DIY Iron-on Picnic Blanket

Picnic season is back! I made this one last year to take to the summer park concerts in our town, and it was so fun to use all summer. This year we wanted a blanket that’s a little bigger since Henry likes to roam around, so we’re going for DIY picnic blanket round two! This one is crazy easy — you just need the right materials. I had a heck of a time deciding what phrase to put on it — my first thought was “Your Blanket or Mine?” but I kind of wanted something shorter and simpler. I happened to be listening to the Grease soundtrack a couple of days before and I was like DUH it should say Summer Lovin’! We’ve got a printable if you like the same phrase, but you can also make yours say anything you like.

Materials

• printable Summer Lovin’ downloads (1,2,3,4)
• extra large Turkish towel or blanket (we used this one!)
• gold iron on vinyl
• iron
• cutting machine like a Cricut or similar

Make Time: 1 Hour

Step 1: Download our printable Summer Lovin’ words (they’re in four separate files because of their large size), or create your own image to cut with your cutting machine. Upload the images to your machine’s software and cut the design from the gold vinyl according to the directions on the vinyl packaging. Be sure to mirror the images if you’re using our words or creating your own text-based design.

Step 2: Remove the excess vinyl from the clear protective covering. Place the words down on the blanket (with the clear protective covering on the top of the vinyl) where you’d like them to be permanently. (Use the lines to help center and align the words.)

Step 3: Press down on each letter with a hot iron firmly on each letter for about 10-15 seconds. Do a few letters at a time and pull off the clear protective covering while the letters are still somewhat hot.

Step 4: Continue the process from Step 3 until all letters are ironed down.

Now pack up your picnic basket and go outside! We gave this thing a spin in the backyard the other day and I actually love the weight of the Turkish towel for a picnic blanket — it’s super light, easy to transport, soft, comfy, and it dries really quickly if it happens to get wet or spilled on. I’m thinking it would make a great beach blanket, too! I’ll do some research and let you know. 😉 xoxo