precious Promenade by Denyse Schmidt as a jumping off point and raided my stash for more matching fabric.


I then decided to use very thin polyester batting to make it more cushy and comfortable - I think that was the main reason we were not using it, it simply was not comfy to sit on. 


Quilting this giant, I must say, was a nightmare. I don't think I ever did this much unpicking in my whole life. I first wanted to make some free motion loops but after a few rows of struggling I gave up. It looked bad and my stitches were not uniform at all. I tried another free motion pattern which looked even worse than the first one :(  so I finally switched to my trusty walking foot and did this sort of organic grid. I like how it looks and it was wonderful not to have to mark any lines (I don't like marking quilting lines at all).


 I think this makeover was totally worth all the extra work and I'm sure the blanket will get tons of use now. 


See? Not only will it make a lovely picnic blanket, it works great for rolling down the hills, too. We tried (like a gazillion times) already.

Thanks so much for reading.  Svetlana

34 comments:

  1. Love the new back! Hope you have lots of picnic fun and rollingtimes!

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  2. Svetlana - this is too funny (especially after yesterday) but the picnic blanket I made last year around the same time as you is currently in my sewing space awaiting its makeover where I planned on adding batting, a better backing, and quilting!!! Your "new" quilt looks fantastic - I love the new backing.

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  3. Looks great! Sorry to hear about the quilting trouble.

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  4. Fantastic, now you ill use is more Föten :-)

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  5. Oh it's so cheery and ready for some fun wear and tear!! The new back you created for it is fabulous!! Enjoy!

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  6. This looks GREAT. I hate marking quilting lines, too, especially because I always use an air soluble marker and sometimes it disappears before I even quilt what I just marked! Frustrating. But I'm too scared to use other pens. The air soluble ALWAYS disappears . . . even if it does usually disappear too soon.

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  7. Ha ha, I love that last photo! It's a ve ry pretty, happy quilt and I love the back as much as the front.

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  8. Awesome! I love your quilts in action shots too. :) I have one quilt, the first one I ever made, that I'd like to tear apart and fix. I used polyester batting, tied it rather than quilting it, and used some icky black polyester fabric for the borders. But the middle part is a fun scrappy patchwork (that I cut all with scissors....before I knew about rotary cutters!). You've maybe inspired me to tackle that again.

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  9. I love this! The colors are great, and your new backing is beautiful. A quilt this lovely should definitely be used! :)

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  10. This is lovely! The back is wonderful!

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  11. What a brilliant makeover S! And your quilting is brill! It's so much nicer seeing quilts getting used than not! Jxo

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  12. The back is so amazing I love it. Oh what fun rolling down the hill would be - I can imagine all the giggles now :-)

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  13. Good for you! Well worth the effort. I love straight lines as my free motion is poor most of the time.

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  14. Brilliant, i love it! I think i need to try an organic grid on my next quilt, change it up from my organic lines, lol! Just beautiful work!

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  15. That's a great improvement! I agree, I think you'll get more use out of that now. And you can flip it over to use both sides :)

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  16. Ahoj Svetlanko! Ta zadni strana je opravdu paradni, celou pikikovou deku tak povysila na uplne jinou uroven :) Moc krasna prace! Vcetne vyplne, urcite bude pohodlnejsi na uzivani. Cele to mas krasne!!! Preji krasny piknikovy cas :) Jola

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  17. I love everything about the revamp!! Your back is wonderful and the quilting is perfect for this quilt. Don't you just hate un-sewing?

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  18. Love the back! It looks wonderful! I hate ripping out and re-doing but sometimes that's the only way to get it off your mind and love the quilt!

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  19. Fantastic makeover. It is beautiful and the beast part it is that is going to get used and enjoyed.
    I'm sure it was quite task quilting it, but it was worth it. It is a gorgeous quilt.

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  20. A double sided quilt! I love it when the back is as good as the front!

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  21. You really make such beautiful quilts! We spoke sometime back earlier this year and you persuaded me to try 505 spray - not sure you remember ;-) But I just posted a link to your site in today's post. Thank you so much for persuading me to try the stuff - such a life changer!

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  22. Very pretty! You sure are a dedicated quilter! I've never heard if promenade before so of course I will have to check that out. Happy picnicking!!!

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  23. We use out picnic quilt even on pavement during parades. I added corner sleeves for rocks to hold it down at the beach:
    http://sewkatiedid.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/solstice-quilt-done/

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  24. p.s. finally got around to adding link to your blog on mine!

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  25. Not bad? No, its’ brilliant! The makeover has given it more life and zing if you would ask me. I love it coz’ it’s really perfect for picnic time. The size could accommodate more individuals, making every picnic time an unforgettable one. Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea. I think it’s really swell.


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