Baylor and I get to spend some time in San Diego right now (hello sun, sand, and surf!) and after many trips to the dog beach, I knew I needed a special beach blanket. I had a bunch of adorable flannel fabrics (found at Joann’s Fabric), but also wanted it to be waterproof for days when I want to sit on wet sand or grass. Luck was on my side, because I found the most adorable laminate fabric. I really wish you could feel this laminate. It’s not stiff or crunchy, it’s unbelievably soft and waterproof – perfect!
If you’re not near a beach, this blanket would also be great for trips to the park or even sitting at outdoor events like football games. Let’s get started.
Pick the laminate and flannels you will be using. If you’d like to make this really simple, you can just use one large piece of flannel and skip the paneling.
Decide what size you want your blanket to be. I don’t need a very large blanket, so I got one yard of a 58″ wide laminate. Now it’s time to cut your flannel panels. The exact measurements will depend on the size of your laminate and the number of flannels you plan to use. I used 5 flannels, with these measurements: 22″, 9″, 14″, 6″, and 8″.
Place the right sides (the side with the print) together of two of the flannels.
Sew along the edge. Repeat placing right sides together and sewing until all of the flannel panels are together.
Now match up the right sides of the flannel and laminate.
Sew along the edges, leaving about a 6 inch opening.
Pull the blanket right-side-out through this opening.
Fold in the edges of the un-sewn opening.
Sew along the edge of the entire blanket.
That’s it! You now have a beach (or park or game) blanket. It stands up to the weather, looks cute, and is handmade:)
As you can see, Baylor’s pretty happy about the new beach blanket.
Let me know if you have any questions and if you’re looking for another way to use up your flannel fabric stash, check out this project.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Ok, so those clips you are using in place of pins are AWESOME! (the blankets pretty fantastic too, and is now on my to-do list) but I need to know what those clips are called and where to find them? I’m planning on doing the beach blanket with PUL, but pins just leave little holes….
Aren’t those clips awesome?! I got them as a gift and use them all the time now. They’re called “Clover Wonder Clips” and here’s a link to them.