When I think about my dad, I think a lot about all the effort he put into getting the whole family outside for family activities. I’m a bit ashamed to say that as a kid I had a tendency to drag my feet and complain about being “forced” into activities. Yikes 🤦🏼♀️. Now though, I love any chance I get to hang out with my dad, and family picnics are the perfect opportunity. After all, it’s hard to complain about a delicious meal in a beautiful place with people you love! We’ve teamed up with Spoonflower to make a DIY duffel bag picnic blanket tote for Father’s Day inspired by these activities. It’s THE BEST!
DIY duffel bag picnic blanket tote
DIY duffel bag picnic blanket toteI recently read Ray Bradbury’s book Dandelion Wine and I loved this quote: “Sandwich outdoors isn’t a sandwich anymore. Tastes different than indoors, notice? Got more spice. Tastes like mint and pinesap. Does wonders for the appetite.”
I truly buy into the idea that food tastes different outdoors! I think about the packed meals I would eat on hikes with my dad growing up, and somehow a plain old ham and cheese truly would taste far better when I was tired and outside. Use this DIY duffel bag picnic blanket tote on your next adventure. Hopefully you’ll get the delicious outdoor flavor without having to deal with attitude from reluctant adventurers. 😉
One of the perks of Spoonflower is the custom design features. My sister, Caitlin Watson Boyes, has some of her fabric designs on Spoonflower under her company called Funky Pretty, and she has designed some great stripes. I was immediately drawn to this stripe and thought I’d just go for it on both sides. BUT THEN I thought…let’s customize it! Caitlin is a textile and pattern designer and so I had her do something with our dad on it. We call it Dad’s Head Through the Ages. Ha! I find it hysterical! And even funnier because I haven’t told him about it yet and he’ll be finding out as you are. You’re welcome, Dad!
The best part is the practicality of the blanket. We made it so that it’s SO easy to pack and unpack. The two straps allow you to fold it up like a duffle bag. So easy to carry around! AND, you can even place your plates and such in the blanket as you fold it and it will keep it nice and compact. Score!
Material List:
- 2 yards each of 2 Spoonflower fabrics in lightweight cotton twill
- Matching Thread
- 6 yards coordinating bias tape (We used double folded)
- 2 yards 60” wide batting
- 1 yard of webbing
- Scissors
- Fabric Ruler
- Cutting Mat
- Sewing Machine
- Cut batting and your 2 fabrics all the same size (size of blanket you want)
- Put right sides out with batting in between
- Sew all three layers
- Open the bias tape, stick the blanket edge in, pinch closed and pin
- Continue around the perimeter of the blanket
- After pinning, Sew bias tape down
- Cut your webbing in 2 even lengths
- Pin and sew one strap to the center of the top edge of the blanket
- Fold your blanket into thirds with the strap as the center top
- Roll your blanket towards the strap
- Mark where your second strap needs to be
- Unroll and unfold
- Pin and sew the second length of webbing downTaDa(d) <see what I did there 😉
We’ve done a number of sponsored posts with Spoonflower now and I’m one of their biggest fans. If you’re looking for fabric, wallpaper, or even home decor centered around a particular theme (seasons, fathers, you name it!), Spoonflower is sure to have what you’re looking for. If you’re a designer, I encourage you to upload a pattern of your own! But if uploading a pattern with your father’s face on it isn’t really your thing, try building a collection of existing patterns on Spoonflower’s Marketplace (there are over 1 million!). Stay tuned for a post about some of my favorite Spoonflower artists!
This post is sponsored by Spoonflower. All opinions are my own.
Check out our other posts for Spoonflower:
Mother’s Day Tablescape
DIY fabric lampshade
My bedroom makeover
How to install Spoonflower wallpaper
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