DIY Goodie Bag

Spoonflower & OliveBox-- a subscription for hand-picked paper & lifestyle products delivered monthly to your door-- have partnered to bring you a special cut & sew goodie bag in June's box!  Check out the simple tutorial below and head to Domesticate's Spoonflower shop to pick up one of your own!

Supplies:

• Your cut & sew pattern 
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Safety pin
• Needle & thread

The how to:

  

    1. Cut out the pattern piece.

If you're feeling extra crafty, now's the time to attach a badge for a little extra embellishment! I recommend adding your badge to the pattern piece before sewing the sides together to make attaching it a bit easier. Continue to step 2 if you'd prefer to skip adding a badge.

• Fold edges over 1/4" and iron.

• Pin in place.

• Stitch on to bag -- either by hand or machine. 

2. Fold rectangle in half lenghtwise, right sides together.

    3. Measure down two inches on one side from unfinished edge, place two pins at the two inch mark.

    4. Pin along side seams.

    5. Starting at the two inch mark, sew down one side to the bottom using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

    6. Backstitch at top and bottom.

    7. Sew the opposite side from top to bottom.

    8. Trim bottom corners at an angle.

    9. Press the seam allowances open.

    10. Turn under the unfinished top 1/4 inch and iron.

    11. Turn down again, about 3/4 inch, iron and pin in place.

    12. Sew around the top of the bag. Start 1/8 inch away from the turned over top edge. Backstitch at the beginning and end.

    13. Using a safety pin, pin the edge of your ribbon. Thread the safety pin and ribbon through the notched side of the bag.

    14. Pull ribbon through until even on both ends and knot!

Ta-da! A cute little drawstring bag, perfect for every celebration!

Critter pillow slip cut-and-sew pattern tutorial

 

Back in the day, one might have used a hot water bottle covered in a washable knitted or sewn cover to keep warm on a cold night or to soothe tired muscles.  These days, little pillows filled with wheat, rice, or another grain that you can warm in a microwave are available for this purpose--and are presumably much less messy than a hot water bottle if they happen to spring a leak!

Stephen and I introduced our young daughters to the habit of snuggling with a warmed wheat critter pillow at bedtime this winter, and they've been absolutely thrilled with this extra bit of coziness at night.   So to spread the coziness around, we recently announced a critter pillow slip cut and sew pattern as a contest theme.  (The deadline for entry is Tuesday, February 19.)  Spoonflower staffer Kelsey designed her own tiny, snuggly critter and co-worker Becca stitched it up and wrote a how-to.  Read on below for the details of their adorable joint project!

[Note: While Kelsey's design included both a kitten pillow insert and its mitten pillow slip on a fat quarter of Kona cotton, the Spoonflower contest requires that only the critter pillow slip fit onto a fat quarter.  The insert can be made from unprinted muslin or scrap fabric.] 

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I know we have it easier than some during our mild North Carolina winters, but this past week has been legitimately cold around these parts of Durham! What better time then to create a simple—and more importantly, cozy!—sewing pattern in preparation for Spoonflower's critter pillow slip cut and sew contest?   My oh-so talented co-worker Kelsey has engineered what might just be the cuddliest fat quarter of fabric I’ve seen come through Spoonflower yet, a cute little "Kitten in a Mitten."  As a beginning sewer, I'm so excited to report that completing the project really is as easy as cutting, sewing, filling, and warming!   

Just a few supplies to get started with this project:

• Kitten in a Mitten cut and sew kit (We had ours printed on Kona cotton.)
• Scissors
• Rice or other dried grain for filling (You could use cracked corn, flax seed, beans—whatever’s in your pantry. You can also mix a soothing essential oil like lavender into your rice before filling as well.)
• Needle and thread
• Pins
• Sewing machine 

First, cut out the kitten and mitten shapes.

Just a hint--cut loosely around your shapes to liberate them from the fat quarter first and trimming them down more precisely will be much quicker. (Yes, this is coming from a sometimes slow-on-the-uptake crafter!)

One of the great things about this project is that you have lots of options here! If you’d like to line your mitten, use your mitten pieces as a template to cut flannel, fleece, or any contrasting fabric that you’ll put inside your mitten. You can also finish the opening of your mitten with pretty bias tape whether or not you choose to line it.
I went with the simplest option and pressed a 1/4-inch hem at the bottom of my mitten.

Now, with right sides together, pin the kitten and mitten pieces together.

You’ll need to leave the bottom of the mitten free and open. On the kitten, leave about 2 inches open at the bottom for turning right-side out and filling.

(Delightfully, this is the only measuring you have to do!)

Before stitching the mitten together, it's a good idea to sew the hem you pressed up earlier.  I sewed my mitten hem with a simple zig-zag stitch.  Now, sew the pinned mitten pieces together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitch lines to anchor your stitches. Repeat with the kitten pieces.

Once you’ve sewn your pieces together, turn them right-side out and give them a good pressing.

Now your mitten is finished.

Time to stuff your kitten!  Use a funnel or a piece of rolled up paper to fill your kitten with rice through the 2-inch opening.

Knead the rice toward the seams of the kitten to ensure you’ve got her filled evenly—and be sure to fill that little ear!

Once your kitten is sufficiently stuffed, hold the opening taut, and hand-sew the seam closed.  (You can also use pins to close up the opening while you stitch if you need to.)

And voila, your kitten is ready to be heated in the microwave, placed in her mitten, and cuddled! Heating times will depend on your microwave’s strength but to be safe, start with 1-2 minutes and work from there to achieve your desired temperature.

A simple and rewarding project!  

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Becca McCoy spends her free time exploring Durham with her dog Clyde, planning craft projects and sometimes finishing them. Learning to quilt is her favorite new skill of 2013, which is really helping manage her ever-growing fabric stash.

 

 

Kelsey is a designer working in Spoonflower's Print Room. She is an art lover, maker, and all around doer of things.

 

Tutorial: How to sew a child's baking apron

On my Christmas list this year are the two darling daughters, ages 8 and 2, of dear friends of mine.  It would certainly be easy to buy something for them at the wonderful local toy store around the corner from me, but it's been awhile since I've made anything for these kiddos so I'm thinking something handmade would be nicer. Their mama loves to cook and bake, and I'm imagining a lot of cookie baking projects while the girls are home from school for winter break, so I decided to make up a ric-rac trimmed child-sized baking apron for the 8-year old girl this weekend.

For this project, I used my own almost-8-year-old daughter as a model to determine sizing.  She's about average weight and on the tall side so I think this apron should fit most 8-year old children, especially since the ties offer some flexibility as the child grows.  

And I'm sure I don't need to point this out to most of you, but boys like to cook and bake, too!  Don't forget the boy-who-would-be-chef in your life, too, as you consider this kid's apron project.

Fabric & Supplies:

• I used a yard of Spoonflower organic cotton sateen printed with Sonny&Bee's "Summer time" design.  I love the slight sheen and softness of our sateen but our basic combed cotton or Kona cotton would also work well.  Wash and press your fabric before cutting.
• 1 package of medium ric-rac or pretty ribbon (optional)
• coordinating thread
• basic sewing supplies--a sewing machine, ruler and rotary cutter or scissors, washable marker or other marking tool, Fray-Check (for the ends of the trim if using)

Cut fabric:

• 1 piece 8-1/2 X 10-3/4 inches for apron bib
• 1 piece 21-1/2 X 29-3/4 inches for apron skirt
• 4 strips 20 X 2 inches for neck and wasit ties
• 1 piece 5-1/2 inches square for optional (but useful!) pocket

Note:  If you're using a directional print that has a right side up, pay attention now to how you cut your fabric so that you don't end up with upside-down birds or writing or what-have-you.

Make the apron ties:

1. Press in the short sides of all four ties by a scant quarter-inch.  Then press up the long edges of all four ties a scant quarter inch.  
   
   
2. With wrong sides together and matching up the pressed edges, fold each tie in half lenghtwise and press to enclose all raw edges and create 3/4-inch wide ties. 
3. Now begin edgestitching the ties.  Start from one short end, pivot at the corner, and stitch the long edge.  Pivot again at the other corner, sttich the second short edge, and anchor your stitching.  Repeat with the remaining three ties.  Set those aside for now. 
   
   

Make the pocket:

Stitch across the top and bottom edges about one-eight inch from the pressed edge.  Leave the side edges unstitched for now.  

1. Press the top and bottom edges of the pocket in a scant quarter-inch, then fold those edges over another scant quarter-inch to enclose them. Press. Repeat with the two side edges. 
   
   
2. Stitch across the top and bottom edges about one-eight inch from the pressed edge.  Leave the side edges unstitched for now. 
3. If you'd like to use trim on your pocket, apply it now.  (I'm a fan of trim on pockets because it makes it easier to locate them quickly.)  I used medium white irridescent ric-rac because this particular little girl enjoys a little sparkle.  Set the pocket aside.
   
   

Make the apron bib:

1. Press up the bottom edge of the bib a scant quarter-inch, then fold that edge over into another scant quarter-inch to enclose it.  Press. 
2. Next, fold down the top edge down a scant quarter-inch, then press that edge down into a one-inch hem. 
3. Now fold the two side edges of the bib in a scant quarter-inch.  Fold those side edges in another scant quarter-inch to enclose them.  Press. 
4. Stitch down one side of the bib, then along the bottom, then up the second side, pivoting at the corners and keeping your stitching line about one-eight inch from the pressed edge. 
5. Finally, stitch down the deeper top hem about one-eighth inch from the pressed edge.
    
6. If you're using trim on the apron bib, you should add it now.  More ric-rac is good!   

Make the apron skirt:

1. Yep, there are more edges to finish but we're almost down with that now.  Fold down the top edge of the apron skirt a scant quarter-inch, then fold again another quarter-inch to enclose the raw edge.  Press.
2. Fold up the bottom hem a scant quarter-inch, then press up a deeper one-inch hem.  Press.
3. Finally, fold the side edges in a scant quarter-inch, then fold again another quarter-inch to enclose those edges.  Press.
4. Stitch up one side of the apron skirt, then across the top of the skirt, then down the other side, pivoting at the corners and keeping your stitching line about one-eighth inch from the pressed edge.
5. Stitch across the bottom hem at the folded edge about one-eighth inch from the pressed edge.
6. If you want to add some more trim at the bottom hem of the skirt, now is a good time to do it.  Phew, all those edges are finished now and it's time to put it all together!

Putting the apron together:

1. Lay the apron skirt facing print side down (unlike my photo below) and measure the width of the skirt.  Mark the center point of the top edge with a washable marker or pin on the wrong side.  My skirt measured 20-1/2 inches wide, so I marked a point at 10-1/4 inches.  (Yes, I accidentally marked my point on the front--good thing that marker was washable!)
    
   
2. Do the same with the apron bib, but measure and mark the center point along the bottom edge of the bib.  My bib measured 7 inches wide, so I put a mark at 3-1/2 inches.
    
   
3. Overlap the top edge of the apron skirt over the bottom edge of the apron bib about a quarter-inch, aligning the center points and making sure that the finished top edge of the skirt is lined up with the line of stitching at the bottom of the apron bib.  Pin in place.
    
   
4. Edgestitch the skirt to the apron bib, lining up this new line of stitching with the line of stitching on the apron bib. 
5. Stitch a second line over the line of stitches visible on the apron skirt and about a quarter-inch below the line of stitches you just put in.  You should be catching the bottom hem of the bib under this second line of stitches.  Using two lines of stitching will attach the bib to the skirt a little more securely and will also prevent the apron's bottom hem from curling up as it's washed.

Add the pocket:

1. Find the center of the finished pocket at the top edge and mark it with a pin.  My pocket center was at 2-1/4 inches. 
2. Lay the apron flat in front of you with the print side up and measure a point three inches down from the left corner where the apron bib meets the skirt.  Align the pocket center to that point as shown here.
   
   
3. Pin the pocket in place along its side and bottom edges.  Edgestitch the pocket to the skirt down one side, across the bottom of the pocket (on top of the existing line of stitches), and then up the other side of the pocket.  Don't forget to leave the pocket's top edge free!  

Stitch the apron ties in place:

Pin the apron ties in place at each top corner of the bib and at the top edges of the apron skirt, about one quarter-inch in from the finished edges of the apron. Be sure to run the waist ties out from the apron skirt and the neck ties up from the bib top as shown in the photos below.

  

Once you've stitched on the apron ties, you're all done.  I hope your apron sees many happy, cozy hours in the kitchen!

Tutorial: Bolster cushion cover

Guest author Emma Jeffery from the blog Hello Beautiful shows us how to sew a reversible bolster cushion cover.

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Oversize pillows can make a bold design statement whether they are placed on the bed, a wooden bench by the front door or across the back of a sleek, modern couch. Large pillow inserts (or body pillows) are readily available and are pretty inexpensive (I think mine was around $20) but finding the perfect cover can be much more challenging, which is where making your own wins out!

This one has the opposite fabrics on the back, which is a great way to switch out the look of this pillow.

My pillow measures 54” x 20” and this tutorial will show you how to make a cover using one yard each of two co-ordinating fabrics. I used one yard of Grey and White Diamond Linen and one yard of CrossCriss by Holli Zollinger in Kona Cotton. You will also need a 14” zipper and 42” of contrasting piping.

To start, we are going to name your fabrics A and B. It doesn’t matter which is which, but it will make the instructions clearer.

1. First, we are going to start cutting Fabric A. Cutting across the yard, cut 1 piece of fabric 42” x 20”. Make sure to remove the unprinted, excess borders around the edge of the fabric. Turn the fabric 90 degrees and cut one piece of fabric 12” x 20”.

2. Repeat step 1 for Fabric B.

3. To make the cushion front, cut one piece of piping measuring 21”.

4. Lay out the larger piece of fabric A. Pin then baste the piping to one short end of Fabric A.

5. Place the smaller cut of Fabric B on top the edge with the piping. Pin and stitch through all layers.

6. Press the piping to one side and top stitch.

7. To make the cushion back, repeat steps 3 through 6 with the opposite fabric cuts.

8. Lay the cushion front on top of the cushion back, with right sides facing. Pin, then stitch all the way around leaving a 14” hole for turning and for inserting your zipper.

9. Clip all 4 corners and turn the cover the right way out.

10. Pin the zipper into the folded edges of the turning hole and sew all the way around. To finish, insert the pillow form.

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About Our Guest Blogger

Hi! I'm Emma, and as well as working on the Fiskars Design Team, I blog over at hellobeautifulblog.blogspot.com/

I'm an obsessive sewer, often leaping into projects with more enthusiasm than talent, more bravado than skill and more good luck than anything else. This technique has worked well for me so far and more often than not, I make things I love, even if they're not absolutely perfect. And though I'm no expert, I have a passion for fabric, color and design. I know what I like and what I like makes me smile.

Quick Trick-or-Treat Bag Tutorial

This weekend I spent a couple of hours making up a couple of trick-or-treat bags for my two youngest daughters.  These festive little bags are sized smaller than the average grocery tote bag and should make it easier for younger kids to carry their Halloween candy home--easier for sure than those bulky plastic pumpkins, or a bigger tote that they may be tempted to drag after awhile. After Halloween is over, they can be used for library books, carrying snacks and a water bottle to the park, or whatever else a young, busy person might need a small tote bag for.  Read on for the fast and easy project instructions below!

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Fabric:

--one yard of printed linen/cotton canvas for the main body and straps  (For the bag shown in front above, I used Heidi Kenney's Trick or treat on white design.  The green version used on the bag in back is here.)

--half-yard of coordinating solid color for the lining  (I raided my stash for this bit of Kona cotton, so I don't know which color I used exactly.  Something dark gray!)

From the printed fabric, cut two main body pieces measuring 13-1/2 inches by 11-1/2 inches and two strap pieces measuring 16 inches X 2-1/2 inches.  

From the lining fabric, cut two pieces measuring 13-1/2 inches by 11-1/2 inches.

Making the straps:

1. With wrong sides together (WST), press down a scant quarter-inch along one long edge of the first strap.  Repeat with the other long side of the same strap.  

Fold this strap in half WST with the pressed edges lined up.  Pin in place (or use some handy-dandy Clover Wonder Clips as shown below).  Repeat with the second strap.

2. Edgestitch along the long edges of the straps, removing the pins or clamps as you come to them.   If you're someone who loves symmetry, you can also edgestitch along the other edges to make them matchy-matchy.  That's not my style, though, and I was trying to get this bag done before starting on dinner, so I didn't bother.  Set those finished straps aside.  

Making the bag body:

1. Lay the two main body pieces right sides together (RST), making sure that the print is running right side up on both pieces.  

Pin or clamp around the two sides and the bottom of the bag.  

2. Using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, stitch around the sides and bottom of the bag.  Press both side seams of the bag to one side.  Set aside.

Making the bag lining:

1. Lay the two solid lining pieces RST (if your solids have an obvious right and wrong side).  Pin or clamp along both sides, but only partially along the bottom.  You're going to leave an unstitched gap of about four inches along the bottom for turning the bag right side out later.  

2. Stitch down one side and partway along the bottom of the lining.  Anchor your stitches, leave a four-inch gap and then resume stitching along the other side of the bag bottom.

3. Continue stitching up the second side of the lining bag.  Press both side seams of the bag to one side.

Creating a boxy bottom for your bag:

1. Let's start with the lining of the bag.  Pull the front and back fabrics of the lining bag out to the sides so that one of the side seams is now in the middle of the bag in front of you.  You should see a pointy triangle bit at the top where the side seam comes up in a peak.  

4. Align the side seam in front of you so that for a few inches, it's lying right on top of the bottom seam underneath the bag.  Mark a line across and perpendicular to this side seam, about 1-1/2 inches long.  

Pin along this line.  Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the second bottom corner of the bag.

5. Stitch across both lines, then cut off the excess triangle about 1/4-inch from the lines you just stitched.  Set the lining of the bag aside.

6. Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 above for the main bag.  You should now have a main body and a lining that have a matching boxy bottom shape.   

Putting the bag together:

1. Turn the lining bag right side out.  With RST, insert the lining bag inside the main body bag, poking the boxy corners of the lining bag into the boxy corners of the main bag.  Match up the side seams of both bags and pin or clamp those in place.

2. Grab the first strap and turn the short ends up so that the stitched long side is running along the outside of the strap.  Be sure at this point that your strap isn't twisted.

3. Pin or clamp the strap between the main body and the lining bags with the outside edges of the strap positioned 2-1/2 inches from each side seam of the bag and strap loop hanging down from the top edges.  I like to leave the short edges of the strap sticking up just a bit from the raw edges of the bag top so that I can be sure I'm catching them in my seam later.  The picture below illustrates where the straps should be placed in relation to the seams... 

...but do NOT sew them on outside the main bag this way!  Again, the straps need to be inserted between the main body and the lining bags.  Once you've done so, pin or clamp the strap in place.  

4. Repeat with the second strap on the other side of the bag.  Then pin or clamp the entire top edge of the bag with the raw main bag and lining edges lined up, the strap edges poking out just a bit, and the side seams of the main bag and lining aligned.

5. Using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, stitch along the top edge of the bag, removing the pins or clamps as you go and making sure to catch both straps' short edges in your stitching.

6. Pull the bag lining out of the main bag and turn the bag right side out through the 4-inch opening you left at the bottom of the lining fabric earlier.

7. Handstitch the lining opening shut. (Or if you're feeling lazy like I was, you can machine-stitch very close to the opening edges with thread that matches your lining.)  Stuff the lining back inside the main bag.

8. Press the top edge of the bag, then edgestitch around that top edge.  This will serve to make the bag look a little more finished and will also strengthen the straps a bit in case the neighbors hand out lots of candy.

I hope your little goblins enjoy their new trick-or-treat bags as much as mine do.  

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Tutorial: Organic Cotton Baby Tanks

This week Dana Willard author of the beautiful Made blog and Fabrics A to Z is back this week to share a tutorial for adorable baby tank shirts made from Spoonflower organic cotton interlock knit.  

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Hello again friends.   It's Dana from MADE and I'm back to share a sewing tutorial and free pattern with you!

When I discovered that Spoonflower carried knit fabrics last month I was overjoyed!  Truly!  I'm a fabric nerd.  And as most of you know, finding cute knit fabric prints in the store is pretty impossible.  But at Spoonflower the prints are endless!  Holy fun. 

I narrowed down my favorites to only 3 prints (Love Fiesta, freeform arrows in lipstick, and umbra_star_brown).  And because the knit fabrics are pricey I've created a project that only uses one fat quarter of fabric!

Today we're making:

These are so fun and cute, they're hard to resist.  I'll show you THREE different versions.  Let's get started!

First, start by downloading my free pattern: Download Baby Tank by MADE

• Print the 4-page pattern to standard 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper.  There is a 1 square-inch measuring box on each page to make sure your pattern has printed to proper size.  I recommend selecting the print option "actual size" (or something similar) for best results.

• Cut out all 4 pattern pieces (2 Back pieces, 2 Front pieces).  Tape the 2 Front pieces together along the dotted lines.  Do not overlap them, but butt them up right next to each other at the dotted lines and tape.  Do the same for the Back pieces---match them up at the long dotted lines and tape.

• The pattern size is 6-12 months.   If you have an older (or younger) child you can adjust the pattern by extending or reducing in a similar pattern shape.   Use one of your child's current shirts to gauge how wide and how long the tank should be.

Tutorial: Kindergarten Nap Mat and Pillow

When our middle daughter was getting ready to start kindergarten two years ago, we received a note from the school about the supplies she would need. Among them was a beach towel for her daily nap time. "A beach towel?!" I thought incredulously. Lying on a towel on a classroom floor certainly didn't sound very nap-inducing to me, so I immediately decided to make my daughter her own portable nap mat and tiny pillow to keep in her cubby at school for her daily naps. She loved her handmade nap set then and at age 7 now, she still loves it and often includes it in the pillow forts she loves to build.  

Her younger sister isn't due to go to kindergarten until next year but since it's back to school time for lots of others, I thought that a nap mat tutorial might be useful to all you parents with kiddos starting school. Read on for the details of this cozy project!

This finished nap mat is 50 X 34 inches and the little pillow finishes at 13 X 8 inches.  

Materials for mat and pillow:

--2 yards of cotton fabric; I used 2 yards of Spoonflower cotton poplin printed with my daughter's choice of Heidi Kenney's Bunny Bunch design. (Bunnies have been much on our daughters' minds lately as we've just adopted two of our own!)

--1 yard of snuggly backing material that coordinates with your cotton fabric; I used 1 yard of 62-inch wide pink Minky fabric bought from my local fabric shop but you could also choose flannel.

--quilt batting; I used 100% wool batting because it's fluffier than other types, rendering it more comfy for napping. The crib size is large enough for this project.

--extra-wide ribbon or webbing, about 30-inches long; I used a length of 1-3/4 inch-wide ribbon trim I scored at the thrift store. It doesn't exactly match the print, but I think it goes.

--sew-on Velcro

--coordinating perle cotton or embroidery floss for tying the mat

--polyfill stuffing for the pillow

Making the Nap Mat

Cut one piece for the top of the mat from the printed poplin measuring 51 X 35 inches. Cut one piece from the backing fabric measuring 51 X 35 inches.  Cut a piece of wool batting measuring 51 X 35 inches.

Step 1: Layer the poplin, backing, and batting together in one "sandwich" in this order: Batting on the bottom, then backing with right side facing up, then poplin with right side facing down. Pin all these layers together around the perimeter, leaving an 8-inch opening at one short side of the sandwich.  

Step 2: Next, you'll be marking a point for the strap on the other short side--that is, the short side that is opposite the side you left the opening in previously. Mark a point about about one-quarter of the way in from the edge with a washable marker in a light color. (I love this use for washable markers!)  I was apparently a bit math-challenged when I marked a quarter of the way in as 11 inches below! One-quarter of 35 inches is 8-3/4 inches. (Ahem.) Pin the short edge of the ribbon or webbing you're using for the strap, lining up the raw edges of the strap and the mat sandwich. Take care to keep the ribbon well out of the way of the seams you'll be stitching next.

Step 3: Stitch around the perimeter of the mat. Begin your stitching at one edge of the opening you left using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. I used a universal 80/12 needle, 2.5 stitch length, and a tension setting of 4 on my machine without problems, but you may wish to experiment with your machine's settings before stitching to be sure this works for you, especially if you haven't sewn with Minky before.

Remember that strap pinned into the sandwich, and be sure you're not sewing it into the seam!

Once you've sewn around the mat perimeter, clip the corners to minimize bulk.

Step 4: Carefully turn the mat inside out and poke out the corners with a chopstick, knitting needle, or point turner. Press the edges with an iron, pressing the seam allowances of the opening you left to the inside.

Step 5: Now you're going to edgestitch along the perimeter of the mat. If your machine has a walking foot, you may want to use it so that the layers feed evenly and you don't get a lot of wrinkles and tucks. Stitch about 1/8 of an inch away from the edge of the mat all the way around.  

Edgestitching here will strengthen the seam a bit more, enclose the opening you left, and will also create a bit of a poofy edge that to me looks pleasingly like piping.  Once again, be careful that you don't stitch the loose strap into your seam.

Step 6:  Now we're going to tie the mat to stabilize the mat layers so they don't shift as your child uses it. If you've never used this method of quilting, it's super-easy and fast. The first step is to mark the dots using the washable marker so you know where your ties are going to be. Four-inch intervals will do the trick, so I'm marking a 4-inch grid all over the poplin side of the mat. Note that since neither 50 nor 34 is evenly divided by 4, there will actually be a 5-inch gap between all edges of the mat and the first row of dots.  Make the first dot five inches up and five inches over from the bottom corner. The dot next to that will be 4 inches away, then the next dot will be 4 inches away and so on, ending the row with a dot that is 5 inches away from the other edge of the mat.

Continue marking dots. After marking the first row of dots, I used an acrylic quilting ruler to mark the next row, lining up the dots I marked previously with the 4-inch mark on the ruler. Do this until the entire mat is marked with a grid of dots.

Step 7: Thread an embroidery needle with the perle cotton or embroidery floss. Take the first stitch on the first dot of a row, beginning and ending the stitch on the poplin side of the mat.  

Continue along the row, taking a stitch through each of the dots on the same row. There's no need to cut the tail of the thread or to cut between each dot yet. You can stitch an entire row first, then trim the tail to a couple of inches once you've made a whole row of stitches.

Next, cut the thread halfway between each of the dots. Since the dots are 4 inches apart, each dot should have a stitch with a tail on either side that is about 2-inches long.

Step 8: Tie the little threads over each of these dots, being careful not to tie so tightly that the fabric is bunched up in the center. Tie a whole row before you proceed to the next row. You can either trim the tails at the end of each row so they're not so long and dangly, trim them all at once at the end, or even leave them long if you like how it looks.

Making the pillow

We're not quite done with the mat yet since we have to finish the strap that will help to bundle everything together.  I've opted to configure the strap closure so that my child can wrap her little pillow up with the mat, so this means I have to make the pillow first.

For the pillow, cut two pieces of poplin measuring 13-1/2 X 8-1/2 inches.  

Step 1: Pin the two pieces of poplin right sides together and pin, leaving a 4-inch opening for turning.  Stitch around the perimeter, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  Trim the corners to minimize bulk.

Step 2: Turn the pillow inside out and poke out the corners.  Press the edges.  Stuff the pillow with polyfill so that it feels like a comfy bed pillow when you're done stuffing and not hard and bouncy. Try to poke the stuffing into the corners, too.  

Step 3: After stuffing the pillow, hand-stitch the opening closed using an invisible or ladder stitch.  

Finishing the strap and mat

Step 1: First, finish the raw edge of the strap. Since I used ribbon for my strap, I was able to fold in the raw edge about a quarter-inch, then fold it down another quarter-inch again to encase the raw edge, then stitch it down. Webbing may be too thick to do this, though. You may wish instead to zigzag stitch the edge to keep it from fraying, or use a product like Fray-Check. I've heard you can also melt the edges of webbing, but that sounds scary! I haven't tried that.

Step 2: With the edge of the strap finished, it's time to roll up the mat so that you can determine where to place the Velcro. Fold the mat in half lengthwise so that the strap is sticking out one of the very short sides. Begin rolling it up at the end opposite the strap like you would a sleeping bag, leaving the strap loose. Stack the pillow on top of the mat, then wrap the strap around this bundle. Wrap it tight enough to be neat but not so tightly that your little one can't manage to get it all bundled up again.

Step 3: Decide where you want the Velcro to be placed on the straps where they overlap. Cut two pieces of Velcro--one each of the hook and loop sides--about 1-1/2 inches long. Place pins on the two sides of the strap at the top and bottom edges of where these two 1-1/2 inch Velcro pieces will be sewn.  

Step 4: Fit the first piece of Velcro inside the first set of two pins and stitch around the edges. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end to be sure that the Velcro won't come loose as the mat is used. Repeat with the second piece of Velcro. 

All done--I hope your child finds this nap mat comfy and a cozy, nap-inducing reminder of home!