Easy Sewing for Picnics

Spring is here and that means afternoons in the park and outdoor adventures! What better way to experience the outdoor than with a picnic? Even a simple meal is made into something special when you’re eating it outside in nature.

Sew your own picnic accessories – like blankets, totes, etc – to make your picnics stress-free so you can focus on the good food, friends, and outdoor experience. We’ve rounded up some great picnic sewing tutorials to get you started sewing your own picnic accessories.

Picnic Bags

First things first, if you’re having a picnic you’ll need a convenient way to carry your food and drink along with you. You can’t have a picnic without food! Here are some picnic bag tutorials that would work great for this.

The Picnic Tote… Free Sewing Pattern! by Sew Can She

[photo credit: Sew Can She]

Sew a So-Cool Picnic Tote by Nancy Zieman

This bag is insulated and has a zipper closure to keep your food cool!

[photo credit: Nancy Zieman]

Nature Brights Kitchen: Insulated Shopping Tote by Sew4Home

[photo credit: Sew4Home]

Picnic Blankets

If you’re not picnicking at a place that has a table, you’ll need a picnic blanket so you’re not sitting directly on the ground – or, more importantly, not setting your plates and dishes directly on the ground. Here are some cute and practical picnic blankets you can sew:

DIY Duffel Bag Picnic Blanket Tote by The House That Lars Built

[photo credit: The House That Lars Built]

Waterproof Patchwork Picnic Blanket Pattern by Polka Dot Chair

[photo credit: Polka Dot Chair]

DIY Tutorial – Picnic Blanket by Sew DIY

Pockets at the corner hold stones to weight the blanket down so it won’t blow away.

[photo credit: Sew DIY]

Other Picnic Accessories

Don’t stop with just food totes and picnic blankets! Complete your picnic accessories with some of these sewing projects that will make your picnic even more fun and stress-free.

Roll Up Picnic Placemats by Five Little Monsters

A pocket on the front of the placemat holds cutlery and a napkin!

[photo credit: Five Little Monsters]

DIY Reusable Sandwich Wrap Tutorial by Suzy Quilts

[photo credit: Suzy Quilts]

Sewing Tutorial: Beach/Garden Bean Bag Target Game by Hook Stitch Sew

[photo credit: Hook Stitch Sew]

Summer Bucket Hat Tutorial and Free Sewing Pattern by Orange Bettie

Keep the sun off your face while you’re enjoying your picnic!

[photo credit: Orange Bettie]

Next Pattern:

I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag. This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid. It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes. It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows.

And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not. The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary. (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.) The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends. And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches. Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.

The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure. The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag.

They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish. That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings. Full color photos step you through the entire process.

The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies. They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project. I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.

Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall. That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.

Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.

Next Pattern:

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