Two months ago I hosted a bridal shower for Rachel - the theme was the girl next door marries the all-American boy and since it took place two days before the 4th of July, it just seemed right to use red and navy blue bandanas for napkins.
After the shower I was left with 32 bandanas...what was I going to do with them?!? Well, make a quilt, of course! This is the easiest and fastest quilt to make...9 large blocks/bandanas sewn together with a stripped binding. I had this little beauty pieced and machine quilted in an hour and a half - and that includes a potty break! No kidding, this is super fast and fun. It took me twice as long to sew down the binding than it did to piece and quilt!
The bandanas are 18-inches square so the quilt measures 54 x 54-inches - perfect size for a picnic for two!
Solid navy-blue for the back and a red-stripped binding finished it up - cute, no? I wrapped up the quilt and put it with a cute white wicker picnic basket filled with picnic supplies...plates, utensils, bandanas for napkins, candles and two crystal goblets because sometimes all you need is a picnic with candles and crystal to make the world right. Feel free to quote me.
This quilt turned out so cute that I made one for myself! And I still have enough bandanas left to make TWO more quilts! I purchased the bandanas at the party store - they were a buck a piece - and I know Rachel will appreciate this, since she is the epitome of FRUGAL/THRIFTY/CHEAP...the quilt top/bandanas cost $9.00, the back was a remnant at $5.00 and the binding was from my stash so we'll call it free...with batting, Rachel's picnic quilt came in at $20.00. How can she not love that?!? I won't tell you what the basket and it's contents came to!
This is the perfect beginners quilt - and bandanas come in all colors - but I do love the red and blue. The bandanas are 100% cotton so they wash up beautifully. I'm hoping we can squeeze in one more picnic with our bandana quilt before summer truly ends although by the look of things outside my window today, we may be too late! The rains are back, including thunder and lightning, which is a rare thing around here...but I can't complain, this was a summer to remember because we actually HAD summer!
