Americana Eid Picnic

Hey friends! This post is a little bit of everything:) Some fashion, styling, business tips, and decor!

For the last few years, I’ve been designing boys’ thobes (kaftans, tunics, however you’re familiar with it!). Boys’ thobes are the first garments I became proficient in creating patterns and sewing for!

How wild is that? Shirts are pretty much intermediate level sewing skills, and I started them right at the beginning! It grew into a business as friends asked for the designs.

The thobe is a traditional garment to African, Middle East, and South Asian cultures. There’s some variation in every culture. It’s also a typical Muslim men’s garment, worn to religious services and ceremonies.

I created a thobe for Eid for my son since his culture is Guyanese/West Indian – from me, his mom – and Hispanic: Puerto Rican/Dominican from his dad. I wanted to create a garment that was more representative of the blend of cultures!

I had a concept for an “Americana” boys’ thobe collection when I first started the brand. This was before I had my 3rd baby! I looked at the calendar to coordinate my prints and fabrics with the Eid holidays – which functions on the lunar calendar, so it changes every year to 11 days earlier than the previous year.

After I had my third baby, I planned to close the brand. In mid-year 2021, I decided to keep going and create a new collection for 2022! I received very positive feedback from my customers, especially on new infant sizes. I have a ton of design ideas and I couldn’t resist seeing an idea living in my head for a couple years come to life!

Picnic Styling

There’s only a few years of Eid in the warmer months for most of us, so I want to share a few Eid picnic ideas! I shared more details of the themes we’ve done the past couple of years below.

It doesn’t have to be 4th of July, Eid, or any other holiday, to setup a fun picnic theme though!

For this photoshoot my daughter and I are wearing the Lady in Red sequin dress from Ivy City Co. I purchased this in November to have for this photo concept!

-Absolute FAVE item the last few years for Eid decor has been our Modern Eid Calligraphy Wall tapestry/tablecloth. I’ve used it as a backdrop and it works well as our picnic tablecloth! I like having classic pieces that can be used year after year and this is one of them!

-We’re using our Turkish and Moroccan tea sets (fill with juice or leave empty! Kids love playing with it!) The tea sets are so pretty and a nice way to bring elegance to a picnic setup.

–Picnic basket is from amazon. This shipped within a day, and it came with plates, utensils, drinking glasses, and a picnic blanket! It’s sturdy and very cute. I filled it with snacks for the kids.

-I purchased cupcakes from our local supermarket one week ahead and left them in the freezer. I put them in the fridge overnight and they were perfect!

-The floral resin tray is from a friend who makes them! I love all her designs.

-Medium sized wicker baskets to hold plates and fruits are pretty and functional too!

Eid Themes

We’ve done a few themes: Starry Night, Limoncello, Gem and now Americana. It’s really exciting to have all my creative ideas blend together in one event! The boys’ thobes, my outfit, and decor setup!

Do you blend sewing and style in your holiday themes too? If this gives you some inspiration, I would love to know!