How to Make a Picnic Tablecloth

Head outdoors for a peaceful picnic with family and friends, and place your meal on a clean surface. Make a picnic tablecloth or picnic blanket that can cover a public table or create a clean dining area on the ground. With attached weights, this tablecloth will not blow away on your next outing. This project is quick and by using two different fabric designs, you can make it reversible or different occasions.

• 1

  Cut a 50-inch wide by 62-inch long rectangle from two coordinating fabrics. Cut four 20-inch lengths of ¼-inch wide grosgrain ribbon.

• 2

  Lay one fabric rectangle on your work surface with the right side facing up. Fold one ribbon in half, matching the short ends. Pin the folded end to a corner of the fabric rectangle, with the ribbon tails laying on the fabric and pointing toward the center of the rectangle. Repeat with the remaining ribbon lengths in the remaining corners. Baste into place.

• 3

  Lay the other fabric rectangle on top of the first rectangle, with the wrong side facing up. Align the edges. Pin the rectangles together around all four side edges. The ribbon is sandwiched between the fabric rectangles.

• 4

  Sew around the pinned edges of the tablecloth using a ½-inch seam allowance. Leave an 8-inch opening in the center of one short edge.

• 5

  Clip off the corner seams. This will give the corners a crisp point when the tablecloth is turned. Press the side seams open. This will give the side edges a crisp line when the tablecloth is turned.

• 6

  Turn the tablecloth right side out through the opening in the seam. Press the tablecloth. The ribbon tails will now be sticking out at each corner.

• 7

  Top stitch around all four edges of the tablecloth, ¼-inch from the edge. This will finish the tablecloth edges and close the opening.

• 8

  Thread a 2-inch metal washer onto the ribbon tails of each corner. Tie the ribbon into a bow to secure the washer. The washers will serve as weights, preventing the wind from blowing your tablecloth away.