“Play and Store” Toy Mat
When I was little, I hated picking up toys when I was done playing. I thought it was such a waste of time! Picking up 1000 little legos, mini doll furniture, etc. Total waste of time! So my mom made a big mat with metal rings on the corners so when we were done playing, we’d just pick up the corners and go hang the whole thing on the nail in the closet! Done!
The best part of the Play Mat, was that she drew a “Town” on it with roads and farms, etc. We all loved that Play Mat. We’d play on it for hours: building houses out of legos and Lincoln Logs, driving all over town, Grocery shopping, getting dinner from the drive through… Good fun! It was a favorite in our house. (We especially loved not cleaning up toys when we were done playing!)
Well, I’m not a great artist, but here’s my version of that Play Mat. I backed my mat with a decorative fabric so when it is hanging up, it will be a little cuter than just the back of the white canvas with spots where the markers bled through
This is a super easy project!
1. Cut your fabric. I used a fabric I found at Walmart for $1.50/yard for the back and a white fabric I had on hand for the “town”.
*I think a drop cloth would be a great choice for the blank fabric as it would be very durable.
*I cut both pieces of fabric into squares but you could do rectangles and you can make it as large as you want.
2. I drew my town with a pencil first and then went over it with Fabric Markers. You could let your kids help with this part. At least they could give input on what features to put on the mat even if they are too young to draw them.
I added a farm, park, houses, Home Improvement store, parking spaces, lots of roads, etc.
3. I put good sides together and sewed all around, leaving a small opening so I could turn it right side out.
*I zigzagged as well as straight stitched.
4. Turn right side out
5. Fold the opening under and sew it closed, stitching close to the edge.
6. I made fabric loops by folding strips of fabric in half, 3 times over to make them thin and strong. Then I snipped off the corners, folded both sides of the “Mat” fabric inside and inserted the loops. I sewed them in place with a straight stitch across and re-inforced with several rows of zigzags.
*You could use metal rings and sew them onto the corners.
*You don’t have to snip off the corners, you could just sew the loops on top of the mat (I just didn’t want the end of the loop to show.)
Of course, if you don’t want to draw a “Town” on your Play Mat, you could just make a decorative fabric mat that your child can play on with whatever toys and enjoy the easy clean up!
The Play Mat makes clean up fast, even if you don’t end up hanging it up. (Let’s face it, it really isn’t the Cutest Room Decor Item…you may not want a bulging toy mat hanging up in your toy room.)
If you don’t want to hang up your Play Mat, just pick up the corners, and then dump the toys into their storage container. It’s faster than picking up 10,000 pieces and putting them in the bin by hand! Then you can fold up your mat and store it away too.
Next time your child is ready to play, lay the mat out, dump a new set of toys onto it and let them “Go to town”!
Linking up: Market yourself Monday, Making the Word Cuter. Mad Skills
10 Responses to ““Play and Store” Toy Mat”
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Hi. I’m Sandra.
I'm a crafter, DIY'er, home renovator and builder of "STUFF". We move frequently so I get lots of chances to buy a house and then tear it up so I can put my mark on it before we sell it and move again. I hope you'll join me on my DIY adventure as I start all over again.
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I love, love, loved playing town on the big mat! Such a good idea by our smart mom! Your version is too cute and I am going to make it if I ever have time to make anything ever again.
I know it feels like that right now but you will! I promise! And if not, I’ll just send you one for Christmas. LOL
Love this! Can’t wait to get some fabric to do this! I think you read my mind! My floor is currently covered in little people and princesses. Thank you!
That’s how our playroom usually is (and my daughter is 12! LOL)
This is AWESOME!! Definitely want to make one for my boys for Christmas!! Thanks for sharing!
Cute idea! We have lots of Littlest Pet Shops, too!
what a fabulous idea! I am so making this for my little girl!
I literally just told my daughter 5 minutes ago that she needed to keep track of her little Polly Pockets pieces or they’ll get lost. This is perfect! Great idea and I kind of think it’s cute hanging on the hook!!
I’m going to have to do something like this soon or the 5000 train and block pieces that are constantly all over the livingroom will have a tragic meeting with the trash can. Love the handles on it.
What a great idea and I’m excited to make it for my boy
I can see some felt accents and patchwork in there too. Thanks for the tutorial!!!