Here's something fun to share with you, after the rather gloomy post yesterday: spring garden play mats. I made them for a children's party at which there will be dancing. The friend who volunteered to lead the dance happens to be a classically trained ballerina, and so when she suggested that we needed props for a garden-themed choreography, I was happy to get to work. I was also inspired by the colors and stylized blooms in Kevin Henkes' new book,
My Garden.
I made the mats at high speed and with no pattern--I literally sketched on the back of the fabric with chalk before cutting and sewing. (The mats are quite large; the laundry basket made a good template for cutting some of the round shapes.) It was the only way I could convince myself that it was no big deal to make eight of these in two nights. (The eighth mat, a pink tulip, isn't pictured here). I also panicked at the thought of turning corners inside out (why? I don't know) and so I chose an odd construction method, which was to sandwich the layers of fabric and batting and then sew around the edges with a zigzag stitch, leaving raw edges. I suppose I could trim the edges closer, like faux serging, or perhaps even bind them with bias tape, but for now I like the rough look. Most of all, I like that they are finished in time for the party.
My kids love these: so far the mats have served as blankets, table cloths, hopscotch mats, capes, picnic mats, yoga mats and, of course, a giant garden. That's not bad for two nights of speedy sewing.
