Here’s a super-easy but immensely practical craft to help keep your paper goods from blowing about during your next cookout or picnic.  I call them picnic weights.

 picnic tablecloth weight

It will probably take you longer to collect the materials than it will to make the craft.

You’ll need:

  • 9″-12″ squares of material to make the bundles, (tulle, netting, fabric scraps, old hankies, linen napkins, use whatever you’ve got)
  • something heavy to be the weights (rocks, marbles, glass beads, again, use what you’ve got)
  • rubber bands
  • 18″ of ribbon for each weight

Directions:

Lay out your square of fabric.  I used approximately 9″ x 18″ pieces of tulle leftover from another project.  I doubled the tulle to make a 9″ square figuring it would make a more full ruffle at the top.

Lay your weights in the middle of the square.

picnic weights step 1

Gather the corners and twist.  Hold your bundle together with a rubber band.

picnic-weights-003

Now tie a ribbon around the bundle, covering the rubber band.

 picnic tablecloth weight

That’s it, you’re done!  Make one weight for every stack of plates or napkins you will have.

picnic tablecloth weights

Some other uses for these weights:

  • hold down the corners of a picnic blanket
  • hold down the edges of a tablecloth
  • at the beach, to keep down the corners of a beach towel or blanket

Have a wonderful Memorial Day, everyone.  Don’t forget that it’s not all about cookouts and get-togethers with friends, but about remembering those who sacrificed everything for our freedoms.

Like my tutorials? Support me on Patreon for weekly peeks into my creative process and a bonus video every month!
Become a patron at Patreon!

2 thoughts on “A Two Minute Craft To Save Your Next Cookout or Picnic

    1. Yup, one should never underestimate any object’s capacity for use as a weapon. As a mom of two boys, I know this well. Guess it works the same for girls, too.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.