After a week like I had last week (i.e. stressful), a crafty weekend seemed in order to decompress and destress. I won't add that the house REALLY needed cleaning and laundry REALLY needed washing -- because that didn't get done at all! But I had a blast creating things and felt SO much better on Sunday night.

So what did I make? Nap Mats and Name Paintings (or at least I started).

I got a lot of inspiration from Endless Possibilities on the Name Paintings. She does such a fabulous job! I wanted to make them for Amara and Dominic's room, and potentially start making them as gifts for friends and family if I like how they turn out. I didn't get very far yet -- I've got the base and sides of Dominic's painted -- now just to add his name, and potentially some stitching. Amara's is going to be a bit more detailed. I'm matching both of their beddings, and Dominic's is just a more simple, blocky, straight forward design. Amara's is going to be stripes and dots. It's a work in process, and I'm remembering just how much I love painting -- even if my talent doesn't quite match my love! I'll get some photos taken of the progress so that I can share it here.

The nap mats, on the other hand, are complete. I'm so excited by how they turned out. The kids were ecstatic to take them to school and had to show their teachers before hanging them on their hooks. I had one mom ask me to teach her how to make them (she doesn't know how to sew, so I'm not sure how well I'd be able to teach), and Amara's teacher said someone asked if I was going to sell them. Um... nope. If I wasn't working, maybe. But for me personally, crafty things are more fun to make and give away than they are to sell. Typically people can't/won't afford to spend the amount it would take to make it worth my time (4+ hours) plus supplies (approx $20). But I'd be happy to teach them how to do it!

So for the nap mats, and again I'll need to take photos to share them. Amara's is flowers/butterfly themed, and Dominic's is sports themed (surprise surprise).

Amara's bottom (the side touching the ground and visible when rolled up) is patchwork navy denim and hot pink floral calico. The part she lays on is white flannel with pink, yellow, turquoise, purple (probably more colors too) polka dots. Then the pillow and attached blanket are hot pink fleece with butterflies and flowers in multiple colors. It's bound together with hot pink grosgrain ribbon.

Dominic's bottom is patchwork navy denim and khaki. The part he lays on is sports themed flannel that's predominantly khaki. The pillow and attached blanket are sports ball fleece that's predominantly royal blue with larger balls than that on the flannel. It's bound together with 3 separate grosgrain ribbons -- one with footballs, one with basketballs, and one with soccer balls. He actually cried last night when he realized his nap mat is at school and he can't sleep on it at night. Does a Momma's heart good when her kids love what she's made for them! :)

I'll need to print these up and maybe take pictures of each step, but I'd like to share the instructions with anyone who cares to make the mats. They're really quite easy if you've got a sewing machine and can sew/cut a straight line! :)

MATERIALS:
- (SURFACE) 1 yard flannel fabric (to lay on)
- (BLANKET) 1 yard fleece fabric (can get up to 1.5 yards if you want the blanket to cover more of the mat)
- (BASE 1) 1 yard "stronger" fabric (as base) - calico is OK, but denim type may be more durable
- (BASE 2) 1 yard contrasting "stronger" fabric (as base)
- (INSIDE) 1 bag Queen Size Quilt Batting
- 1 Spool / Bobbin of Coordinating Thread
- Approximately 3-4 yards of Grosgrain Ribbon (usage and desired length may vary -- I just bought a spool)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Cut (BASE 1) and (BASE 2) fabrics into 9" wide strips
2) Sew the (BASE 1) and (BASE 2) fabrics together into panels 3 strips wide. You should end up with about 4 panels. 2 panels will be patterned 1:2:1, and 2 panels will be patterened 2:1:2.
3) Cut each of the panels into 9" wide strips.
4) Lay your cut strips out onto a table alternating between the 1:2:1 and 2:1:2 strips creating a checkerboard pattern.
5) Sew each of the cut strips together, right sides together so that the seam stays to the back -- I make my mats 7 layers long: 1:2:1 / 2:1:2 / 1:2:1 / 2:1:2 / 1:2:1 / 2:1:2 / 1:2:1
6) Lay the flannel (SURFACE) face up on the table. Lay the 7 layer long (BASE) on top of it. Trim the flannel to be the same size as the (BASE).
7*) Your flannel MAY NOT BE LONG ENOUGH to span the entire length of the base. This was the case in 2 of the 3 mats I made. I trimmed the side off and sewed it to the top, making it long enough, and making that space look like a "pillow" area. I covered the seam created with grosgrain ribbon so that it looked intentional, rather than patched.
8) Make sure your (BLANKET) has right angle edges -- this may or may not require trimming, depending upon how well it was cut at the store.
9) Pin grosgrain ribbon (3 streamers per side) to the (FACE) side of the (BASE) so that you can sew it into the base seam -- they should go on the foot side and I positioned them to the outer edge of the middle block.
10) Layer your materials in the order and direction listed:
(a) SURFACE - FACE UP
(b) BLANKET - FACE UP (I aligned the blanket about 1 foot from the top and about 6-9 inches from the bottom) -- make sure that the blanket comes OFF one side, but is folded smoothly into the middle so that you don't sew the other side. Only ONE side of the blanket will be attached to the nap mat
(c) BASE - FACE DOWN -- Ribbons should be between the layers and not visible
(d) INSIDE - I folded the queen size quilt batting so that it was 3 layers thick. It will be too long -- cut off that excess and save it to make a pillow.
10) Pin all 4 layers together along the edges
11) Trim the batting and any "mismatched" edges using your (BASE) as a cutting guide
12) Sew around 3 sides of the 4 layer group, batting side up -- long edge, foot, long edge. I set the machine to the "left", giving it about a 3/4" seam allowance
13) Flip the nap mat inside out (after removing all pins!)
14) Hand sew the top part of the nap mat to close it off.
15) Trim off excess fabric from (BLANKET) -- I cut the blanket about 9-12 inches past the edge of the mat so it will adequately cover my child.
16) Cut fringe into the (BLANKET) if desired. Because it's fleece, it won't ravel, but the fringe makes it look a little bit more finished.
17) Roll it up and add snaps (or buttons / velcro -- I like snaps because velcro snags, and kids often can't do buttons) to the ribbon ties so that you can secure the mat shut. The middle ribbon in each grouping of 3 becomes the shoulder strap -- add snaps to that, too.

PILLOW INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Fold leftover fleece in half with front side UP.
2) Cut in half at the fold.
3) Maintaining the layers, cut fringe along all 4 sides (the corners will have squares cut out)
4) Tie square knots in the fringe along 3 of the 4 sides
5) Using the remaining quilt batting, stuff the pillow
6) Tie square knots in the final edge of the pillow

Finito!