Hardware store drop cloth—you know, that heavy-duty canvas that painters use to protect floors and furniture—is a secret weapon of DIYers. At Country Living, we’ve seen drop cloth used for window treatments and furniture upholstery. Designer Leanne Ford also likes to use them as a substitute for table linens. It makes sense, then, that drop cloth makes for a durable picnic blanket, and it’s easy to give it decorative flair with fabric paint.
Supplies:
- drop cloth
- fabric paint
- painter’s tape
Instructions:
Wash and iron your desired size hardware store canvas drop cloth. Select fabric paint, or mix fabric paint fixative with acrylic paint per package directions. Tape off your desired pattern—consider decorative stripes (as shown) or a red gingham checkerboard motif—with painter’s tape and paint drop cloth. Allow to dry, then pack your basket and stake out the perfect patch of grass.
