I want to make my son a play mat for his cars.
My original idea was to use an old bedsheet (a white one), and sew removable dowel rods around each edge so it would lay flat and not bunch up. Then I would use fabric paint to paint the town on.
I had also considered using felt, and gluing the felt on OR just making a bunch of roads, parking lots, merges, intersections, etc. and letting my son design his own road (but I didn't know if the felt woudl stick all that well with him driving his cars over it).
Now I think I want to make him a large playmat at the house, but I don't like either of my above ideas so much. I think making a 'blanket' with the top being the road is the best bet.
But I really, really want to make him a travel playmat that has a pocket he can pack some cars up in, and a handle, and he can carry this mat with him when we go visiting people.
He is obsessed with cars, and I know a travel mat that folds up and has a pocket fo rhis cars woudl be a HUGE hit.
Problem is, I don't have any directions. I've never sewn a zipper, or worked with that stuff that makes quilts a bit puffy (I think it might be nice to put in the playmat... seems to be it might make it a little less prone to wrinkling and rolling as my son drives his cars on it). This will be very much a new project. Any tutorials to basic skills like this?
I want to perhaps sew a few houses/businesses/fire dept/police station/etc. that I will then sew onto the play mat. Would I need that fine mesh stuff (fusable interface?!?) or could I just sew it right on?
Are there any (free?) patterns online I could use to create some basic buildings?
What about patterns for a fold-up travel blanket? I could probably follow directions to make a blanket that folds and zips up (or uses Velcro to secure), then add a zipper pocket on the back for my son to store cars, and a handle.
Then if I still have time before Christmas, I'd like to make my daughter a play mat. She's really girly, but loves animals and the farm set we have for her. I thought it might be cool to make her a playmat to accompany the barn, and make it in 'travel' style fashion to fold up with a pocket to hold all of the animals.
For something like this, I'd want to add perhaps another barn to it with a few stalls, a corral, some dirt looking paths, a place for food/water, that sort of thing. Then she could play with it while we're visiting and not miss the barn at home. When we're home it's just more barn space to use with all those animals. LOL.
On second thought (or is this my 10th or 11th thought? LOL) I could create some sort of an animal playmat for all of the teeny tiny plastic (ancient) animals she has that don't have a barn. She likes playing with those, too.
Oh, the possibilities!
My original idea was to use an old bedsheet (a white one), and sew removable dowel rods around each edge so it would lay flat and not bunch up. Then I would use fabric paint to paint the town on.
I had also considered using felt, and gluing the felt on OR just making a bunch of roads, parking lots, merges, intersections, etc. and letting my son design his own road (but I didn't know if the felt woudl stick all that well with him driving his cars over it).
Now I think I want to make him a large playmat at the house, but I don't like either of my above ideas so much. I think making a 'blanket' with the top being the road is the best bet.
But I really, really want to make him a travel playmat that has a pocket he can pack some cars up in, and a handle, and he can carry this mat with him when we go visiting people.
He is obsessed with cars, and I know a travel mat that folds up and has a pocket fo rhis cars woudl be a HUGE hit.
Problem is, I don't have any directions. I've never sewn a zipper, or worked with that stuff that makes quilts a bit puffy (I think it might be nice to put in the playmat... seems to be it might make it a little less prone to wrinkling and rolling as my son drives his cars on it). This will be very much a new project. Any tutorials to basic skills like this?
I want to perhaps sew a few houses/businesses/fire dept/police station/etc. that I will then sew onto the play mat. Would I need that fine mesh stuff (fusable interface?!?) or could I just sew it right on?
Are there any (free?) patterns online I could use to create some basic buildings?
What about patterns for a fold-up travel blanket? I could probably follow directions to make a blanket that folds and zips up (or uses Velcro to secure), then add a zipper pocket on the back for my son to store cars, and a handle.
Then if I still have time before Christmas, I'd like to make my daughter a play mat. She's really girly, but loves animals and the farm set we have for her. I thought it might be cool to make her a playmat to accompany the barn, and make it in 'travel' style fashion to fold up with a pocket to hold all of the animals.
For something like this, I'd want to add perhaps another barn to it with a few stalls, a corral, some dirt looking paths, a place for food/water, that sort of thing. Then she could play with it while we're visiting and not miss the barn at home. When we're home it's just more barn space to use with all those animals. LOL.
On second thought (or is this my 10th or 11th thought? LOL) I could create some sort of an animal playmat for all of the teeny tiny plastic (ancient) animals she has that don't have a barn. She likes playing with those, too.
Oh, the possibilities!
:her amazing design. Not really for cars but just some inspiration!
I'll post pics if I ever finish. 
