Patchwork picnic blanket

This picnic blanket has been eight months in the making.  It is a very belated wedding gift for a dear friend, made using the leftover fabric from another, very belated, wedding blanket for a dear friend.  Etiquette apparently dictates that one has up to a year after the wedding to send a gift, and I'm still just within the window.

I started the blanket last summer.  At the time I was sewing all the patchwork by hand.  But as time wore on, I kept not sewing the quilt, and the time to the first anniversary kept ticking.  Finally I just decided to finish piecing the top by machine.

This is another wedding that I was not able to make it to.  The wedding was in lovely Juneau, Alaska, where I lived for about a year in my 20s.  It wasn't in the cards for my husband and I to go, but I wanted to make the couple a special gift.  I've never met my friend's wife, and I don't know what their home aesthetic is.   I do know they are outdoorsy (as Juneau-ites tend to be), and I thought perhaps a picnic blanket might be a nice gift.  

The patchwork is made out of shot cottons from the Artisan Cotton line, and I backed it with ripstop nylon from Joann Fabrics.  I didn't quilt the layers together at all.  I wanted to be sure the finish was sturdy, so instead of hand-finishing the binding, I sewed it on by machine in one step.  The finished blanket is 62" square.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out and kind of want to keep it for myself ... but I won't.  I already told my friend it is on the way, so I'm kind of stuck.

At any rate, I'm so glad it's finally finished!  

As always, thanks for reading, and see you next time!