Hi everyone!
I am so excited to share this simple Play Mat Bag tutorial with you today.
My name is Heather and I blog over at Twin Dragonfly Designs where my current obsession is sewing back to school fashions for my twin boys.
So this play mat that turns into a bag is truly the coolest thing! When my guys started playing with Legos, a friend suggested that I lay a sheet down on the floor for them to play on. I took it one step further to create a mat with a drawstring closure. When the kids are all done playing we simply pull on the drawstring and all of their toys are caught up into a neat little bag!
Now my boys know that Legos stay on the mat, and they can easily clean them all up themselves.
No more stepping on tiny pieces of Lego in the dark. Hooray!
The Ribbon Retreat kindly provided this awesome fabric that I just love.
It’s so fun and colourful!
Are you ready to create a Play Mat Bag of your very own? Here we go…
You will need:
1 yard of cotton material
1 yard of chenille material
1.5 yards of ribbon
Sewing machine
Misc. sewing supplies
1. Begin by folding the fabric into quarters. Now measure 18 inches from the center fold to create an arc.
2. Cut along the 18 inch measurements, creating a circle of fabric approximately 36 inches in diameter.
3. Repeat this process on the chenille so that you have two 36 inch circles.
4. Next create four button holes on the cotton fabric. These will be the holes for the drawstring to go through. Make two holes about 1 inch from the edge of the fabric, 1/2 inch apart. Repeat this process directly across from the first two on the other side of the fabric.
5. Pin the two pieces of material together, right sides facing.
6. Sew the material together using a 1/4 inch seam. Leave a 2-3 inch opening for inverting. I would recommend sewing with the cotton side down as the chenille may stretch when being pulled through the foot.
7. Invert the circle, iron and top stitch the edge at about 1/4 inch. Be sure to fold the opening inwards and sew it closed in this process.
8. Sew a line around the bag at about 2 inches, creating a pocket for the drawstring.
9. Cut the fabric out of the holes that you made earlier.
10. Using a safety pin, thread the ribbon through the holes and pocket that you have created around the mat. Tie the ribbon or sew the ribbon together when completed.
Fun right!?
And seriously such a quick and easy project to make!
This chenille fabric from the Ribbon Retreat is uber soft and fuzzy. My kids went gaga over it!
A play mat bag like this would make the perfect baby shower or birthday gift! Use it to “wrap” a gift in even! How would you best use a Play Mat Bag?
Thanks so much for reading!
I hope that you will stop by Dragonfly Designs to say hi sometime!
Thank you Heather and welcome! Isn’t Heather so incredible AND incredibly talented? That play mat bag is such a FABulous idea for all those little legos that our kiddos love, and we hate to step on! I am pretty sure my boys need one…or two. Heather has so many wonderful ideas and tutorials on her fun blog, and she would love for you to stop by for a visit. You can find more innovative projects by Heather at Twin Dragonfly Designs. Thank you again Heather for sharing your fun tutorial and awesome sewing talent!!!
Do you love that adorable bag? Check out these other fun bag tutorials for kids that you are sure to love!
Coloring Book and Crayon Holder
Happy Sewing & Happy Creating!
12 Comments
Thanks for share with us this beautiful play mats bag and tutorial. I appreciate your blog.
Hi Mikel! Thank you for your sweet comment. We appreciate you too. 🙂
This is such a genius idea!!! I wish I would of thought of this. I really hate getting the Legos out for my boys because they dump them all out just to find 2 or three pieces and as we all know they end up everywhere. I am definitely going to make one of these. Thanks for the step by step directions! AWESOME!!!!
Hi Christina! THANK YOU so much for your awesome comment! You are awesome, and yes…I think your boys most definitely need one of these bags. Thanks again for sharing Christina! Have a wonderful rest of your day! Michelle 🙂
Excellent tutorial thanks for sharing! You make it look so easy even I can sew one. Love the jungle fabric you used. Can you please tell me where you got it? Which designer is it? Cheers, Louise 🙂
Hi Louise! Thank you so much for your sweet comment! This Play Mat Bag is so cute and kiddos and mamas love them! The jungle fabric can be found right here at The Ribbon Retreat. It is called Bungle Jungle by Moda, and you can find it by clicking HERE. Thank you again Louise! Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by! Michelle 🙂
Love this! I saw a similar thing advertised earlier which was selling for £25 so I googled how to make it and found your blog. Your version is inifinitely better because it’s handmade and therefore unique 🙂 Can’t wait to make my own version!
Hi Ragpie! Thank you so much! I am so glad you found this tutorial! Have so much fun making it and have a wonderful day! Michelle 🙂
Thankyou for excellent ideas & tutorial. God bless you.
Hi Fenny! Thank you so much! Have a wonderful day! Michelle 🙂
I just made this for my boys today. It’s super cute. I had to add more length to the ribbon though. Thanks for the tutorial 😊
I am making a fun zoo playmat for my granddaughter for Christmas (filled with fisher price little people zoo animals). Anyway, I got the idea, I looked on pinterest for pics and made the play mat. Now I’m at the stage of how to finish it and close it up to make it a storage bag, I like your detailed instructions, and will most likely be using them for another play mat/bag project down the road. My problem now is I don’t have enough room at the edge with all the zoo land areas I made for the playmat to make a 2 inch seam. I’m considering sewing on blanket binding or something similar to give me an edge to run the ribbon/tie through. I think that would make it work similar to yours. My other idea was to add loops of ribbon around the edge of the circle play mat and then run the tie ribbon through all the loops, but I like the idea of the tie/ribbon being encased all the way around. (also I looked up the Ribbon Retreat online and found that you’re in Shelley, ID! small world! I graduated from there a million years ago!) I’d attach a picture of my playmat if I knew how.
thanks again for your great bag directions.