This is a project I’ve wanted to do for ages now. The kitchen island was the only real place in the house where we could really do some messy play, and obviously the kitchen is not always ideal. Also, my kitchen island is frequently covered in life–mail, crockpots, recycling. So, I’d wanted to make a nice big blanket, one side laminate, so we could move messy play around the house. Because I’m me, I apparently cannot just go buy a tarp.

Last Saturday I was in Manhattan for the NYC Metro Mod Quilt Guild meeting, and I went to City Quilter afterwards and picked up a lovely 54″ wide piece of Tula Pink laminate. I love these shells from her Saltwater collection.

This was a quick and dirty project. It’s not my neatest sewing, but whenever I use laminate it isn’t. I didn’t bind it, I sewed it all right sides together and then turned it right side out. This doesn’t always make for the neatest edges, but this isn’t a mat that will stay neat.

I did a few straight stitches around the front to keep it quilted together and stop any bunching. And I topstitched around all the edges. I decided to use another Tula Pink print, the hot pink 106″ Freefall, for the back. I had a few yards of this and used most of it on H’s big girl bed blanket last fall. But it coordinated beautifully, and this was a great reason to sew up all the big scraps for a backing.

I needed a little more width than what I had, so I added this amazing canvas octopus print I got from Jo-Ann last year. I actually went back to try and find more, but no luck. It’s an amazing print, so these three fabrics together make me happy.

I always label, or Jacqui from my quilt guild will yell at me.

Before I even pieced this together, H was camping out on the fabrics and enjoying the idea of a play mat. She’s hilarious, if given the choice between regular floor or one of Mommy’s projects to sit on, she picks Mommy’s projects every time.

I also sewed drapery weights into each corner to help this stay weighed down and flat. I topstitched around the weights once this was all assembled.

And now we have this great big mat, about 52″ x 70″, for some messy play.