Huge Baby Playmat

So the other day I got asked to make a really really big playmat. And I mean big, like 50x73 inches big. And after thinking about it and finding fabric actually in stock to make it I decided that I was up for the challenge as my table is only so big, you know? So after working out the details, a few trips to IKEA (as their employees and stock indicator online aren't the most accurate), cutting, pinning, more pinning and sewing, I arrived at this:

One pretty functional playmat. I didn't let The Bubb go on it, obviously since it wasn't for him, but some of the left over fabric was hanging off a chair and he would not stop touching, pointing and babbling at the little red fox. So I hope that it is going to be a hit at its new home :)

The top fabric is 100% cotton canvas and the back is made with cotton denim. I like denim on the back of playmats as it seems more durable and can then be used outside but is still soft. Inbetween the two layers I sandwiched a layer of poly batting then I quilted it.

 

Figuring out the quilting was the hardest part for two reasons. One I wanted it to look good with the print and not disrupt the image and two I couldn't quilt in certain areas as it was too thick to fit through under the arm of my machine when rolled with the batting. So after playing around a bit, I decided to use Photoshop (but could have easily used Word, Powerpoint, Paint) and put lines over the fabric image so that I could figure out my quilting faster, it looked like this

My husband actually came up with the quilt pattern idea as the diagonals I wanted to do wasn't working and he wanted to watch Firefly but I need to solve this 'problem' before I could watch. Anyway he suggested a sunburst (like this quilt) and then I saw the rain clouds and thought, perfect. So it worked out really well and I am really excited by it.

I hope its new owners will like it as much as I do!

Reversible Playmat

I finally put together a playmat for The Bubb and I am so excited to share it with you.

It can be blue

or yellow

as both sides are equally wonderful!

My original plan was to have a laminate type top so that I could wipe it down and then have a heavy canvas or denim type back. But once I found these fabrics, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Have both sides be laminate! That way I can easily wipe down either side and I can pick the side depending on my color mood.

I love the brightly colored fabric and the thickness/weight of the mat because I sandwiched a piece of minky inside it.

To construct the mat I first pinned the minky and the yellow side together then quilted it, 3 times horizontally and 3 times vertically to create a tick-tack-toe type pattern. I quilted it so that the layers would stay more or less together. Next I pinned the blue side to the yellow side, right sides facing, and sewed them together. I flipped it through the hole that I left and top stitched around the outside. I used a wide stitch for the top stitching to give a more industrial/manufactured feel.

It was pretty easy to make and came together in about 1.5 hours. It is going to be perfect for going to the park, the beach, camping, etc. Obviously he won't stay put on it for long but at least it is a "safe" place for him to start out and touch the grass cautiously before crawling free.

It is pretty large measuring around 5 feet by 6 feet.

So excited to go and try it out :)