Picnic with Vintage Linens

Tastes like strawberries

On a summer evenin'

And it sounds just like a song

I want more berries

And that summer feelin'

It's so wonderful and warm

—Harry Styles

Harry Styles describes it perfectly in his summer hit Watermelon Sugar - “that summer feelin’…” we’ve had a lot of that here in Seattle this summer. No better time to eat outside with family and friends. Our house is so hot inside in the summer that we venture to local parks and beaches as often as possible for dinner. We usually make sandwiches, pack a cooler of drinks and add in some fresh juicy fruit.

For a while we were using paper napkins and plates. They don’t need to be washed and they’re curbside compostable here in Seattle. The only trouble is they tend to fly away in a breeze and we end up chasing them around. Also I shocked to notice how many napkins are required when eating a watermelon!

I had the idea that a cloth napkin would work best. “Maybe I should go look at the local shop and see what they have for fun outdoor cloth napkins and tablecloth?’ But then a though occurred to me, “Wait a minute…I have plenty of vintage table cloths and napkins already at home. Why not use them dining al fresco?”

So I did! We hosted a picnic dinner for friends the other night - 8 of us. I used a red and white checkered cloth as the base and added a smaller pretty cross-stitch cloth on top. It was instantly elegant and fun. I also have a bunch of vintage silver-plated silverware that has been passed on to me by family. Why not use it outside? I rolled a fork and knife into the napkin and tied it with a piece of twine - one set for each person. I also grabbed my vintage ironstone plates and cork ice bucket, then packed it all in a cute red picnic basket.

Many clients have an abundance of vintage linens - napkins, tablecloths, blankets, sheets. All of these can be repurposed outside - on a patio or for a picnic at the park. Don’t worry about wrinkles, or if the tablecloth will fit. Bring a two or three for layers. You can even use a twin sheet as the base layer. I’d also recommend bringing stoneware plates and silverware. Many clients also have an abundance of plates, glasses, serving platters and trays. If you don’t have some linens already, you can buy some secondhand linens on Etsy.

When packing your picnic basket you can also use vintage linens or dishtowels to pack up the glasses. It’s a good reason to keep older, stained napkins for this purpose!

You may be wondering what to do with all the stuff when you’re done eating. I scraped all the plates into the park garbage (next time I might bring my compost bucket) and simply stacked the dirty plates back into the picnic basket. I added in the dirty napkins and silverware as padding. When I got home, I simply loaded it all into the dishwasher. Easy! Enjoy those summer meals outside!