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

Ridge Top Quilts

A Stitch in Time

Quilt in a not-Shell <--That's me

Just Let Me Quilt
Creativity Amongst Chaos

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.