Baby Playmats

It has been a season of babies for the women around me. I feel like I've spent a large part of 2011 either making meals for new moms or working on baby gifts. (For this reason I am behind on wedding gifts! It'll happen eventually.) I loved making two baby playmats for babies born in February and March. The original idea came from Handmade Home, but usually project instructions are more inspiration than a guide to what I end up doing.

I used soft baby blankets for the top's base layer, cut shapes out of patterned fabrics and appliquéd them on top, then added the ribbon fringe to the edges. The top, batting, and backing were sewn together with right sides facing each other, leaving a small opening to pull it all through to show the right sides. Then I stitched up the hole and quilted three concentric rectangles to finish the playmat. The idea is straight forward but all the applique pieces made the project take a bit longer than intended. It was fun, and I hope the babies enjoy the textures, colors, and shapes as they spend time on the floor.