Reduce the risk of standing on any stray tiny toy pieces (yes - I'm especially thinking of you random Lego bricks!) and make tidying them all up after playing so much easier with this drawstring play mat. You can also make a smaller version for taking out and about; they make great travel toy bags.
What you will need:
Pins
Thread
Scissors
Pencil
Wool or string
Ribbon:
Small play mat - 2m
Big play mat- 4m
The Craft Cotton Company's Large Balloon cotton print:
Small play mat:
Balloon fabric – 58cm x 58 cm
Blue fabric – 58cm x 58 cm
Binding pieces: Two pieces of blue fabric 22cm x 4 cm
Big play mat:
Balloon fabric – 110cm x 110 cm
Blue fabric – 110cm x 110 cm
Binding pieces: Two pieces of blue fabric 22cm x 4 cm.
First, cut out the fabric:
Make sure that the fabric is square and the edges are straight.
Fold the fabric into a quarter by first folding the top edge to the bottom edge, and then folding the left edge over to the right with right-sides together.
Take a piece of wool and pin one end to the middle folded corner, wrap the other end around a pencil so that the pencil lines up with the corners next to it.
Drag the pencil from one corner to the other to make the curve.
Cut out and repeat for the other piece.
Cut out a semi-circle:
Draw and cut out a circle on a piece of paper with a diameter of 11 cm, then cut this in half to give you a semi-circle.
Place and pin this circle at the top of the balloon fabric circle and cut out from the balloon fabric. Repeat at the bottom.
Repeat this for the blue fabric
Sew the front and back together:
Now place the balloon and blue fabric right sides together and pin. Sew the fabrics starting from one semi-circle and going around to the next – use a 2cm seam allowance.
Repeat this for the next semi-circle round to the next. Turn the right way around.
Bind the semi-circle raw edges:
Fold in each side of the binding by 1cm length-ways and iron to create a crease. Then, fold the whole binding in half and iron to create another crease.
You should now have 3 creases.
Place the wrong side of the binding to the wrong side of the fabric and match the raw edges.
Sew around the binding on the first 1cm fold, leaving 2cm unsewn at the beginning so that you can join the binding ends together.
When you have sewn around your binding, turn the beginning of your binding back by 1cm. Overlap the ends by 1cm and then trim the excess. Stitch along the join making sure your fold marks on both pieces match up.
Pull the binding around to the right side of the fabric, so that the centre fold runs flush with the raw edges. Encase the raw edges with the binding. Turn your last fold under by 1cm and edge stitch the binding in place.
Add the drawstring:
Sew a line the whole way around the fabric using a 3cm seam allowance. Start at the base of one of the semi circles and keeping the same distance from the edge of the fabric the whole way around.
When this is done, take your ribbon and thread it through.
Fold over ends twice and sew to seal the loose ends. Overlap the two ends and sew together.
© By Lesley Foster at Hook, Stitch, Sew for The Craft Cotton Company 2016