Easy No Sew Outdoor Tablecloth or Picnic Blanket
An Easy NO SEW Outdoor Tablecloth or Picnic Blanket that you can make in less than an hour and for less than $20! Pretty, practical and made to suit your style!
Hello friends! I’m so happy to have you here today! I’m participating in the Seasonal Simplicity Summer blog hop series hosted by my friend Krista of Happy Housie, and today we’re sharing some fun summer DIY/craft ideas with you! In case you missed my other posts in this summer series, you can find my Summer Garden Mantel here, as well as my Summer Kitchen here. And be sure to visit all of the great ideas in the links at the bottom of this post, there is SO much summer inspiration for you. xo
As part of this summer DIY/craft series I’m sharing a really simple no sew outdoor tablecloth or picnic blanket!
If you can’t find it, make it yourself!
So many times I go out in search of a tablecloth/picnic blanket with a certain colour or pattern in mind, and of course when you want something you can never find it. But you have options…simple, quick and inexpensive options when you decide to make it yourself!
No sew, no problem!
I wanted a durable, colourful, summery outdoor fabric and knew I could find it at the fabric store. The possibilities open up and are endless in the fabric store! But the only problem, which actually isn’t a problem, is that I don’t want to sew. I can sew, but I just really really really really don’t like it, so I avoid it at all costs (you may already know this from my no sew camper cushion project!). I opted instead to use hemming tape!
Let’s talk about the fabric.
Because this tablecloth or picnic blanket is to be used outdoors, I wanted to use outdoor fabric. Outdoor fabric is durable, easy to clean, fade-resistant and water repellant, making it perfect for picnics and outdoor dining! You can usually buy outdoor fabrics at any fabric store.
Hemming tape is a no sewers dream!
I remember the first time I encountered hemming tape with a set of curtains I bought at IKEA. When I used this tape to hem my curtains I couldn’t believe how easy it was to use, how well it worked, and how well it washed! Amazing. If I never have to sew an edge ever again I’m in! So with that in mind I decided to use hemming tape to finish the edges of this tablecloth/picnic blanket.
Good enough is absolutely unapologetically good enough.
And it worked amazingly! The edges fused together wonderfully and look great…this is one of those projects where good enough is great in my books. Now let’s get to the details…here’s how I made this Easy No Sew Outdoor Tablecloth/Picnic Blanket.
What you need:
- Fabric. I used a 2 m rectangular strip of outdoor fabric.
- Hem Fuser. I used about 14 m of hemming tape
- Iron
- Scissors
How to make a No Sew Outdoor Tablecloth or Picnic Blanket:
- Lay one side of the fabric, pattern side down, on an ironing board.
- Line the hemming tape about 1/2 inch from the edge of the fabric. I used the white edge of the fabric as my guide, as you can see below in the image.
- Put your iron on medium to high heat, with steam. If you are using outdoor fabric like I am, set the heat to about medium so you don’t melt the fabric…if you find that it’s not hot enough to fuse the tape, increase the heat slowly. Note: because it’s outdoor fabric a little bit of the colour did rub off onto the iron, but I was able to easily wipe it off after. And the iron did not wreck or smudge the pattern in the fabric at all.
- Then fold the 1/2 inch edge over the hemming tape and iron it together. Iron slowly, back and forth over small sections at a time.
- Continue along until one side is done.
- Now we want to make nice clean edges. Lay another strip of hemming tape beside the section you just ironed down, like in the image below.
- Fold over the ironed edge and iron again. Iron slowly over the edge to make sure the tape fuses the fabric, and the lines are crisp.
- Tip! It doesn’t have to be perfect! Just do your best to line the edges up as straight as you can. Trust me, only you will know where the flaws are.
How to finish the corners:
- Now it’s time to do the corners. I opted to take the easiest route on the corners and have done a folded corner.
- At the same time you’re working on the corner, you’re also setting up to finish another side of the tablecloth/blanket.
- Line the hemming tape a 1/2 inch from the edge, and over the corner section (see below).
- Then fold the fabric edge over the tape and iron down.
- Now finish this next edge of the tablecloth/blanket the same way you did the first side. Lay another strip of hemming tape beside the section you just ironed down. Finish one side.
- Then fold over the ironed edge and iron again. Iron slowly over the edge to make sure the tape fuses the fabric, and the lines are crisp.
- You may need a little extra hemming tip in the corners to fully fuse it.
- Repeat for the remaining sides and corners.
Now I want to make all the tablecloths!
I’m really really happy with how this turned out! It was so easy, was inexpensive and was exactly what I wanted. I hope you’re inspired to make a no-sew tablecloth/picnic blanket of your own!
More SUMMER DIY/Craft Ideas to make!
Now here are more summer DIY/craft ideas for you to enjoy! Just click on the links below to see them!
DIY Crate Succulent Planter at The Happy Housie – Poppy and Fern Front Door Planters at Inspiration for Moms – DIY Beaded Garland at She Gave it a Go – DIY Tic Tac Toe Board Game at Modern Glam
Summer Decoupage Concrete Coasters at Tatertots and Jello – Popsicle Stick Picnic Tables at Clean & Scentsible – Summer Basket Wreath from a $3 Thrift Store Find at Confessions of a Serial DIYer – DIY Custom Hoodies for Summer Fun at Rambling Renovators
DIY Pedestal Bowl at Paint Me Pink – Dollar Store Hacks at Hallstrom Home – DIY Velvet Mushroom Cap at Life is a Party – Free 4th of July Printable at My Sweet Savannah
DIY No Sew Outdoor Tablecloth or Picnic Blanket by Me! – DIY Egg Shell Art at Dans le Lakehouse
Happy Summer!
This is so pretty for summer, and what a great idea to use outdoor fabric! XOXO
Thank you Christy!
So cute and fun for summer! And no-sew is the best!!
Thank you Krista! I LOVE no-sew projects!
This is such a great idea Jo-Anna! It’s a perfect way to customize your summer table!
Thank you Norma! I love the freedom of being able to choose your own colours and patterns to match your home!
This is such a great idea. I’m going to share it in a round up on my blog this weekend! Have a great weekend.
Thank you so much Ann!
I love your backyard sanctuary🥰
Thank you so much Carolyn! xo