DIY Christmas Gifts: Toy Car Play Mat
*This post contains affiliate links for your convince, which means I make a tiny portion of the profit with no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting the blog!*
This project is a serious scrap buster, so it’s easy on the budget. You’ll need 2 pieces of quilting fabric that are 17 inches by 22 inches, a piece of felt 11 inches by 18 inches (the by the yard felt works best) and you’ll also need some sew on hook & loop tape (Velcro.) You will also need, a yard stick, scissors, a fabric marking pen, a sewing machine, iron & ironing board, and… some small toy cars (like Hot Wheels or Match Box.)
Start your project by pinning together the two pieces of quilting cotton, right sides together. I used a simple black & white stripe (it reminded me of racing) and a green solid (kinda grassy, don’t ya think?)
Stitch around 3 sides of the material with a 1/2 inch seam, leaving the last side open.
After it’s ironed, turn down the un-stitched edge into the interior, so that it will seal up with a seam.
Fold your felt in half, so that it is basically the same size as a sheet of paper. Cut the pattern out by placing the open end of the track on the fold.
Start by folding the paper so that you can snip a hole in the middle of the “track” to cut out the insides.
The track fits onto the roll up base from corner to corner perfectly. That way, they have the most track possible.
Sew down the track to the fabric by stitching along the outside edge of the track, then again on the inside. Now that the roll is done, you need a way to close it up.
I used small pieces of hook and loop, 2 inches by 1 inches.
Sew them in 3 spots, one on each end and one in the middle.
Start by putting them on the inside of the roll, then roll up the cars to see where the matching pieces go.
Tip of the day: Figure out where the hook part goes, then pin it to the fabric face down so that you can adjust it. Once you have them all pinned, just flip them over right in place before sewing it in place.
The Cottage Market {Andrea} ♥ says
November 10, 2012 at 9:31 pmThis is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO adorable I can’t take it!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE this…I love it so much I WANT TO PLAY WITH IT!!!! Great job Gina…you really ROCKED this one! hugs!!!
Nancy says
November 10, 2012 at 11:41 pmThis is so cute Gina..I miss making toys and clothes for my son since he is grown up..sigh..
NanaDiana says
November 10, 2012 at 11:46 pmGina- THIS is PERFECT for my three year old grandson. Something he can take with him for play dates, etc. I absolutely love how self contained it is- xo Diana
melody-mae says
November 11, 2012 at 12:16 amadorable!!!
Miranda @ Pressing On says
November 11, 2012 at 5:11 amWhat a fantastic idea! Thanks for a great tutorial.
Dawn says
November 11, 2012 at 12:16 pmHow cute, what a great idea:)
Vanessa @ Our Thrifty Ideas says
November 11, 2012 at 11:24 pmMy son would love this. I may attempt it for Christmas.
TheSewingLoft says
November 12, 2012 at 1:08 amGina, this is SO cute!
Angie CountryChicCottage says
November 12, 2012 at 3:11 pmThis is awesome my friend.
Bonnie and Trish @ Uncommon says
November 13, 2012 at 3:51 amLove this! incredibly clever!!
Stephanie Decker says
January 2, 2013 at 5:33 pmCute + Practical = life changing for the mom of a 2yr old boy 🙂
http://dolldefined.blogspot.com/
Kay Shaw says
September 19, 2013 at 6:39 pmPrecious idea for my 2 year old grandson. He had the most fun putting the cars in the pockets and rolling them out. Kept him entertained for a long time. I used a loop of elastic to keep it together after folding in half. No hooks to catch hair and string.
Shannon says
November 15, 2013 at 7:14 pmI loved this tutorial and made two to give away to some nephews- see the finished product here:
http://starb37.blogspot.com/2013/08/im-making-progress.html
Thanks again!
MartaZet says
January 19, 2014 at 6:53 amIt is GREAT! I am borrowing your idea. I will modify it though – I will make stuffed fabric cars that will be sticked to the street thanks to velcro.
When finished I will share!:)
Rachel says
January 25, 2014 at 9:06 pmI just made my first one! Your tutorial is awesome…this was the first sewing project I’ve completed on my own and it turned out great! Thank you!!! (I’m planning on making several more to give as party favors to my son’s race car themed birthday party)
Cara says
March 2, 2017 at 6:06 amHi! I love this! Is the pattern for the road still available? It brings me to Pinterest when I click, but does’t open the pattern Thank you!!