Picnic Blanket Tutorial (Part 2)

February 5, 2011

If you missed the first part of the picnic blanket tutorial, click here to head that way first.

Time to make the picnic blanket fun! I decided to add a checkers game, Bingo cards and tic tac toe grids to the top, but if you have other games your family loves, you can add them instead.

To make the checker board, you need 2 fabric colors. Using the lighter color, cut a square that measures 16 x 16 inches. Iron a piece of Heat’n Bond Lite to the wrong side of the fabric.

Out of the darker fabric, cut a rectangle measuring 16 x 8 inches. Apply Heat’n Bond Lite to the wrong side of the fabric.

Cut 32 squares measuring 2 x 2 inches out of the darker fabric.

Remove the paper from the squares and place them on the large square in a checkerboard pattern. Iron the squares in place.

Remove the Heat’n Bond Lite paper from the back of the checkerboard. Place the checkerboard on the center of the picnic blanket. Turn the board so the sides of the board align with the corners of the blanket. This gives you more space to sit when playing the games. See photo below for placement of the checkerboard.

Iron the board down to help it stay in place when you stitch. Use a zigzag stitch to sew the squares together and secure them to the top of the picnic blanket.

Time for the Bingo cards. Using a piece of fabric measuring 16 x 40, iron Heat’n Bond Lite to the wrong side of the fabric. Cut 4 rectangles measuring 2 x 10 inches. Remove the paper backing and iron the rectangle to the picnic blanket along the sides of the checkerboard. Refer to the picture above for placement.

Using a fabric marker, write BINGO on the fabric. Space the letters evenly.

To complete the Bingo cards, use the fabric marker to write the numbers under the letters. You can randomly select numbers for each section following the rules below:

Column B contains numbers 1 – 15

Column I contains numbers 16 – 30

Column N contains numbers 31 – 45

Column G contains numbers 46 – 60

Column O contains numbers 61 – 75

You can also use an online Bingo card generator and just copy the supplied cards.

Draw the tic tac toe games between the Bingo cards.

Time to make the game pieces. I used unfinished wood pieces from Michael’s. I used round discs for the checkers, Bingo markers and tic tac toe pieces. They were the 1.5 inch size. Katelyn painted them for me.

I used small heart shaped wooden pieces to make the calling pieces for the Bingo game.

The games are complete. Now it’s time to attach the top and the bottom of the blanket.

Take the top of the blanket and the vinyl tablecloth and place the wrong sides together. Now it’s almost ready! Round the corners slightly to help soften the edges and make it easy to sew the binding.

You can either make bias tape or use store bought tape. Place the bias tape around the perimeter of the blanket and stitch the edge of the blanket all the way around. Stitch carefully to be sure you catch everything as you go. If your stitching is off around the corners, your game pieces can slip through the spaces. If that happens, just restitch the area you missed.

Place your game pieces and other small games (like cards) into the corner pockets.

Roll up or fold the picnic blanket and you’re ready to head out for a bit of fresh air and entertainment.

If you have any questions or something doesn’t make sense, please let me know!

Posted in Crafts, Kid Activities, Sewing, Tutorials