I sewed this non-slip fabric kid’s play mat for Play-Doh and coloring for our living room coffee table. The DIY fabric kid’s play mat is super oversized (16″ x 28″) to give lots of playing room. It’s machine washable, hang dry. And did I mention the play mat is non-slip too? Yep, I backed it with this super cool grip-stop rubber-backed fabric:

The front kid’s alphabet fabric is oil canvas — and no, that’s not a typo; it’s *oil canvas* not oilcloth or laminated cotton. This is my first oil canvas project and I like it a lot better than laminated cotton – the sheen and feel of oil canvas is much more like fabric than like plastic, it drapes well, folds nicely and is a lot easier to sew in general while still being wipe-able.

I used yellow bias tape to edge the kid’s play mat that I made myself for beans with my Simplicity Bias Tape Maker. And I wrote up a special post on how to sew bias tape around corners without cutting or pinning up front.

I love that Elise has a play mat for all her Play-Doh creations …and no more rolling out Play-Doh on my wooden coffee table thank you very much. And even better, I like that it’s doubling as a kid’s play mat for crayons and coloring books too …with no more stray crayon marks on my wooden coffee table…yay!

And I love that the oil canvas and grip-stop fabric can easily fold up for clean up time.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free sewing pattern, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my non-slip fabric DIY kid’s play mat for Play-doh and coloring –>

Supplies for making my non-slip fabric DIY kid’s playmat for Play-doh and coloring:

• 1/2″ yard oil canvas fabric – I used “Back to School Alphabet”
• 1/2″ yard grip stop fabric – white fabric with little rubber circles on one side that make it non-slip, great stuff
• 1/2″ yard sew-in interfacing or drapery lining
• Thread
• Bias tape (1/2″)- I made my own using my Simplicity Bias Tape Maker
• Rotary fabric cutter, clear plastic ruler and self-healing mat
• Good fabric scissors
• Sewing machine

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How to make a non-slip fabric DIY kid’s play mat for Play-Doh and coloring:

Cut a piece of grip-stop rubber-backed fabric 16″ x 28″ using your rotary fabric cutter, clear plastic ruler and self-healing mat. It’s like a canvas with little rubber non-slip dots on it.

Cut a 16″ x 28″ piece of oil canvas fabric (not oilcloth) – I used “Back to School Alphabet.”

Place the grip-stop rubber-backed fabric face down on your table. Layer the oil canvas fabric face-up on top.

Now I didn’t do this but I’d recommend adding in a layer of sew-in interfacing (or drapery lining if you feel comfortable using that material with kids) between the oil canvas fabric and grip-stop rubber-backed fabric because teeny circle indentations can appear when you roll out Play-Doh on the play mat. Elise and I don’t mind it but for all you perfectionists out there might want to try to cushion it a bit.

Here’s a trick on how hold fabric together without using pins: I use barrettes to hold together fabric that isn’t ideal to pin, like oilcloth, laminated cotton, PUL fabric and oil canvas. Someday I may buy these Clover Wonder Clips but in the meantime barrettes do the trick.

Let’s get the bias tape started. Pick a straight raw edge; I chose the lower right side of my playdough mat. Fold the folded edge of the bias tape down towards your raw edge to make a triangle and pin.

Now start sewing your bias tape onto your fabric by stitching in the bias tape fold that’s closest to the raw edge. You can do this without pins if you’re confident, or you can pin it, or just use barrettes like I tend to do on oil canvas, oil cloth, laminated cotton and PUL fabric.

OK, so here we are now approaching a corner so slow down. We’re going to make the bias tape go around corners to make really nice mitered corners. I wrote up a whole detailed post on how to sew bias tape around corners to make mitered corners so check that out for step-by-step details.

In a nutshell, you will fold the bias tape to the right (see how to sew bias tape around corners to make mitered corners)…

…then you fold it back over itself and secure without pinning by using a barrette.

Continue this way around the entire mat. When you reach the beginning again, overlap your bias tape a couple inches and backstitch.

Cut the bias tape off close to where you finished stitching.

Now turn the folded bias tape edge over your raw edge to the back. Be sure to pull the bias tape tightly so that the bias tape on the back will catch when you sew it from the front. Pin or use a barrette to hold.

Here’s what the play mat for Play-Doh or coloring looks like from the back…

And here are those nice bias tape mitered corners on the front.

Sew close to the bias tape edge, removing barrettes as you reach them, making sure to catch the bias tape on the back when you sew.

Now some people like to stitch in the ditch here (which basically is stitching in the seam between the bias tape and your fabric, which essentially hides the stitching on the front while catching the bias tape on the back). Personally, I kind of like the topstitched look on the bias tape but this is totally up to you.

Now roll out your Play-Doh, get out the crayons and play on your fabric play mat!

Did you make it? Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use free pattern and how to step-by-step tutorial for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.

Comments (7)  | Permalink  | By Kathy on 3/17/2012