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Monday, June 2, 2014

A Perfect Picnic + Giveaway!

I just had to join another blog hop, and what better than having a Perfect Picnic in early summer?! Thanks to Madame Samm for organizing the blog hops, and Mary for being our cheerleader!



The temperature could have been better the day of the picnic, but in my part of the world the weather is a bit of a gamble this time of year. A few days earlier we had a blazing 20 degrees C (68 F), but on the weekend of my Perfect Picnic it had cooled down to 10 deg C (50 F). At least there was no rain!

I chose to have the picnic in a recreational area, a forest, close to my home. It is a popular area used by joggers, hikers, families with children, dog walkers, and also cross country skiers in the winter time. There are lots of nice trails to walk or run on.


The picnic basket was packed with all the goodies for a Perfect Picnic. My oldest son, fresh home from University for the summer, accompanied me. Up in the forest there are not many flowers, so this beauty behind the basket will have to show you which season we are in.


My picnic quilt is all wrapped up, ready to go. It folds up into a nice tote with long handles, very easy to carry over the shoulder. My square cow is decorating the bag, but with no ruffles this time (Think Ruffles).  As you can see on the previous picture, I even appliqued baby cows on the napkins to match the square cow on the bag!



This is how the quilt looks on the back. The bag is attached at the top of the quilt. The fabric on the back is a thick cotton quality, and should be durable and not show off stains easily. Perfect for outdoor use.


I took a few pictures of my quilt on the porch before we left, so you can see it without any obstructions. I found the design in a Norwegian book, and the quilt is just perfect for a picnic for two. It is made completely of fabrics from my stash, including some scraps. Scrappy friendship stars  and applique are the main items, but some of the fabrics didn’t need anything extra to make up a complete block. I have quite a few different animals with me when I go on a picnic!



The water melon looks yummy, I could almost eat it straight from the quilt!



The label on the wine bottle is taken from the neck of a recycled shirt. The size and wording of it makes it perfect for a wine label, in my mind! Strawberries in different states of ripeness makes the picture complete.


As you can see the forest floor is covered in spruce and pine needles, and the dark color gives a nice contrast to my quilt.


The menu for my Perfect Picnic was simple finger food: I had baked some rolls with ham and cheese inside, served different types of cheese on crackers, and of course grapes and strawberries were in for added color and taste.

Hot coffee and chocolate chip cookies were the perfect dessert.


We didn’t bring a game, but my son entertained me with all kinds of stories from University. When he got tired of talking and took a walk, I took out the book I had brought with me. It is written by the French author Muriel Barbery, and it is also available in English translation where it is called The Elegance of the Hedgehog

This is my absolute favorite book, a complete goodie bag of lively language and phrasing (at least in Norwegian translation).

This was Perfect Picnic, in spite of the cold temperature. The perfect company of a young man in his early twenties with all his stories and the muscle power to carry a heavy picnic basket, was vital for the success.


We even got a visitor during our picnic; a little squirrel ran past us just a few meters away from the quilt, and then it came back the same way after a few minutes and climbed up a tree! A perfect ending for a perfect picnic!

Make sure to visit the other picnic parties today:


Tuesday June 3

Quilt in a not-Shell <--That's me

Full schedule for the blog hop is HERE.


NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

Thanks for reading this much text and looking at all these pictures.

Since I had few domestic animals in the fabrics of my quilt (except for the scotties) I decided to make a pouch using fabrics from Lynette Anderson fabric line Mending Fences, portraying roosters and hens.


For a chance to win the zippered pouch, leave a comment here telling where YOU would have your Perfect Picnic.

The giveaway will be open until the end of the Blog Hop, Monday June 9. Random number generator will pick the lucky person, and the winner will be announced as an edit to this blog post on June 10, as well as well as contacted via e-mail. Make sure you have a valid e-mail address.

The giveaway is open to everybody. Good luck!

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EDIT June 10: The winner of the giveaway is Marsha
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Linked up to Link-a-Finish-Friday#121 and Fabric Frenzy Friday.

69 comments:

  1. What a fun quilt! Thank you for sharing. ( this maybe a repeat, the first wouldn't post. )

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  2. So excited to see your post Anita! You have such a lovely and colorful quilt. I love the appliques....but you probably guessed that I am a little drawn to anything appliqued already! I absolutely love your napkins, and the food looks delish. Looks like you had a delightful day.

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  3. Beautiful Picnic Quilt! I love the way you added the carrying handles. Your also found a great picnic spot. How nice that you and your son shared this fun. Any place where I picnic with family and friends is the perfect place for a picnic for me ... :) Pat

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  4. A lovely picnic and your quilt is great! So much to look at. The design is very clever too. Thanks for bringing us along on the picnic.

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  5. Haven't done a picnic in years so I would say any place with family or friends would be a good place for a picnic.

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  6. Great picnic quilt...love your chosen spot! Looks like you had a lovely time, thanks for sharing!

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  7. Your picnic quilt is so fun with all those different fabrics on it. I love the mushroom fabrics you've included, theyre so cute and really fitting for a picnic. Picnics with my husband is one of my favourite things, we live near a landscaped park that is really pretty and is home to squirrels, ducks and rabbits. I love to picnic there.

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  8. Helllllo Anita...absolutely love all the details...the carry on strap..totally there with you...love all the goodness that you brought along...nice to visit with your surroundings..

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  9. I will have to make my girls one of those quilt totes! Love that! Your picnic day sounded like a lot of fun!

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  10. Very nice quilt, and the fact that it folds up and can be carried is a really great idea!

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  11. A bag - what a wonderful idea! I love that it folds up and is so easy to carry. And I especially love the watermelon; I guess that's about my favorite fruit. :) My picnic is going to be in my front courtyard. It's always shaded, quiet and peaceful, and so convenient. blessings, marlene

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  12. Oh I love that picnic tote/quilt!!! wonderful idea...I would go out by our pond just off from our main yard for my picnic.

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  13. What a fun, unique idea for a picnic quilt, I love it. great job.

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  14. A neat idea for a picnic quilt.

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  15. I'd like to go to the hills in Sri Lanka for a picnic. Not too far away amongst tea plantations!

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  16. Love the picnic quilt. Great idea to have the handles. I was really into all of the interesting items included on the quilt. My favorite being the wine bottle. Terrific description of your picnic. I would like a picnic in a forest.

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  17. What a great quilt. I like that idea that it can be wrapped up so easily. Thank you for playing along.

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  18. My perfect picnic spot is at a winery about an hour north of my home. It is located high up on a mountain and you have breathtaking views of the valley. Plus the winery has amazing wine and a pond to sit by. It is lovely! Your pouch is adorable and I love chickens and roosters!

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  19. Superbe! I would have liked to join your picnic, I love the forest and as we have one behind our house, we are very often there collecting herbs or berries, playing at the different creeks and just enjoy the beautiful environment !
    Lovely quilt, full of details!

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  20. What a great picnic quilt! I love that it becomes the basket!! Your setting is also perfect!
    You'll have to wait until my scheduled day (the 9th) to see my perfect picnic spot. :)

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  21. My perfect picnic would be at the beach! Love the ocean and water, sun, and sand! What a great memory you made with your son on your perfect picnic! dorisquiltingqueen at yahoo dot com

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  22. I love the idea for your quilt with the handles! My ideal picnic would be by a full stream.

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  23. The quilt is just beautiful and so nice folded up with handles...love that idea! Sweet pics and yummy food! Thanks for sharing your picnic with us. :O)

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  24. What a great idea to fold and carry that pretty quilt of yours ! Your applique adds the perfect touch !

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  25. Hallo, Anita! It does look like the perfect picnic for you and your son back from college. Oh, these kids grow up too fast! I really love the idea of the tote handles on the back to carry the quilt. And wow, what a great quilt! Love all the colors and the applique' fruits. Perfect.

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  26. Anita, I just love your Quilt! The creativity of the Appliques and using your Stash and Shirt Label...to cool! Thanks for sharing your Perfect Picnic Day with us!!
    Huggs, Nancy

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  27. Anita - what a beautiful quilt & picnic. Looks like a fabulous afternoon. If I were to go on a picnic today I would go to the beach. Unfortunately, it is way too far away.

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  28. Beautiful quilt and the looks of a truly perfect picnic :) I enjoy a picnic in my backyard!

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  29. Love your quilt! My idea place for a picnic is beside the little creek that runs along the bottom of our hill!

    Beth

    oneoldgoat1962 at gmail dot com

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  30. A great quilt and what fun you had!!
    I love to picnic by the sea!

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  31. What a great way to make and tote your picnic quilt. Everything looks delicious!

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  32. What a lovely picnic and picnic quilt. The addition of the wine bottle, fruits, and the utinsels was super; I love how it folds into a bag - perfect!

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  33. My perfect picnic would be in my back yard. We have a pond with waterfall and it is very relaxing and we would have it for dinner when the warm weather starts to fade away. yessewingisfun@yahoo.com

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  34. I love how your quilt turns into its own bag! My perfect picnic place would be under the oak trees at my great grandparents homestead.

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  35. I would love to picnic on top of Mount Scott in the Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma. A little stargazing later would be nice too. crystalbluern at onlineok dot com

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  36. Very creative way to make a bag and a quilt in one! Wonderful job!

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  37. Oh, wow, you have such talent. I kind of went the same direction with my quilt as you shall see. You have a beautiful quilt and perfect picnic. My perfect picnic is in my own backyard.

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  38. Love your quilt, especially how it folds up with handles. Very neat. My favorite picnic place is my son's backyard. Big trees, rock gardens and flowers. Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway.

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  39. It's perfect. Unique is an understatement. You have set the neatest picnic set up.

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  40. Another great idea for a picnic quilt...love the built in bag! I really like the sampler quilt you made....fun! And I like that its rectangular rather than a square.

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  41. Nice looking picnic - looks like fun! thanks for sharing

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  42. Your quilt is beautiful. I love the colors and designs. I would have a picnic in a little park right down the road from us. It has a cute playground for the kids and some beautiful butterfly bushes.

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  43. I love your picnic quilt! How clever that it folds up into a bag. My favorite picnic spot would be at Huntsville State Park in Texas, with my grown kids. It was always a favorite camping spot when the kids were young. Cynthia cknapp3626@sbcglobal.net

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  44. Your quilt is very fun, and I'm glad you got to enjoy some quiet time with your son. My perfect picnic could be held anywhere as long as I'm with my husband :)
    ~Brandy

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  45. What a wonderful way to spend a picnic - catching up with your son and his University adventures! I adore the quilt and the "totability" of it. My favorite picnic spot is in the far end of our back yard. It is quite far from the house, surrounded by trees and we overlook the river. It is so peaceful and a wonderful way to escape without leaving home. :-)

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  46. a lovely picnic for sure! love how your quilt was so easy to carry. great idea!!! I would take my hubby up to the cool mountains. since we live in the desert and it's over 100 degrees now. a picnic in the cool sounds lovely......

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  47. I love your picnic blanket. The handles on it are just genius. The watermelon does look good enough to eat right off the blanket. Thanks for sharing your special picnic with all of us.

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  48. HI Anita I love your picnic quilt. I think this Hop is great as we are getting to see some wonderful picnic spots. Thanks for sharing and the Giveaway. My perfect spot for a picnic is by the Loch where we go on holiday in Scotland, it is really peaceful and a real sun trap when it is out. Susie x

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  49. Your quilt is amazing, I especially like the sweet strawberries in the design. My perfect picnic would be on the banks of Lake Garda in Italy will lots of beautiful fresh local food to eat and huge ice creams. x

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  50. Thank you for braving the cool elements to have a great picnic with your son. I have wonderful memories of stories from my daughter's experience when she was in college. As a matter of fact, she who doesn't ask for much, has asked me to make her a quilt from t-shirts from her sorority. She thought all the t-shirts were gone and on her last trip home about 6 years ago, she found them in the closet. I had rescued some of them. She was excited. She is not attached to material things. So, I'm pleased she asked me to do that for her. The quilt is perfect for a picnic. I like taking the t-shirt and using the wording for a label on the wine bottle - how clever! The quilt just resonates with the theme of a picnic. I admire your creativity to put handles on it. It seems one always needs another hand on a picnic and that helps to eliminate that issue. Thank you for participating, sharing your wonderful quilt, giving an idea for a great book to read, and being a great inspiration for spending time with family and quilting.

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  51. What a fun picnic and your quilt is so neat, love the handles! I love picnics out on a island in the river here. Thanks for sharing at Linky Tuesday! Freemotion by the River

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  52. How clever that your picnic quilt all folds up for easy transporting! It is so colorful and even included food elements from your lovely day with your son. Looks like you had a grand time together.

    As for your giveaway opportunity question, I would go up to the highest elevation here in Alabama, not far from home but really too far for my blog hop entry this time. THX for the chance.

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  53. Your beautiful quilt makes me hungry just to look at. I love that it has handles for carrying. Wonderful memories of a that day will stay for a long time.

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  54. What a perfect picnic quilt! I'm thinking I might have to have one for the beach! Love the appliqued cutlery and wine bottle on the quilt. Your pictures were great!

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  55. What a clever quilt, I love the way it folds up! A picnic with a son sounds like the perfect way to spend the day. :) I've never heard of the book but will look for it in English, it sounds like exactly the kind of story I would like. And thank you for your sweet giveaway.

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  56. That is ideal, so beautifully designed. That sure makes for a perfect picnic.

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  57. I love this idea, such possibilities and wishing for sunshine and picnics

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  58. Your picnic blanket is so vibrant and ingenious with it handles for carrying. My favorite picnic spot is in a campground/beach area about 30 minutes from our home. The area is teeming with birds during May as the birds migrate north. Often a wayward species is spotted.

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  59. The way your quilt turns into a bag is magnificent, I tried a similar "ish" technique but yours came out far better! What a lovely day for a picnic!

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  60. Love your picnic quilt, and that it forms a tote! I live in southeast Missouri, and we like to picnic at a lake or one
    of the rivers near our house. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  61. What a gorgeous picnic quilt and beautiful spot for a treat!

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  62. Your picnic quilt is wonderful. I love the variety of blocks and the way it folds up with carrying handles. I would picnic about 30 minutes from where I live. The area is beside a mountain stream and has a small waterfall and some picnic tables.

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  63. I love your picnic quilt. It would be a great way to use up blocks that haven't got a home...and don't we all have some of them??? I would picnic by the ocean if I were close like I was as a child but now I usually picnic right in the front yard as we are in a state park in Vermont, volunteering here, and it's perfect for a picnic anyday! thanks! marsha.hodgkins@yahoo.com

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  64. Your quilt is so fun! I'd love to have a picnic on the Oregon coast beach.
    nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  65. I love your picnic quilt - thanks for sharing.

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  66. Hi Anita! So sorry to be late in commenting. This was the last week of school and all I had time to do was stop by, look at pictures. Today I am relaxing and reading everyone's awesome posts and stories! It has been a great day full of ideas, memories and joy! We both thought of carrying straps for our quilts, but your top is AMAZING. you have such skill and imagination. How sweet to have your son home and willing to picnic with his momma. He sounds like a great guy.

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  67. I would love to have a picnic by the ocean, maybe Newfoundland in July and watch the whales.
    Around here at this time of year, we'd have black flies or mosquitoes and for sure lots of squirrels!

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  68. I LOVE the pouch, Anita. Thanks so much for sending all the way from Norway to Vermont, USA. I've already put it to good use holding games pieces to our grandson's favorite game he plays when he comes to visit. He was with me with I opened the package and felt it would be perfect for the tiles and he was right. They all just fit! Thank you!
    Marsha from Quilterinmotion.net

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