Summertime isn’t just a season. It’s a vibe. It’s a whole way of living that has inspired music (see our Spotify playlist later in this book) and in our case, making. We decided to produce a Summer Picnic Look Book to pay homage to the season that has us crafting in the wild. We wanted to put together a book of inspirational projects using some of our favorite products from the store to get your summertime sweet, creative juices flowing. Hopefully, you find joy here and in your adventures!
Not only are cloth napkins a nice way to add your own unique style and taste to your picnic basket, but they are also easy to make AND sustainable. Watch our free tutorial that shows you just how fast you can make these quick and easy cloth napkins. For these napkins, we used linen and canvas and added a short stitched border because these fabrics have a great fray and the small stitch keeps them from continuing to do so.
Essex Linen /$11 per yard
Essex Yarn Dyed Home Spun / $12.25 per yard
Flower & Poker Chips Oxford Cotton / $15.75 per yard
Our free online tutorial for these napkins calls them Fancy Napkins, but you can make them as fancy or not so fancy as you like. We call them fancy because they have a more finished edge using mitred corners. This allows you avoid fraying while also mixing and matching your set together. The napkins here are made with a selection of quilting cottons from Fancy Tiger Crafts.
Woven Napkins
Whether they are used as woven napkins or a hand towel, we are in love with the look and feel of these wovens. These are created using Kelbourne Woolens soft and durable Mojave yarns, which is a cotton and linen blend. Believe us when we say, these woven napkins are soft as butter and so lovely you may struggle to really put them to use! Using just 4 hanks of Mojave (Flamingo Pink, Slate Grey, Mauve, & Lavender) & 2 Funem spools, this Rigid Heddle project celebrates an endless combination of summer stripes!
These reusable utensil pouches are not only incredibly cute, but they are immeasurably helpful when building a picnic set that can be an easy grab and go item. These pouches allow you to ditch the plastic and grab some utensils that you can reuse over and over. We made ours using some original designs and a few from the book “A Year of Embroidery” by Yumiko Higuchi.
Inspired by summer colors and lowkey lawn lounging, the Fancy Tiger Crafts Picnic Quilt is the showpiece to your outdoor get togethers. Perfectly sized for gathering, this sim- ple construction is a quick and easy make for most beginners, which allows you to spend more time being creative while mixing and matching fabrics.
Marta’s Watermelon Salad
Every picnic needs a refreshing salad to enjoy in the shade and Marta’s salad delivers! The lime vinaigrette provides a citrus pop and the mint gives this salad a summery brightness that is sure to please.
INGREDIENTS
For salad:
1 small, or 1/2 of a large watermelon, cubed 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2-3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
For vinaigrette:
juice from 1 lime, or 2 tablespoons lime juice zest from lime
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
pinch or so of salt black pepper
For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for the feta and toss gently with vinaigrette. Add the cheese last by sprinkling it on the top. Enjoy!
This classic summer salad is so refreshing and yummy as is, but also works well with the mint swapped for cilantro, and with jalapenos or serranos added if you like a little kick
Kristen was so inspired by the Meriwether Wrap Top pattern from Making Issue 13 that she immediately made it out of the linen-based yarn, Lino, just in time for summer. The Meriwether is a crocheted cropped wrap with cap sleeves and is designed so that the fabric is ribbed and stretchy.
Summer Reading
Lounging in the shade on a blanket full of eats and friends and a project or two needs only one more thing — a good book! This summer we are reading “This Long Thread” by Jen Hewett. Weaving together inter- views, first-person essays, and artist profiles, Hewett explores the work and contributions of people of color across the fiber arts and crafts community, representing a wide s pectrum of race, age, region, cultural iden- tity, education, and economic class. We are also pleased to add “Knitting for Radical Self- Care to our list. From knitting expert Brandi Harper, this must-have pattern book for modern knitters includes essays on self-care and sourcing creativity. Finally, we suggest Amirisu Issue 24. Harmonized by a soft palette of pastel and neutral hues, the twelve knitwear designs in this issue are inspired by the customs, family traditions, and special places that have contributed to each designer’s heritage.
The FTC Market Tote
We gave our FTC Market Tote an upgrade and made it out of oilcloth for a durable, waterproof and picnic perfect style. This tote is great to throw all of your picnic items into or simply take to the farmers market and shop. You can find the pattern on our website along with a selection of fun oilcloth fabrics.
The One Hour Top
What’s not to like about a garment that takes just under 2 yards of fabric and only an hour to make? Our fan favor- ite, The One Hour Top, continues to be a popular free pattern on our website
so we published some tips from our store sewists and shared a few of our favorite knits that we carry in the shop. If you are looking for a beginner’s entry into knits we encourage you to try out some of our choice fabrics and our free store pattern. Find all that you need to know on our Journal page and join us in cele- brating this fun make that is perfect for the summer.
Pink’s Lemonade
There’s nothing more refreshing than a nice glass of lemonade on a hot summer day! I love to spice things up with herbal syrups for my lemonade. It’s also a great way to take advantage of the garden bounties the warm season brings.
YOU WILL NEED
- Canning Jar (Pint or Quart)
- Sugar
- Herbs (basil, rosemary, mint, etc.), dried or fresh
- Lemon juice
- Pitcher for mixing and serving
Let’s do this!
1. First, put water on to boil.
2. Fill a clean canning jar 1/3 of the way with sugar.
3. Add herbs 1/4 to 1/3- of the jar if dried, 1/3 to 1/2 of the jar if fresh. Crumbling, dicing, or muddling your herbs will help them infuse better.
4. Place jar on cloth or wood trivet. Carefully pour hot water into the jar, put the lid on tightly, use a hot pad to swish the sugar around until you see it dissolving.
5. Swaddle your jar with a cloth to keep it warm while it infuses, let it sit at least one hour, or overnight for a more intense flavor!
6. Strain your syrup. It’s ready to use.
TO MAKE THE LEMONADE
One part syrup, one part lemon juice, two parts water. (I like sparkling water!) Adjust to your tastes.
Some tasty blends to try:
• rose, juniper berries, spruce tips, elderberry & sage
• wormwood, yarrow, rosehips
• mint, lemonbalm, lavender, hyssop,
basil
Tips
• Use a true canning jar, they are designed to be heated and cooled without breaking.
• Adding Hibiscus to blends adds not just a nice tart flavor, but makes them beautifully pink!
• White sugar lets the herbal flavors shine, raw or brown sugar can make a richer, bolder syrup.
Credits:
Jennifer Coombes