Car Playmat

I have drooled over car playmats for a couple of years now and been wanting to make one.

But seeing as how I am proud if we all smell halfway decent and I've made dinner I haven't been able to sit down and get started on the one I wanted to make.

What's a playmat?

A portable cloth that is often made of felt and opens up to reveal a play world inside. Cars, farms, trains, outer space...anything your kid is into could be made into a playmat. And besides being the surface for play it can also hold the toys needed to play on it.

I think it's awesome to be able to carry a whole play world anywhere you go where the kids would be bored out of their minds: Planes, doctors' offices, dental conventions. You know how we frequent those.

So I finally got my arse in gear and made one.

There are all different kinds that I admire. Ones like this, this and this.

I like them all, but really wanted something that wasn't only flat. So I borrowed ideas and imagined new ones and I thunk and I thunk and came up with this:

We have gas and air, with hoses:

A mountain to drive through. Which I had snap on in case it needed to be removed. And I'm glad I did, because I should have made it out of something sturdier than cardboard and interfacing. First thing Brother did was mash it down. Of course.

It's still standing but maybe a couple of wires to help it keep its shape would have been good:

A construction site with real rock beads on fishing line that goes from one end of the pit to the other. That way they can be "bulldozed" around the work site:

A drive through car wash. This one made with wire, so it gets knocked down and bent out of whack and goes back into shape with just a few tugs:

Parking lot:

Isn't this the cutest fabric on the other side?:

And it closes for easy transport. Just throw in the cars, trucks and anything else you need and pull the string.

Silas likes it. He's still a little young for it still but really likes pushing the car through the mountain.

Sadie loves it.

But these days a simple request from me that she allow me to take a picture playing with the mat means she has to squeal and run away as fast as possible. So you'll have to imagine her joy.

Kids.

We are working on a design for a fairy playmat for her at her request, after I assured her that, no, we didn't need two car mats. And, yes, we could share them both.

So I'll share that one with you soon, hopefully, as I am trying to keep my aforementioned behind in gear.